George III & George IV Silver Crown Pair

Two historic Silver Crowns

To this day King George III remains the longest serving king in the history of our nation. But although he reigned for 60 years between 1760 and 1820, surprisingly the Silver Crown was only struck during just the last three years of his remarkable reign. In contrast, upon his death, his eldest son George IV reigned for just a decade from 1820. But again, what perhaps interests collectors the most, is the fact that the Silver Crown was produced for just two years of his reign – in 1821 and 1822 only. The fact that both Silver Crowns were only struck for three and two years respectively has fuelled demand for the limited quantity that has survived two whole centuries.

The First British Crown for more than half a century

Before 1818 no silver crown had been issued during the whole reign of King George III – or indeed during the final decade of his grand-father’s reign before him. This meant that when a new UK Silver crown was finally struck by the Royal Mint in 1818 it would be the first British silver crown to have been issued since 1751- 67 years previously.

After the Great Coinage the Silver Crown returned – and in October 1818 and for the remainder of the reign the coin was struck in 925/1000 Sterling Silver. The coin featured a laurel head portrait of the king on the reverse, but more importantly saw the introduction of St George & the Dragon by Benedetto Pistrucci – the first time the design had featured on a silver coin.

New Crown for the New King

After the death of George III in 1820 his son became monarch as King George IV and whilst he reigned for a decade, the Silver Crown would only be issued for the first two years of his monarchy. Less than 600,000 Crowns were struck during these two years (to put that into some context, over 14 million Sovereigns were struck during the same period) underlying the scarcity of the coin. Again, like its predecessor, the coin would feature the iconic St George & the Dragon design.

Both the George III and George IV crowns were struck in 925/1000 Sterling Silver by the Royal Mint. And for the first time Harrington & Byrne is able to offer our collectors the chance to own both of these historic coins, dating back 200 years. But with just 40 pairs available you will need to act quickly to secure yours

Key Issue Information:

• Set of two historic United Kingdom Silver Crowns originally minted in the early 19th Century – 200 years ago
• Includes the George III Silver Crown – the first UK Crown to feature St George & the Dragon – that was only struck in the final 3 years of his 60 year reign
• Paired alongside is the George IV Silver Crown, which was minted in the first 3 years of his reign only
• Both coins originally struck by the Royal Mint in 925/1000 Silver
• Housed together in one Deluxe Presentation Case with Certificate