Found this is in a grab box at my LCS. Thought the reverse was pretty interesting, so got it. Can't see a denomination, is it a coin or medal? It has medal orientation. Thanks!
It's 38.8mm diameter. Little bit more than a silver dollar. Is the denomination on the coin somewhere?
That's a Crown, alright. Here's one from my collection. The reverse design was done by the noted Italian sculptor Benedetto Pistrucci and depicts St. George slaying the dragon. St. George is also venerated by various Christian denominations in both the East and West. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George_and_the_Dragon
Nice find. I'd grade it G+ to VG. As such, it's a $30-ish coin nowadays. (Melt value is $22.78 as I type this.) Here's the Numista page for the type. Here's the NGC Priceguide page. There are two varieties for the 1900 crown, depending on the edge lettering, which should say: DECUS ET TUTAMEN. ANNO REGNI LXIII [or LXIV] Translation: "An ornament and a safeguard. 63rd [or 64th] year of reign" So I guess the LXIV (64th regnal year) coins were struck after June 20, 1900, which was the 63rd anniversary of Victoria's coronation, meaning that any struck after June 20th were in the 64th year of her reign.
Yes, it's been a good source for hunting, although no more AU Morgan's in there! I paid $20 for the crown.
Nope. The best way to tell the denomination of most pre-decimal coins is by size and weight. It didn't exactly become common practice to place a denomination on smaller silver coins until after William IV ascended the throne. Farthings, Halfpennies, and Pennies didn't even have indicators of denominations until 1860. Moreover, a denomination didn't appear on the Half-crown until 1893.
No denomination on it. You could say it was British arrogance at the time - "Everyone knows our money - let the rest of the world put their values on their coins!"
