Crown (British coin)

The crown was a denomination of sterling coinage worth a quarter of one pound (fiveshillings, or 60 old pence; equivalent to 25 new pence). The crown was first issued during the reign of Edward VI, as part of the coinage of the Kingdom of England.

Always a heavy, silver-coloured coin weighing around one ounce, during the 19th and 20th centuries the crown declined from being a real means of exchange to being a coin rarely spent, and minted for commemorative purposes only. Unlike in some territories of the British Empire (such as Jamaica), in the UK the crown was never replaced as circulating currency by a five-shilling banknote.

"Decimal" crowns (25p pieces), which have the same face value as the crown, were minted a few times after decimalisation of the British currency in 1971. However, five pound coins, issued since 1990, sometimes referred to as a 'crown', have a face value of five pounds.