1928 Wreath Crown – George V


The 1928 Wreath Crown - George V

Silver Proof Crown of George V dated 1928, 'wreath' design, diameter 38mm and weighs 28.3g. SCBC 4036. Mintage was 9,034.

The wreath crown design was used between 1927-36 (none minted in 1935 when the 'Rocking Horse' design was used for the King's 25th Jubilee). Low mintages each year. They are beautiful coins and very collectable. The 1927 Crown was not intended for circulation (although legal tender for 5 shillings), it was a popular Christmas present at the time. The key date for Wreath Crowns is 1934, when less than a thousand were minted.

The Reverse is the Wreath Crown, designed by George Kruger Gray. It is a circle made of roses and thistles joined by pairs of smaller shamrocks with a crown in the centre. Date divided across crown. Designers initials 'KG' at bottom right. Legend is "FID DEF INT IMP CROWN" (Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India). The Crown was a 5 shillings coin, one quarter of a pound Stirling.

The Edge is milled.

The Observe, by Sir Bertram Mackennal, is a bare head portrait of King George V. Designers initials 'BM' on truncation of neck. Legend is "GEORGIVS V DEI GRAPHIC BRITT OMN REX" (George V by the Grace of God King of all Britons).

Images by permission of M J Hughes Coins.


Mintage: 9,034 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1928 ?
Monarch is King George V. Prime Minister is Stanley Baldwin (Conservative). US President is Calvin Coolidge. John Logie Baird broadcasts a transatlantic television signal from London to New York and later demonstrates the world's first colour TV transmission. Alexander Fleming accidentally rediscovers the antibiotic Penicillin. Voting age for women from 30 to 21. Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Steamboat Willie, the third Mickey Mouse cartoon released, is the first sound film.
George V (1910-1936)
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936 and was King during World War 1. George was the second son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), and grandson of Queen Victoria. After his death he was succeeded by his eldest son, Edward VIII.

In 1919-20, the Silver price rose dramatically so .925 silver coins began to made in 0.500 siver. Gold Sovereigns were produced in large quantities early in George's reign - over 30 million in 1911 and again in 1912, although there was no bullion sovereigns issued 1918-1924 (Commonwealth mints did continue mintage).
Category: Crowns
The Crown is a very old coin, with origins dating back to Henry VIII. The English Crown first appeared in 1526. It was made of 22 carat gold ("crown gold") and has a value of five shillings (a quarter of a pound).

By 1551, silver was being used to produce crowns, although gold was sometimes still used. The silver crown was quite large, being about 38mm and weighing about one ounce. Around that time many Europeans countries had similar sized silver coins which made them good for international trade as they were essentially interchangeable.

The metal used was 92.5% silver and the rest copper so as to make the coin harder. This hardness, together with a milled edge, made 'clipping' (which was cutting slices off the edge to steal some free silver) more difficult.

After the Union of England and Scotland in 1707 a new coin, the British Crown, replaced the English Crown and Scottish Dollar. The value was set at 5 shillings and the size was 38mm in diameter and weighed about 1oz as before.

Now more of a commemorative coin

Although the coin was always part of the British coin family, its large size made it unpopular for general circulation and the half-crown was favoured as the de-facto largest coin in circulation. The Crown was more-or-less relegated to a commemorative coin.

The British economy, especially after the World Wars, took its toll on the crown too. From 1816-1919 the crown was 0.925 silver, this was reduced to 0.500 silver in 1920 and in 1947 the Crown became Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). The size standardised at 38.61 mm and (silver crown) weight of 28.276g (1 oz).

Although not in current circulation, the Crown is still legal tender. After decimalisation in 1971 the Crown was officially valued at 25 pence. In the Eighties we had inflation which brought in higher denomination coins like the pound coin and the two-pound coin, so the Government decided that the crown needed to be restored to it former glory as biggest denomination coin and the crown was re-denominated to £5 in 1990.

Today the Crown is once again made in silver and gold, usually to satisfy collectors and investors. There is a little confusion with this as there are Gold Crowns which are worth £5 but there is another five-pound Gold coin from the sovereign family - see the article on Gold £5 Coin or Gold Crown?
Which Mint: The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the designated place for the UK to mint coins. It dates back well over 1000 years and is a Government-owned company. 

Formed in the reign of Alfred the Great about the year 886, during the period 1279-1812 it was generally referred to as The Tower Mint as it was housed at the Tower of London. The Master of The Royal Mint has included famous figures such as Sir Isaac Newton.

Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK although it also produces medals and coins for other countries. It is currently located at Llantrisant, Wales.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (UK) is the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is often refered to as Great Britain (GBR). It has a long, rich history.

The orignal coinage was Pounds, Shillings and Pence but since decimalisation on 15 February 1971, it is £1 = 100p, that is One Pound = 100 pence. The coinage of the UK is also a long history, the Royal Mint being established as long ago as 886AD when coins were hammered. Today there is perhaps 30 billion coins in circulation, and many (numismatic) collectors coins and sets are issued frequently in gold, silver and other metals.
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Enamelled George V 1928 Crown Coin restrike "Wreath & Crown" Hand Crafted
Enamelled George V 1928 Crown Coin restrike "Wreath & Crown" Hand Crafted
£ 34.95
1928 George V Silver Wreath Crown, EF
1928 George V Silver Wreath Crown, EF
£ 225.00
George V 1928 Wreath Crown. Nice honest coin. UK Bidders Only. Sorry.
George V 1928 Wreath Crown. Nice honest coin. UK Bidders Only. Sorry.
£ 235.00
1928 KING GEORGE V SILVER WREATH CROWN
1928 KING GEORGE V SILVER WREATH CROWN
£ 249.00
George V 1928 Wreath Crown aEF
George V 1928 Wreath Crown aEF
£ 240.00
GEORGE V 1928 WREATH CROWN. UNC.
GEORGE V 1928 WREATH CROWN. UNC.
£ 395.00
1928 George V Silver Wreath Crown
1928 George V Silver Wreath Crown
£ 325.00
1928 GEORGE V SILVER WREATH CROWN IN VERY FINE & GOOD VERY FINE CONDITION.
1928 GEORGE V SILVER WREATH CROWN IN VERY FINE & GOOD VERY FINE CONDITION.
£ 230.00

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