If we know anything about the British monarchy from the outside looking in, we know that it can get complicated. If these past few years have taught us anything when it comes to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the royal family is held to the highest of standards and those standards have been around for hundreds of years. So when standards, or more like rules, are bent or even broken, the monarchy finds themselves threatened. This happened on a large scale back in 1936 when King George V passed and his eldest son ascended to the throne.
In the first of many to come in this 100 Greatest Modern World Coins blog series, we take a look at a coin set that ended up being stashed away to save the royal family from embarrassment. With authors Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker in the driver’s seat of Whitman Publishing’s first compilation of modern world numismatics, we explore the coins meant for a “king that was never crowned”.
#26 - Great Britain 1937 King Edward VIII 13-Coin Proof Set
Following the death of his father King George V, Edward VIII ascended to the British throne in January of 1936. This prompted new coin designs for British currency, so the Royal Mint set out to produce pattern sets featuring the newly appointed Edward VIII’s portrait. However, only a few were produced until Edward VIII would abdicate the throne in order to marry the American-born and divorcee, Wallis Simpson. With his reign lasting just 326 days, Edward would hand the throne over to his younger brother Albert, or better known as King George VI. Never having gone through an official coronation ceremony, his younger brother would be made king just one day after the announcement on December 12, 1936.
Consisting of 13 coins, the 1937 Edward VIII Proof set contained the following coins: the bronze farthing, bronze half penny, bronze penny, silver threepence coin, nickel-brass threepence coin, silver sixpence, silver shilling, silver florin, silver half crown, silver crown, gold sovereign, gold 2-pound coin, and gold 5-pound coin. All of the coins contained in the set were considered patterns as there was never a Royal Proclamation deeming them legal tender before the abdication of the king. Official production would have started on New Year’s Day in 1937, just a few short weeks after Edward VIII would announce his plans to step down.
.According to authors Charles Morgan and Hubert Walker, the addition of the nickel-brass threepence coin was interesting considering the public’s resistance to the small, silver threepence coin in general. This set would include the Royal Mint’s experimental version of the coin that would be thicker and easier to use. Inspired by the “native flora and fauna” concept of 1928 coinage from the Irish Free State, the 1937 nickel-brass dodecagonal (12-sided) threepence coin struck for the set would be the first of its kind as there had never been a coin with as many sides or one struck in nickel-brass in the UK.
A multitude of designers and artists would combine for the completion of the set with reverses featuring the history and adaptations of British coinage throughout the years. Just a few of the 13-coin Proof sets were struck with the Royal Mint even turning down the former king’s request for one courtesy of King George VI (his brother). In an attempt to save the royal family the shame, the Mint would hide the coins away until 1970 when they were pulled from a safe during the retirement of Deputy Master of the Royal Mint Sir Jack James. The box would contain six gold sovereigns in addition to 43 other coins and patterns portraying former King Edward.
Of the few that were produced, only one Proof set made into the hands of private collectors. On behalf of an anonymous collector of the Tyrant Collection in 2010 from Spink, auctioneers of Long Beach, California, acquired the set for $2.2 million U.S. dollars. That set was put on display to the public at the Long Beach Expo in 2018.