This is my “Christmas coin,” a 1902 Edward VII five pound, Matte Proof coin. This is the last piece I needed to complete an Edward VII coronation set. The coin is a little too bright to be a choice Matte Proof coin. It is PCGS graded Matte Proof 62. There is a large "trophy coin" demand for this piece, which larger and heavier than a U.S. $20 gold piece. Prices have increased greatly in recent years. I had acquired the two pound coin some years ago when I was working on my “one coin for each British king or queen” collection. Later I acquired the 11 piece coronation set. I am very much drawn to these sets in the original box. These sets were issued with 11 and 13 coins. Overall the face value of the 11 piece "short set" is two pounds, one shilling and 10 pence. The two large gold coins adds seven pounds to the face value of the set, which, of course, added a great deal to its cost. Seven pounds was a considerable sum in the early 1900s. Therefore the "short set" was issued as a sort of "economy offering." A Brief History of King Edward VII Edward VII was the second child and first born son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was the heir apparent to the British throne for 59 years. Prince Charles surpassed that record in 2011. Victoria and Albert were very strict with Edward, who was known as Albert of “Bertie” for most of his life. That strategy backfired. He was a poor student and when he reached adolescence and maturity, he became a notorious playboy. Despite his shortcomings, he had a pleasing personality. He genuinely liked people and was very popular. His social talents would serve him well later in life. Overall his flamboyant behavior brought excitement and spice to the Victorian period which was generally stodgy and dull. The queen was in morning after her husband, Albert, died in 1861. Edward married Alexandra of Denmark. They genuinely like each other, and she was willing to overlook Edward’s serial affairs. They had six children, including the future King George V. Edward’s coronation, which held in 1901, was delayed for six weeks because he contracted appendicitis. He chose to use the name “Edward” instead of “Albert” because he wanted to preserve his father’s name in history. The Edwardian Age was noted for its fun an excitement. By this time, the British monarch was mostly a head of state and not the head of the government. Still Edward was able to use his charm and multi-lingual abilities to conclude a diplomatic coup, the Entente Cordiale which sealed an alliance between England and France. The two countries had been at war off and on for centuries, and that agreement was historically important. Edward VII died on May 6, 1010 from bronchial complications.
Time travel is notoriously hard on the lungs. Thanks for sharing these excellent coins, and excellent writeup!
Thanks for the interesting history lesson! I also collect GB and UK coins along with any Welsh issue for genealogical purposes. My family is German & Welsh (heavy on the German side). Historically, the British monarchy is intertwined with German royalty, but I never knew it is so predominate until reading up on the history of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. Great set!
Yes, the Germans and the British monarchy are quite connected. It began when James I (ruled 1603 - 1625) married off one his daughters to a German States i king. When Queen Anne (ruled 1702 - 1714) died without a surviving heir, the crown when to George I (ruled 1714 - 1727), a German who could not speak English. Here is George I quarter guinea. This was the start of the House of Hanover. The German connection was enforced when Victoria married Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The new British house became Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. When World War I started, the royal family name changed to Winsor because of the German sounding aspects to Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. This may have had some thing to do with King Edward VIII's attraction to the Nazis during World War II, much to the embarrassment of the royal family.
I still have the “one coin (at least) per king” collection from Alfred the Great forward. I am still looking for four of the old ones, well before William the Conqueror.
No way. The pictures would be so tiny, you could not see anything. It's fair sized group. Here is my Alfred the Great. It's been clipped, but finding any Alfred coins is hard these days. The portrait pieces go for 5 figures, if they are nice. Here is a William the Conqueror penny, the "Pax" type. From what I have heard, the prices have increased on these since the pandemic. And here is his son, William II, a.k.a. "Rufus." This is much rarer, especially in this condition. This is profile variety. A huge number of the William II were very poorly made, which was also true for the Henry I and Stephen pieces.
Stupendous coins, @johnmilton. A superior collection. I enjoyed examining every piece. And an interesting historical background. Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful set, thanks for sharing and for the writeup I'm nowhere close to a complete set of Edward VII coins, let alone I don't have any british gold. The best I can show is a key date shilling in poor state of preservation Shilling, 1905 Ref : Spink # 3982 Q
Great coin! John I still need the AV 5 Sovereigns for Edward VII Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Even though George V changed the name to "Windsor" Hannoverian/ Saxe-Coburg-Gotha blood remains today in Elizabeth II and future Charles III/ William V.....
For.a moment, I misread the title of this post and thought you had gotten your hands on an Edward VIII piece! Now that would be something to behold
