1936 Wreath Crown

back to Crowns list

M J Hughes Coins are always interested in buying and selling coins like the 1936 Wreath Crown. Selling to me means that you do not have to pay sellers fees, Paypal fees or any other transaction fees. I will give you an immediate offer and pay you the same day. Single coins or entire collection. If you have something and want to sell then please email us or telephone us.

The 1936 'Wreath' Crown is 0.500 Silver. The wreath crowns were made between 1927-36 and mainly low mintages. In 1936 only 2,473 were struck.







The obverse shows the modified (4th coinage) Bare head of King George V.

Mintage: 2,473 (may include coins issued as part of a set). Minted at The Royal Mint.
In the Year: 1936
It's the year of three Kings: George V dies on 20 January; his son Edward VIII rules 20 January – 11 December then abidicates; George VI is King. Prime Minister is Stanley Baldwin (national coalition). US President is Franklin D. Roosevelt. BBC launch world's first regular television service. The Crystal Palace is destroyed in a fire. In Germany, the Hindenburg Disaster. Billy Butlin opens his first Butlins holiday camp - Butlins Skegness. Adolf Hitler announces building of Volkswagens (the People's Car, aka the Kaefer/beetle). Alan Turing's paper On Computable Numbers is formally presented to the London Mathematical Society, introducing the concept of the Turing machine. Great Britain and Northern Ireland compete at the Olympics in Berlin and win 4 gold, 7 silver and 3 bronze medals. Fred Perry wins his third successive men's singles tennis title at Wimbledon.
General Description: Crowns
The Crown is a very old coin, with origins dating back to Henry VIII. The English Crown first appeared in 1526. It was made of 22 carat gold ("crown gold") and has a value of five shillings (a quarter of a pound).

By 1551, silver was being used to produce crowns, although gold was sometimes still used. The silver crown was quite large, being about 38mm and weighing about one ounce. Around that time many Europeans countries had similar sized silver coins which made them good for international trade as they were essentially interchangeable.

The metal used was 92.5% silver and the rest copper so as to make the coin harder. This hardness, together with a milled edge, made 'clipping' (which was cutting slices off the edge to steal some free silver) more difficult.

After the Union of England and Scotland in 1707 a new coin, the British Crown, replaced the English Crown and Scottish Dollar. The value was set at 5 shillings and the size was 38mm in diameter and weighed about 1oz as before.

Now more of a commemorative coin

Although the coin was always part of the British coin family, its large size made it unpopular for general circulation and the half-crown was favoured as the de-facto largest coin in circulation. The Crown was more-or-less relegated to a commemorative coin.

The British economy, especially after the World Wars, took its toll on the crown too. From 1816-1919 the crown was 0.925 silver, this was reduced to 0.500 silver in 1920 and in 1947 the Crown became Cupronickel (75% copper, 25% nickel). The size standardised at 38.61 mm and (silver crown) weight of 28.276g (1 oz).

Although not in current circulation, the Crown is still legal tender. After decimalisation in 1971 the Crown was officially valued at 25 pence. In the Eighties we had inflation which brought in higher denomination coins like the pound coin and the two-pound coin, so the Government decided that the crown needed to be restored to it former glory as biggest denomination coin and the crown was re-denominated to £5 in 1990.

Today the Crown is once again made in silver and gold, usually to satisfy collectors and investors. There is a little confusion with this as there are Gold Crowns which are worth £5 but there is another five-pound Gold coin from the sovereign family - see the article on Gold £5 Coin or Gold Crown?
Which Mint: The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the designated place for the UK to mint coins. It dates back well over 1000 years and is a Government-owned company. 

Formed in the reign of Alfred the Great about the year 886, it moved to the Tower of London in 1279 and remained there for over 500 years. The Master of The Royal Mint has included famous figures such as Sir Isaac Newton. Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK although it also produces medals and coins for other countries. It is currently located at Llantrisant, Wales.
The Monarch: George V (1910-1936)
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936 and was King during World War 1. George was the second son of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), and grandson of Queen Victoria. After his death he was succeeded by his eldest son, Edward VIII.

In 1919-20, the Silver price rose dramatically so .925 silver coins began to made in 0.500 siver. Gold Sovereigns were produced in large quantities early in George's reign - over 30 million in 1911 and again in 1912, although there was no bullion sovereigns issued 1918-1924 (Commonwealth mints did continue mintage).
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (UK) is the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is often refered to as Great Britain (GBR). It has a long, rich history.

It's orignal coinage was Pounds, Shillings and Pence but since decimalisation on 15 February 1971, it is £1 = 100p, that is One Pound = 100 pence. The coinage of the UK is also a long history, the Royal Mint being established as long ago as 886AD when coins were hammered. Today there are perhaps 30 billion coins in circulation, and many (numismatic) collectors coins and sets are issued frequently in gold, silver and other metals.

M J Hughes Coins are interested in buying your 1936 Wreath Crown! Selling to me means that you do not have to pay sellers fees, Paypal fees or any other transaction fees. I will give you an immediate offer and pay you the same day. Single coins or entire collection. There are a number of ways you can sell to us:
 

 Visit our Shop in Alton

We have a town centre shop called 'M J Hughes Coins' at 27 Market Street, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 1HA. See a details of opening times and how to get there on the Visit our Shop page.
 

 Post to Us

Most people who sell to us prefer to post via Royal Mail Special delivery, which is a guaranteed, signed-for, insured delivery. Usually we will make payment the same day. For details of how to send to us see How to Post to Us
 

 Meet in Person

We understand not everyone has access to transport to come to us, or get to the Post office. If you have a sizeable collection we are happy to do a home visit to you. We also attend various Coin Fairs every month. If you prefer this way, please see How to Meet Us page.

back to Crowns list