British Five Shillings Crown (Festival of Britain) Issued 1951

British Five Shillings Crown — Festival of Britain (Issued 1951)

The 1951 crown was struck to mark the Festival of Britain, the national exhibition mounted to celebrate British design and industry and to lift the mood of a country still recovering from the Second World War. Carrying a face value of five shillings, it was the last British crown to bear the head of King George VI and, unusually, was produced in cupro-nickel rather than silver. Most examples were sold to the public in a protective box as a commemorative keepsake rather than passing freely in change. Its large diameter, plain edge and proof-like finish set it apart from ordinary coin.

On the obverse, the bare head of King George VI faces left, modelled by Thomas Humphrey Paget whose initials ‘HP’ sit beneath the neck. The legend reads “GEORGIVS VI D·G·BR·OMN·REX F·D·” in raised serif capitals — George the Sixth, by the Grace of God, King of all the Britons — while “FIVE SHILLINGS” curves along the lower rim within a beaded border.

On the reverse appears Benedetto Pistrucci’s celebrated design of St George on horseback slaying the dragon, the classical horseman set in a plain field above the date “1951”, with Pistrucci’s initials ‘B.P’ to the right of the exergue. The composition is rendered in high relief inside a toothed border.

Whether it is a single Festival of Britain Five Shillings Crown or a mix of leftover currency, Webuyallcurrency.com exchanges British Pounds coins and other foreign coins and notes for cash in one straightforward process.

• Indicate the quantity of Festival of Britain Five Shillings Crown coins you want to exchange
• Click the ‘Add to your account’ button
• Your online account now shows the exchange value

Got a mix of old coins and banknotes? Webuyallcurrency.com will exchange your British Pounds coins alongside other leftover and foreign currency, settling the whole lot in one straightforward transaction.