Bermuda crowns of 1959 and 1964: preliminary artwork

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Bermuda, 1 crown, 1964.

In 1964 Bermuda issued its second and last crown (five shillings).

English engraver Geoffrey Colley modelled the reverse for the Royal Mint.

His initials "GC" can be seen on the coin

It depicts the coat of arms of Bermuda.

Click on the link below to read more about Geoffrey Colley:

Geoffrey Colley, Coin Designer

I quote from this website: Bermuda 1964 Crown.

1964 was the last official Crown issued. By February of 1970 Bermuda converted from the "Pound Sterling" currency standard to the "Dollar" as their currency standard. Prior to 1964, the only other crown issued was the 1959 350th Colony Founding Anniversary coin. The mystery is why they would issue a Crown coin knowing that they had plans to convert to the dollar and why silver? The answer more than likely comes from a couple of reasons. During the 1960s, the price of silver was quickly rising and many countries, including the U.S. and Canada, had announced that 1964 would be the last year of minting silver coinage due to costs. This probably represented Bermuda's last and best opportunity to issue one final silver coin from their "Sterling Pound" era of coinage, more or less a public memento, before transitioning to a dollar coin.

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The coat of arms of Bermuda appears to come in more than one version. See above.

According to Wikipedia:

The coat of arms of Bermuda depicts a red lion holding a shield that has a depiction of a wrecked ship upon it. The red lion is a symbol of England and alludes to Bermuda's relationship with that country. The wrecked ship is the Sea Venture, the flagship of the Virginia Company. The ship was deliberately driven on to the reefs of Bermuda, by Admiral Sir George Somers, in 1609, to prevent it from foundering in a storm. All aboard survived, resulting in the settlement of the island. The Latin motto under the coat of arms, Quo Fata Ferunt, means "Whither the Fates Carry [Us]".

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Here is Geoffrey Colley's first sketch of the reverse, as seen in the National Archives, London.

Both the coat ofarms and its lion supporter are enclosed within a scroll.

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The second sketch shows the design without the scroll.

The year has been moved and the motto, Quo Fata Ferunt, has been added to the design.

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The final version of the design is very similar to the second sketch.

However, the lion is very different from the one in the first two sketches.

More detail has been added to the mound on which the lion is standing.

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Here once more is the issued coin.

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http://typesets.wikidot.com/bermuda:64crown

During the 1960s, the price of silver was quickly rising and many countries, including the U.S. and Canada, had announced that 1964 would be the last year of minting silver coinage due to costs. This probably represented Bermuda's last and best opportunity to issue one final silver coin from their "Sterling Pound" era of coinage, more or less a public memento, before transitioning to a dollar coin.

I think they were smart, rather than sentimental. Indeed, there was a silver craze in the US in 1964, not unlike the gold/silver bubble today. However, Bermuda is a much visited port of call of US (especially Florida) based cruise ships. All them tourists more than likely would find a silver coin an attractive souvenir.

Peter

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In 1959 Bermuda issued a collector crown to commemorate the 350th anniversary of its settlement by the British. The previous year the Royal Mint had hired an English artist named Norman Sillman to produce the design for the reverse of the coin. He had never designed any coins before, but his assocation with the Royal Mint was to continue until the late 1990s.

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This is one of Mr Sillman's first sketches.

He already had the idea of showing a bird's eye view of the islands.

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The decision was made to add a nautical theme to the design.

These are some of the documents Mr Sillman was given to study.

They include photos of a painting of 18th century ships and of a modern sailing dinghy.

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Initial sketches by Mr Sillman.

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The sketch of the final design.

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Bermuda, 1 crown, 1959.

The finished coin. A superb design, and Mr Sillman's first numismatic assignment.

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For more information about Norman Sillman and his many international coin designs, click on the link below:

Norman Sillman: Coin Designer