Description
The Queen Mother lived an incredible life, a life of service to the British people. In the later years of her life, some of her milestone birthdays were celebrated with the issue of crown-sized British coins.
This set brings together a circulating silver crown of 1900, the year she was born, along with ALL four British crown-sized coins issued in celebration of her in 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2002, in sterling silver and struck to Proof standards.
FIVE BRITISH ‘CROWNS’
The crown of 1900 was minted as a coin for circulation and it had a face value of five shillings. It features the portrait of Queen Victoria, great-grandmother-in-law to The Queen Mother. Of course, when The Queen Mother was born no-one knew she would go on to become the wife of a king and mother of Queen Elizabeth II, so no commemoratives were minted at that time.
The Queen Mother was celebrated by four crown-sized British coins: three of them marked her milestone 80th, 90th and 100th birthdays (in 1980, 1990 and 2000 respectively) while the final one was issued as a memorial to her (in 2002).
All four of these coins are included in this set.
COIN 1 – SILVER CROWN of 1900 the year she was born
This is a crown that circulated as currency in Britain at a face value of five shillings.
It features the Veiled Portrait of Queen Victoria, the final portrait of her, on the obverse. Dated 1900, it is the second-last year-date of her reign.
On the reverse is Pistruccis’s St George and the dragon – the same design that was on the sovereigns of the same era.
Queen Victoria was The Queen Mother’s great-grandmother-in-law. That is, The Queen Mother was married to King George VI – Queen Victoria’s great-grandson.
This crown was minted at the Royal Mint in London.
COIN 2 – QUEEN ELIZABETH II CROWN-SIZED SILVER BRITISH TWENTY FIVE PENCE COIN OF 1980 FOR THE QUEEN MOTHER’S 80TH BIRTHDAY
Several events were held to mark The Queen Mother’s 80th birthday, including the renaming of The Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, a key fixture on the horse racing calendar and a favourite of The Queen Mother. The royal family attended a service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s cathedral, followed by an appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, and street parties were held around the country in celebration. The Queen Mother attended a special performance of the Royal Ballet in her honour at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden on the evening of her birthday and, a few weeks later, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher hosted a celebratory dinner at 10 Downing Street.
Outside her home, Clarence House, thousands of well-wishers gathered to sing ‘Happy Birthday’, and The Queen Mother went out to greet them, graciously accepting flowers, cards and gifts.
The coin in this set is the sterling silver Proof quality striking of this coin.
COIN 3 – QUEEN ELIZABETH II CROWN-SIZED SILVER BRITISH FIVE POUND COIN OF 1990 FOR THE QUEEN MOTHER’S 90TH BIRTHDAY
The Queen Mother’s 90th birthday celebrations included a Birthday Tribute at Horse Guards Parade, a gala performance at the London Palladium, dinner on the Royal Yacht Britannia, and the ‘Dance of the Decades’ at Buckingham Palace, hosted by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, at the end of the year.
During her speech at the Horse Guards Parade in June, The Queen Mother thanked the members of the three Armed Forces for their efforts during her birthday celebrations and paid tribute to the 300 organisations and charities of which she was a patron.
It says much for the deep affection which The Queen Mother inspired in the whole nation that it was thought entirely proper to bring out a commemorative birthday coin for her 90th just ten years after the previous commemoration – bearing in mind that at this stage there had not yet been any commemorative coins for the birthdays of reigning monarchs, including her own daughter Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II!
The coin in this set is the sterling silver Proof quality striking of this coin.
COIN 4 – QUEEN ELIZABETH II CROWN-SIZED SILVER BRITISH FIVE POUND COIN OF 2000 FOR THE QUEEN MOTHER’S 100TH BIRTHDAY
On 4th August 2000 The Queen Mother became the first member of the royal family to reach her 100th birthday. Crowds lined the streets of London as the nation came together to celebrate this memorable milestone.
On the morning of her birthday, The Queen Mother received a card from her daughter as many other centenarians do. She then walked to the gates of Clarence House escorted by her grandson, now King Charles III, to take the salute as the band of the Irish Guards marched past playing Happy Birthday. Later The Queen Mother again accompanied by Charles drove to Buckingham Palace in an open carriage cheered by thousands of people who had lined the Mall to catch a glimpse of this remarkable lady.
As the Royal party arrived at Buckingham Palace the King’s Troop Horse Artillery started a 41-gun salute in Green Park. The Queen Mother appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace accompanied by other members of the Royal Family to greet the crowds gathered below and cheers rang out across the capital.
The coin in this set is the sterling silver Proof quality striking of this coin.
COIN 5 – QUEEN ELIZABETH II CROWN-SIZED SILVER BRITISH FIVE POUND COIN OF 2002 IN MEMORY OF HRH THE QUEEN MOTHER
Although unable to attend many events during 2002 due to ill-health, The Queen Mother insisted on travelling to the funeral of her younger daughter, Princess Margaret, in February 2002. Thereafter, her health deteriorated and she retreated to the Royal Lodge in Windsor, where she died in her sleep on 30th March 2002, at the age of 101.
Floral tributes and messages were left by the public at the gates of Buckingham Palace and other royal residences. The Queen Mother’s coffin was placed at St James’s Palace and later taken to Westminster Hall at the Palace of Westminster, accompanied by 1,600 troops, to lie in state. An estimated 200,000 members of the public filed past over three days. Her funeral took place on 10th April and she was interred in the King George VI Memorial Chapel next to her husband, who had died 50 years earlier, and their daughter, Princess Margaret. Twenty years later, following the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, both the Queen and Prince Philip, were interred alongside them in the family chapel.
The coin in this set is the sterling silver Proof quality striking of this coin.
