Featured as our Product of the Month for August, we have the incredible ‘Britain’s 20th Century St George and the Dragon Crown Set’. This set comprises of two British crown coins that feature the only two versions of St George slaying the dragon to appear on Britain’s circulating coinage in the 20th Century.
The iconic depiction of St George slaying the dragon has been closely connected with two of our most cherished coins: the sovereign and the crown. Designed by Benedetto Pistrucci, the very first illustration appeared on the sovereign in 1817, and it had already been developed and changed by the time it appeared on the crown coin the following year. The second illustration, appearing on the crown from 1818 and the sovereign from 1821, is known as the ‘Classical Design’ which is of such immense quality this it is still used on sovereign coins today!
That ‘Classical Design’ has appeared on gold sovereigns almost continuously from 1871 to now, and it also featured on the crown coin; Britain’s five shilling coin. It appeared on the crowns of 1818 through to 1822, then from 1887 to the end of Queen Victoria’s reign. Only one crown was issued in King Edward VII’s reign in 1902 and that too featured St George.
In 1935, the only St George and the Dragon coin for King George V’s reign was produced in celebration of his Silver Jubilee. This coin was also Britain’s first ever commemorative coin, and features a distinctive rendition of St George slaying the dragon in a late Art Deco style which was extremely popular in the 1930s. When it was released, however, it caused controversy as this design differed drastically from the romantic ‘Classical’ design which had been used for over a century. Because of this, the 1935 Silver Jubilee Silver Crown, which was only ever minted for one year, is now regarded as a symbol of the influence of Art Deco on the design styles of the 1930s. It’s the only commemorative version of St George ever to appear on the British crown coin.
The only other time that the St George and the dragon design was used on a crown coin was in 1951, when a special edition was minted as part of the Festival of Britain. To showcase the best of British minting, the original design by Pistrucci was chosen. The coins were struck from cupro-nickel but to a ‘specimen’ standard, which uses techniques that produce coins that are better than Uncirculated, but not as good as Proof quality. The resulting coins are of a very high standard given that many of them were produced at Festival Hall on London’s South Bank in a temporary facility.
Both designs appeared on crown coins and these are the two coins brought together in this set: the King George V 1935 Silver Jubilee Silver Crown and the King George VI 1951 Festival of Britain Crown, which is also the last St George coin to circulate in Britain. Both are one-year issues.
This crown set comes housed in a luxury presentation case and will include a Certificate of Authenticity. Secure yours today HERE.