Three Good Reasons for Collecting Crown Coins;

1. The Crown is normally the largest silver coin issued during most reigns.
2. Crowns have generally been struck in large enough quantities to enable a collector to start a collection without breaking the bank.
3. Crown Coin Values have generally held their value to make them a good investment.

These reasons often make the Crown Coin the first choice for collectors.

General History of The Crown Coin

The name  Crown comes from the French gold coronne coins issued in the fourteenth century. The Crown first appeared as a British coin denomination in 1544 under Henry VIII. This was a gold coin with a value of five shillings known as the "Crown of the Rose". This coin was the first British gold coin to be made from 22 carat gold, rather than the previous standard of 23 carat. The first silver crown was produced in 1551 under Edward VI, it was one of the first British coins to bear the date in Arabic numerals. Since then the silver crown has always been the largest regularly issued British silver coin. From 1551, crowns were issued in both gold and silver, until the gold crown was discontinued after 1662. The crowns issued by Charles II and the succeeding monarchs are very popular coins, because the large size meant that the portrait could be engraved in great detail, and they are magnificent works of art.

Queen Victoria

There were four different crown designs issued for Queen Victoria.

Young Head 1839-47

The first design carried a portrait of the young Victoria with a bare head, the reverse design is a large shield bearing the Royal Arms, crowned and within a laurel wreath.
5s   1839 proof only (very rare)
5s   1844
5s   1845
5s   1847

Gothic Design 1847 and 1853

The second Victorian crown type was the Gothic design, with a large bust of the queen wearing a crown and an ornately embroidered dress. the reverse design is cruciform shields, with roses, thistles and shamrocks. The inscriptions on both sides are in Gothic script, and are unusual in being in lower case, except for the capital letter V of Victoria.
5s   1847gl
5s   1847gp
5s   1853gl proof only, very rare
5s   1853gp proof only, very rare
gl: Gothic, edge letters
gp: Gothic, plain edge

Jubilee Design 1887-1892

As with all the silver and gold coinage, the crown was changed in 1887 to the new design for the Golden Jubilee, and features Victoria's Jubilee portrait, more mature, facing left, wearing a small coronet and this design continued until 1892. The reverse features Benedetto Pistrucci's magnificent design of St, George on horseback slaying the dragon, first used on gold sovereigns of George III in 1817.
5s   1887
5s   1888
5s   1889
5s   1890
5s   1891
5s   1892

Old or Widowed or Veiled Head 1893-1900

The final design change for Victoria was to the "Old" or "Widowed" or "Veiled" head design in 1893, and this continued until the final year of her reign in 1901. The design features the older veiled portrait of Queen Victoria, crowned facing left. The reverse again features Pistrucci's George and Dragon. The edges of the Old Head crowns are stamped with the regnal year, starting with LVI in the first part of 1893. There are two regnal dates per calendar year, as the queen's accession to the throne was in June 1837.
5s   1893 LVI
5s   1893 LVII
5s   1893 LVI proof
5s   1894 LVII
5s   1894 LVIII
5s   1895 LVIII
5s   1896 LIX
5s   1896 LX
5s   1897 LX
5s   1897 LXI
5s   1898 LXI
5s   1898 LXII
5s   1899 LXII
5s   1899 LXIII
5s   1900 LXIII
5s   1900 LXIV
The letters after the date are the edge regnal year.

Edward VII

After the reign of Queen Victoria the crown was really only struck for commemorative or collector's purposes.
Edward VII issued only one, in 1902 for his Coronation.
5s   1902
5s   1902 proof

George V

Unusually, no crowns were issued in 1911, George V's Coronation year.
From 1920, the silver content of British "silver" coins was reduced from standard or sterling (925 parts per thousand) to half silver (500 parts per thousand). This followed the massive inflation created by the first World War, when most countries reduced their issue of silver and gold coinage.
The crown generally known as the "Wreath" crown was issued in 1927, when a redesign of the entire coinage was in progress. This had a crown within a garland or wreath as its reverse design. This design was issued for collectors, in small numbers until 1936, except for 1935.
In 1935, a specially designed crown was struck to commemorate King George V's Silver Jubilee.

First Type (Wreath)

5s   1927
5s   1928
5s   1929
5s   1930
5s   1931
5s   1932
5s   1933
5s   1934

Jubilee Type

5s   1935
5s   1935 specimen
5s   1935 proof

First Type (Wreath)

5s   1936

George VI

In 1937 a crown was struck to commemorate the Coronation of George VI.
In 1951 the first crown to be issued in cupro-nickel was issued on the occassion of the Festival of Britain. This crown was issued in a Box with  an enclosed slip containing a description of the coin and the event. These boxes were Maroon and less commonly, Green. This coin was minted in proof condition, and does not exist in any other state. Those minted at the Festival of Britain cannot be distinguished from those minted at the Tower Mint.

Coronation Type

5s   1937
5s   1937 proof

Festival of Britain Type

5s   1951 proof

Elizabeth II

Crowns maintained their face value as five shillings until decimalisation in 1971. The decimal issues from 1972 to 1981 inclusive, also maintained the equivalent value of 25 new pence.

Pre-Decimal Issues

5s   1953 Coronation
5s   1960 New York Exhibition
5s   1965 Winston Churchill

Decimal issues

25p   1972 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Wedding
25p   1977 Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee
25p   1980 Queen Mother's 80th Birthday
25p   1981 Charles & Diana Royal Wedding
For more details see my other Guide: Queen Elizabeth II 5 Shilling and Twenty Five Pence Crown Coins.
A new Five Pound coin was introduced from 1990, and as this has inherited the same dimensions as the crown, it is also known as a Crown.

Elizabeth II Five Pound Crown Coins

£5   1990   Queen Mothers 90th Birthday
£5   1993   40th Anniversary of Coronation
£5   1996   Queen's 70th Birthday
£5   1997   Golden Wedding Anniversary
£5   1998   Prince Charles' 50th Birthday
£5   1999   Princess Diana Memorial
£5   1999   Millenium
£5   2000   Millenium
£5   2000   Queen Mother's Centenary
£5   2001   Victorian Era Centenary
£5   2002   Golden Jubilee
£5   2002   Queen Mother's Memorial
£5   2003   Coronation Jubilee
£5   2004   Entente Cordiale
£5   2005   Battle of Trafalgar
£5   2005   Lord Nelson
£5   2006   Queen's 80th Birthday

Find My Crown Coins Here