1972 Silver Wedding Anniversary

1947 - 1972
The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey on the 20th November 1947, and was regarded as an important state occasion.
Much had changed in the twenty-five years which followed. King George VI died in 1952, and his daughter Elizabeth became Queen on his death, and being formally crowned the following year.
In 1971, the British coinage underwent a major change from the old £sd system of pounds, shillings and pence, to be replaced by a decimal system. Whilst the pound was retained, there were 100 "new pennies" to the pound.

A New Denomination
The 1972 crown was the first British coin to have a face value of 25 pence. Previous crowns had been Five Shillings face value.
The absence of an inscription denoting the face value now causes some confusion, particularly because, as from 1990, it appears to have been decided that future crowns would assume a Five Pounds face value.
We are frequently asked why the 1972 crown, and others do not carry a mark of value. It may be more relevant to ask why it is necessary for most modern coins to carry a statement of their value. In bygone times, most people knew what coins were worth, they did not need to rely on an inscription on the coin to inform them. This would be an interesting subject for further study.
It is From the introduction of the first crown in 1544, crowns did not carry a mark of value. Only briefly did crowns ever carry such a mark, the occasions being as follows, very rare Charles I Scarborough siege coinage, Commonwealth (1649 - 1660) crowns, and Charles II second issue hammered gold crowns. The value mark on all these was a letter "V", the Roman numeral for 5.
Apart from these, the first time that crowns bore a denomination was from 1927, when the word "CROWN" appeared on them.
On the three crowns issued between 1951 and 1960, the value "Five Shillings" appeared, but this was again omitted from the Churchill Commemorative crown of 1965.
Because Britain had only just completed decimalisation in 1971, it may have been sensible, with hindsight, to have shown the new decimal equivalent - 25 New Pence - on this and subsequent crown issues.
The omission may have been partly historic, for reasons given above, or it may have been partly because crowns had not been part of the regular British coinage since about 1914, and the main purpose of the 1972 issue was as a commemorative piece, which was never primarily intended to circulate.

Obverse:
The second (decimal) portrait of the Queen facing right, designed by Arnold Machin.
D G REG F D ELIZABETH II

Reverse: The crowned letters EP within a floral garland, the naked figure of Eros at the centre, designed also by Arnold Machin.
ELIZABETH AND PHILIP
20 NOVEMBER 1947 - 1972

Edge
The edge is milled

Specifications
All versions:-
Denomination (face value) Twenty Five New Pence
Diameter 38.61mm

Version	Alloy	Weight	Issue
Uncirculated	Cupro-Nickel	28.28 grams	7,452,000
Proof	Silver	28.28 grams	100,000

Prices & Availability

Grade	Availability	Price £	Price $
Uncirculated	Yes	£1.50	$2.50
Silver Proof	Yes	£24	$40

1972 Coin Sets

See also our British Coin Sets page.

Postage & Packing:
UK: At buyer's Risk £2.50 or
Fully Insured £6 (Usually by Royal Mail Special Delivery)
USA: Airmail at buyer's risk $10 or
Fully Insured $20
For further details, please see our Postage & Packing page.

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