Silver Jubilee Crown

The Silver Jubilee Crown is a coin we see much confusion over from customers. Generally speaking when people talk about this coin, they are referring to the coin released in 1977 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

The confusion arrives over the coins metal, its value, and occasionally even other coins that have been released over the years. So below we talk about the various coins people may mean by the Silver Jubilee crown coin, and where the confusion may arise.

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1977 Silver Jubilee coin

As mentioned above, the main coin people mean when discussing this is the 1977 Silver Jubilee coin. 37,061,160 Silver Jubilee Crowns were minted in 1977 to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.

The face value, which is not marked on the coin (as shown below), was just 25 pence. This value belittles its impressive size of 38mm by 3mm however. With so many coins minted, they are still quite prevalent today, and we often have customers asking us about them and their value.

When referring to a 'silver' Jubilee Crown, the word silver actually means the time frame of the anniversary, rather than the metal used to produce the coin. This is one of the largest points of confusion we see.

The majority of these coins were composed of the standard cupro-nickel seen in most circulating coins. There were however a number of Proof issues minted to the pre-1920 standard, in 92.5%, Sterling Silver. In this case the coin would be considered a somewhat confusingly named silver 1977 Silver Jubilee Crown coin.

1977 Silver Jubilee Crown

The two can be difficult to tell apart, as they look very similar. Both coins weigh 28.28 grams, and have a diameter of 38.61mm. The silver Proof coin would have been in a presentation box, but fortunately there is still a way to tell them apart with just the coins. The standard cupro-nickel coin would be 3.2mm thick, while the silver Proof coin would be 2.89mm thick. This is the best way to make sure which version of the 1977 Jubilee coin you have.

In terms of value, the normal coin was produced in the millions as mentioned above, and was only made from cupro-nickel. As such, it is not highly valuable, but does tend to still fetch more than its original value. The silver Proof coin would be worth more with collectors, though bullion dealers such as ourselves would only be able to offer the metal value.

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UK Crown coins

UK Crown coins have a long and complex history. Originally a common circulating currency coin, the silver Crown initially had a face value of five shillings; that is a quarter of a pound. After decimalisation on February 15th, 1971, this was converted to a face value of 25 pence.

Long before decimalisation, Crown coins had ceased to be circulating currency, and were issued as purely commemorative, or collectible numismatic coins. As such they had a value higher than their simple legal tender face value. In addition to the cupro-nickel Crowns, it was also usual to mint Sterling Silver Proof versions, which would command an even higher value.

Half Crowns – worth one-eighth of a pound, or 12.5 pence – were far more common than Crowns and continued to be circulated as currency until 1970.

To further complicate its history, in 1990 the crown was re-tariffed from 25 pence to five pounds, with versions minted in gold. Today then, Crowns have a legal tender face value of £5, though their real numismatic and precious metal bullion value will be far higher.

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Other Jubilee Crowns

As our longest serving monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, has two celebratory Crowns; the 1977 Silver Jubilee Crown and the 2002 Golden Jubilee Crown. 2022 will also mark the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.

The Royal Mint issued the 22 carat Gold Jubilee Crown to celebrate the golden jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In keeping with the re-tariffing, this Crown, or Quintuple Sovereign, has a face value of £5.

2002 - Gold Five Pound Proof, Golden Jubilee

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Our second-longest serving monarch, Queen Victoria, did not celebrate her silver anniversary. At the time only 50th anniversaries were recognised events, and her 25th anniversary came just a few months after the death of her beloved husband, Prince Albert.

1891 Victoria Jubilee Head Crown

There are numerous silver crown coins from Victoria's reign referred to as 'Victoria Jubilee Head Crowns'. These date from after the 50th year of her reign and are named for the design of the Queen’s head on the obverse of the coin. For example, the Jubilee Head Crowns have a different image that distinguishes them from earlier 'Young Head Crowns'. They are all sterling silver and, like Sovereigns, carry the famous St George and the Dragon design by Benedetto Pistrucci on the reverse.

These Victoria Crowns are highly regarded coins, and considered indispensable to good numismatic collections.