1960 Crown – Elizabeth II


The 1960 Crown - Elizabeth II

In 1960 the Mint created a new Crown for the "British Exhibition in New York" which was opened by Prince Philip. SCBC: 4143. Part of the Second Issue of coins as BRITT OMN is omitted.

Just over one million were minted and although not expensive the price has risen over the last few years. The New York Exhibition issue itself had polished dies which increases the price of the coin. A rare VIP Frosted Proof was also made.

The Obverse shows the young laureate head of Queen Elizabeth II by Mary Gillick. It was the first crown to feature the head of Elizabeth II.

The Reverse, by Edgar Fuller and Cecil Thomas, shows a crown in the centre of a cross of emblems, with shields of arms in the angles.

Image credit: M J Hughes Coins


Mintage: 1,020,000 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1960 ?
Monarch is Queen Elizabeth II. Prime Minister is Harold Macmillan (Conservative). US President is Dwight D. Eisenhower. End of Nation Service (conscription). Olympics in Rome. The first episode of 'Coronation Street' on TV. Grand National is televised for the first time.  The Beatles, a five-man band from Liverpool, perform their first concert under this name in Hamburg. The Farthing is no longer legal tender.
Elizabeth II (1952-2022)
Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning British Monarch ever, reigning for over 70 years. Born on 21 April 1926 to King George VI and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, she became Queen in 1952 and her Coronation was on 2 June 1953. She died on 8 September 2022. Some coins were released dated 2023.

Queen Elizabeth II issued many coins and was monarch during decimalisation. She married Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in 1947 and had four children. Her eldest son succeeded the throne as King Charles III. House of Windsor.
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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1960 QUEEN ELIZABETH II GENUINE ROYAL MINT UNCIRCULATED CROWN (CN-296)
1960 QUEEN ELIZABETH II GENUINE ROYAL MINT UNCIRCULATED CROWN (CN-296)
£ 15.00
1951, 1953 & 1960 UK CROWN COINS. 3 DIFFERENT FIVE SHILLINGS. JOB LOT.
1951, 1953 & 1960 UK CROWN COINS. 3 DIFFERENT FIVE SHILLINGS. JOB LOT.
£ 14.50
Polished Half Crown Coin - Choose The Year - Birthday Gift
Polished Half Crown Coin - Choose The Year - Birthday Gift
£ 3.49
1960 New York Exhibit Crown Coin Queen Elizabeth British Five Shillings Multibuy
1960 New York Exhibit Crown Coin Queen Elizabeth British Five Shillings Multibuy
£ 4.00
1960 Queen Elizabeth II New York Exhibition UK Five 5 Shillings Crown coin
1960 Queen Elizabeth II New York Exhibition UK Five 5 Shillings Crown coin
£ 5.99
1960 Five 5 Shillings Crown Coin Queen New York Exhibition Elizabeth II
1960 Five 5 Shillings Crown Coin Queen New York Exhibition Elizabeth II
£ 5.95
QUEEN ELIZABETH ROYAL CROWN COIN CHOOSE 1953, 1960, 1965, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1981
QUEEN ELIZABETH ROYAL CROWN COIN CHOOSE 1953, 1960, 1965, 1972, 1977, 1980, 1981
£ 9.99
CROWNS CHOICE OF YEAR / DATE 1951 TO 1981 HIGH GRADES
CROWNS CHOICE OF YEAR / DATE 1951 TO 1981 HIGH GRADES
£ 8.99

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