1990 Queen Mother 90th Birthday Gold Proof £5 Crown

Queen Mother's 90th Birthday Gold Proof Crown.

The 1990 Crown, face value five pounds, was issued to mark the 90th Birthday of H.M. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. It is struck in 22 carat fine gold and contains 1.1771 troy ounces of the precious metal. 

The crowns were issued in three, or arguably four, different versions: base metal issued at face value through banks, base metal specimen version, silver proof version, and the gold proof version which we feature on this page.

This coin is issued complete with certificate of authenticity and presentation box. It has an issue limit of just 2,500 coins.

Please check the condition of the coin before purchasing. Some may have hairline scratches. 

The Queen Mother

Born on the 4th August 1900, Lady Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the 9th child of the 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne. In 1923 she married His Royal Highness, The Duke of York, and as Duchess of York undertook many public duties.

On the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936, the Duke and Duchess of York became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Her courage during the war, her charm and devotion to duty help to explain why she is held in great affection by the public in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.

Following the death of King George VI in 1952, Queen Elizabeth was accorded the title "Queen Mother" by her daughter Queen Elizabeth II, who acceded to the throne in 1952.

Crowns Re-Tariffed from 25 Pence to £5

In 1990, the Royal Mint re-tariffed crowns from their previous 25 pence value to a five pound value. At the same time, they started to issue gold proof versions of these new £5 crowns. This has caused some confusion as there are now two completely different series of five pound gold coins, the "crown" type and the "quintuple sovereign" type. Although these two types have identical weights, they have slightly different diameters.

Edge

The edge is milled.

The obverse (head), which is dated 1990, bears the third major different portrait of the Queen, designed by Raphael David Maklouf, FRSA. This portrait was adopted for all British coins from 1985 to 1997, but only appears on this one crown issue.

ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D
FIVE POUNDS

A double letter "E" monogram, one reversed, crowned. On either side, a rose and thistle.

QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER
1900 - 1990