Did you know that the Imperial State Crown travels in its own carriage (along with the Cap of Maintenance and the Sword of State) ahead of the monarch to the State Opening of Parliament?
You may have spotted this crown today, being worn by The Queen, as she led the procession through the Royal Gallery to the House of Lords for the official occasion.
Prior to decimalization, a crown also used to be a coin (worth five shillings in old money) - before it was reissued as a 25p piece. A new £5 crown was issued by the Royal Mint from 1990, and a special Diamond Jubilee coin in this denomination is now available.
Sadly, the half crown coin (as shown here), was discontinued in 1970, though the 10p coin looks rather similar.
Anyway, old or new, most coins are still worth collecting - at least for the moment…
So, whether you’re a budding numismatist, or just saving up for a rainy day, how about this curiously collectable 1953 coronation souvenir crown-shaped money box from ShopCurious?
I think this characterful vintage heirloom could prove to be quite a good investment in its own right – though unfortunately you won’t be able to wear it.
I wonder if they ever replace the purple velvet on the crown?
ReplyDeleteOh I dunno, I could see myself trying to balance that thing on my head. Although if it happened to fall off and hit someone, it would probably knock them out. It looks to be made of solid metal.
ReplyDeleteI don't know a thing about this "pence" and royalty business, but it seems pretty cool. I guess the closest thing we have to royalty in the US is a Kardashian. Which, if you think about it, is just about the saddest thing ever.