The great rarities of the Mint collection are the proposed coins of Edward VIII. He was king of Britain for eleven months in 1936 and during that time preparations were made for a new series of coins bearing his portrait. No coins were released in Britain for general circulation but a limited number were produced by the Mint before the king abdicated in December 1936 and these coins, from five-pound pieces in gold down to farthings, have been preserved in the Mint collection.
Edward VIII took a personal interest in the designs that were to be placed on his coins and he was concerned to find alternatives to the traditional heraldic approach. A series of designs was produced on the theme of royal animals, including a stag, an eagle and a sturgeon, and the wren farthing, which later formed part of the coinage of George VI, was originally intended as part of this series of designs. Despite these efforts heraldry won through as the chosen approach.
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A tradition has developed since the time of Charles II of successive monarchs being represented on the coinage facing in the opposite direction to their immediate predecessor. Edward VIII, however, had a particular fondness for portraits of himself facing to the left, even though tradition dictated that he face to the right. The king had his way and the proposed coins in the Mint collection show Edward VIII facing to the left. The tradition has, however, been restored since the reign of George VI.
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