Christmas crown

[villa66]

The 1927 "Wreath" crown, high value in the 6-piece silver proof set containing the new designs of George V's second silver coinage series. The issue of these coins marks the first appearance of the British crown in .500 fine silver, and the first appearance of the denomination spelled out on the coin. Note also that these first-year "Wreath" crowns—George V's first crowns—were proof-only issues. Just 15,030 were coined, all for sets.

These coins were a departure from the usual St. George reverse, and as beautiful and as popular as Pistrucci's design was (and is), the "Wreath" crown was a real favorite with Britons, who often called these coins "Christmas crowns." Their holiday-like design is one obvious reason, of course, and another was the high demand for these coins as gifts at Christmastime.

v.

[andyg]

The 1927 sets were issued from August 1928, price 15/6 for the card box of £1.1.9 for the leather box (including postage).  To get one you had to apply to the mint enclosing a cheque or postal order for the value with no guarantee that you would actually succeed.  It would have been a very rich boy to find a set in his stocking at Christmas....

[villa66]

The 1927 sets were issued from August 1928, price 15/6 for the card box of £1.1.9 for the leather box (including postage).  To get one you had to apply to the mint enclosing a cheque or postal order for the value with no guarantee that you would actually succeed.  It would have been a very rich boy to find a set in his stocking at Christmas....

Good info, thanks. So it would have cost at least 9/3 to put one of the '27 crowns into a Christmas stocking. (Of course we always knew--given their limited numbers--that these coins were Christmas crowns for the lucky few.) I have to say, though, much as I like coins, if my folks were willing to spend that kind of money I think I would have preferred the bike, or the (excellent!) electric train.

Any idea whether the Wreath crowns of subsequent years were sold at face, or whether those folks also had to pay a premium to get one for Christmas?

v.

[<k>]

Nice '38 crown (and thanks for the design connection). Don't suppose you have any insight into why it was coined? I don't agree with them, but I have read plenty of folks who think all it did was step on the '37.

v.

Quick answer from an Australian contact:

"Its re-issue in 1938 suggests the Treasury was still keen to establish the denomination for every day commerce, despite the rampant public hoarding of the previous 1937 issue."

Found online:

The Australian Crown was initially issued in 1937 to mark the occasion of the coronation of George VI. Many of these were hoarded as keepsakes of the occasion. Because of this popularity it was released again in 1938 but without much success.

and

Originally planned to commemorate Edward VIII, the Coinage Act of 1909 had to be amended to allow a crown to be issued in Australia, Federal Parliment assented just 2 days before Edward abdicated. Crowns were then struck to mark the coronation of George VI in 1937 instead, the commemorative appeal and limited popularity of the crown was completely lost when it was issued again in 1938. The Federal Treasurer R.G Casey had proposed the coin and pushed hard for its introduction, thus they became known as " Casey's Cartwheel".

[villa66]

Thanks for the quick answer on the '37/38 crowns. I keep hoping to read--or hear someone say--that the '38 crown has something to do with the sesquicentennial celebrations that year. But not yet. Thanks again.

v.

[andyg]

Any idea whether the Wreath crowns of subsequent years were sold at face, or whether those folks also had to pay a premium to get one for Christmas?

Not sure - As far as I know you had to order them in a similar fashion to the 1927 sets from the mint, but I can't find what price they were issued at.

[villa66]

Not sure - As far as I know you had to order them in a similar fashion to the 1927 sets from the mint, but I can't find what price they were issued at.

I hope at least some of them were issued at face, otherwise these excellent pieces--by WoC convention--are pseudo-coins only. Perhaps.

For many coins, certain American "classic" commemorative half dollars among them, my way around this WoC stricture is the fact that they entered circulation in some numbers later on (with the initial purchase premium being lost), or were issued in some quantity to circulation after they failed to sell at a premium.

Did the UK's 1927-1936 Wreath crowns circulate to any appreciable degree? Keeping in mind, of course, that "appreciable" can be quite a small number given the small mintages of these coins. Were any of them issued free of premium?

v.

[tonyclayton]

They do occur in circulated condition, but numbers issued were so small that it was unlikely many people saw them in change!