1953 Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Cased Crown Coin Set

   

 The 1953 British coronation set contains ten coins all issued and dated from the year, namely: crown, halfcrown, florin, Scottish and English shilling, sixpence, threepence, penny, halfpenny and farthing.

 

The coins of this coronation year are all one year types, both the obverse portrait of Elizabeth II and the legend were changed for subsequent years.

 

All of the coins are in Fine (or better) condition and the item is housed in a display protection case.

 

This would make a great present for someone born or married in 1953.

 

 

Queen Elizabeth II

  

Queen since 1952, Elizabeth was the elder daughter of Albert, Duke of York, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. She initially had little prospect of succeeding to the throne until her uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated in December 1936. Her father then became king and she became heir.

 

During World War II, she and her sister, Princess Margaret, spent much of their time safely away from the London Blitz, living mostly at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and at Windsor. Early in 1947 she went with her parents to South Africa. After her return, her engagement to her distant cousin Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten (formerly Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark) was announced. The wedding took place in Westminster Abbey on 20th November 1947. On the eve of the wedding the king conferred various titles on Philip, including Duke of Edinburgh.

 

In the summer of 1951 the health of King George VI entered into a serious decline. He died the following February, while Elizabeth was in Kenya. Now queen, she returned home. Her coronation was held at Westminster Abbey on 2nd June 1953.

 

From November 1953, she and the Duke of Edinburgh made a six-month tour of the Commonwealth. In 1957, after state visits to various European nations, they visited Canada and the United States. During her Silver Jubilee in 1977, she presided at a London banquet attended by the leaders of the 36 members of the Commonwealth, travelled all over Britain and Northern Ireland, and toured overseas in the South Pacific and Australia, in Canada, and in the Caribbean.

 

Over the course of her reign, the queen has tried to square the circle of a modern monarchy commanding respect in the age of global media. She allowed the televising of the royal family's domestic life in 1970 but has had to deal with its consequences: an insatiable hunger for information. She was known to favour simplicity in court life and was also known to take a serious and informed interest in government business, aside from the traditional and ceremonial duties. Privately she has become a keen horsewoman; she keeps racehorses, frequently attends races, and periodically visits the stud farms of Kentucky, US. Her financial and property holdings have made her one of the world's richest women.

 

 

 

 The Year That Was 1953...

 

• On 5 March, Josef Stalin dies in the Soviet Union • On 8 April, Jomo Kenyatta and five others are convicted of leading the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya • In Morocco, there are riots against French troops (end 1955) • On 26 July, Fidel Castro leads an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Batista government in Cuba. He is imprisoned and then goes to Mexico, under an amnesty in 1955 • On 27 July, the Korean armistice signed. However, a peace treaty is never promulgated and so, technically, the Korean War never ends • In Iran on 13 August, Shah Reza Pahlavi – backed by Britain and the United States – replaces Prime Minister Muhammad Mussadeq, who on 21 December is sentenced to three years' solitary confinement • On 12 October, the Soviet Union tests a hydrogen bomb • On 29 May, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Nepalese Tenzing Norgay are the first to climb to the summit of Mount Everest • In Britain, Francis Crick and James Watson discover the double helix structure of DNA, which explains how genetic information is carried and reproduced by living organisms • The Robe, based on the Lloyd C Douglas novel, is the first film to be created in Cinemascope • CBS begins the first colour television broadcasts in the United States •

 

Sporting 1953...

 

• Football League Champions were Arsenal, the Gunners leaving Preston North End in the runners up spot by virtue of just goal average • Blackpool defeated Bolton 4-3 in the FA Cup Final that became known as ‘The Matthews Final’ thanks to Stanley Matthews performance.  However, it was Stanley Mortensen who notched up an hattrick to secure the win • The Grand National winning horse was ‘Early Mist’ • The Cheltenham Gold Cup winning horse was ‘Knock Hard’ • The Epsom Derby winning horse was ‘Pinza’ • Golf's British Open was won by Ben Hogan • Cambridge won the Boat Race by eight lengths over Oxford • F1 Champion was Alberto Ascari driving for Ferrari • Snooker’s World Championship Final ended Fred Davis (England) 37-34 Walter Donaldson (Scotland) • The Wimbledon tennis singles tournament saw victories for Vic Seixas of USA (mens) and Maureen Connolly of USA (ladies) • American Sport – The first Super Bowl did not take place until 1967 - NBA Championship: Minneapolis Lakers 4-1 New York Knickerbockers – Major League Baseball World Series: New York Yankees 4-2 Brooklyn •