Crown (English coin) facts for kids

Henry VIII
HENRIC VIII RVTILANS ROSA SINE SPIA', crowned double rose flanked by crowned H and K (Henry and Katherine of Aragon); saltire stops	DEI G' R' AGLIE' Z FRANC' DNS' hIBERNIE, crowned royal coat-of-arms; double saltire stops.
AV Crown of the Double Rose (26mm, 3.69 g, 8h). Second coinage, struck 1526–1529. London mint; mm: rose.

The first English silver crown, from King Edward VI.

The crown was an English coin first made in 1526. It was introduced by King Henry VIII as part of his money reforms.

This coin was originally known as the "crown of the double rose". It was worth one-fourth of a pound. This also meant it was worth five shillings, or 60 pence.

The Story of the Crown Coin

Early Gold and Silver Crowns

The very first crown coins were made from "crown gold". This was a special type of gold that was 22 carats pure. Later, in 1551, the first silver crowns were made. This happened during the short rule of King Edward VI.

Even after silver crowns were made, some gold crowns continued to be minted. This happened until 1662. No crowns were made during the time of Queen Mary I. However, both silver and gold crowns appeared again when Queen Elizabeth I took the throne.

It was common for both gold and silver crowns to be made until the time of the Commonwealth of England. So, you can find both types of coins for James I and Charles I.

Crowns in International Trade

The silver crown was one of many similar silver coins that appeared in Europe in the 1500s. These coins were all about the same size and weight. They were roughly 38 millimeters wide and weighed about one ounce. This made them easy to use for trading between different countries.

English silver crowns were made during the rule of every monarch from Elizabeth I onwards. One very rare crown is the Charles II Petition Crown. It was designed by Thomas Simon.

Making Crowns Stronger

Silver crowns were made from "sterling silver". This metal mix is 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. This standard was set way back in the 1100s by King Henry II.

Sterling silver was stronger than pure silver. This made the coins last longer. It also helped stop people from "clipping" the coins. Clipping meant shaving off small bits of metal from the edges. To stop this even more, coins later got "milled edges". These are the ridged edges you see on many coins today.

The British Crown

In 1707, the Kingdom of Great Britain was formed. At this point, the English crown coin was replaced by the British crown. This coin is still made today. However, since 1990, it has a face value of five pounds.

Images for kids

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  Crown of Anne (1703)

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  Crown of William III (1695)

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  Gun money crown (base metal) of James II (1695)

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  Crown of Charles II (1676)

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  Crown of Oliver Cromwell (1658)

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  Crown of Charles I (1625)

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  Gold "thistle" crown of James I (1609–1610)

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  Crown of Elizabeth I (1602)