After falling out of favour as a circulating coin, the crown eventually found a new role as a commemorative coin thanks to its large size. Issued in 1951, the release of this edition marked the 1951 Festival of Britain, which helped to lift the gloom of austere post-war Britain. Held exactly 100 years after the famous Great Exhibition of 1851, the festival was a glorious celebration of outstanding British achievements that promised a brighter future.

What Happened in 1951?

• The Conservative Party won a snap General Election and wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill returned to power
• Radio comedy programme Crazy People, subsequently titled The Goon Show, is broadcast for the first time
• Two members of the ‘Cambridge Five’ spy ring, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, escaped to the Soviet Union
• The character Dennis the Menace made his first appearance in the Beano comic
• The Peak District became the United Kingdom’s first National Park