EDWARD VIII - THE KING WHO WAS NEVER CROWNED
Many people ask me about the coins of King Edward VIII. These coins are exceptionally rare and were never issued for circulation. It was on 11th December in 1936, 87 years ago, that the king made his famous abdication speech.
We show a photo of the king taken with his wife, Wallace Simpson, and an example of the very rare brass threepence of which, we believe, just a handful (possibly 12-15) exist. These coins were issued to dispensing machine manufacturers (chocolates/cigarettes) as test or trial pieces. Some were kept and never returned.
The Edward VIII trial pieces were minted in various thicknesses: 1.75mm; 2.0mm; 2.5mm. As some of the thinner patterns could activate existing relatively primitive slot machines instead of a sixpence or shilling, the thickest dimension was eventually decided upon, i.e. 2.5mm.
It is believed a few, perhaps 5 or 6, are still out there. So always worth keeping an eye out!
The Crown design was identical to the George VI Coronation Crown except for the obverse of course.
We also show here an incredible, and complete, set of 13 Edward VIII coins from the gold £5 down to the farthing (last picture). The case for this set was made up by UK dealer Mark Rasmussen in 1996 for the princely sum of £2,000. The photo shown here is courtesy of Mark Rasmussen. This amazing set sold for over £1 million back in 2010.
The penny dated 1937 sold at Spink Auctions as part of the 'Waterbird' Collection on 24 September, 2019 and realised a staggering £111,000 plus 24% commission. If the brass threepence were to come to market it would easily secure £40,000 in today's market.
It's interesting to note that king had a penchant for polishing his coins! It was therefore deemed necessary to keep these under lock and key in case the unthinkable ever happened!