2016-05-07 Sat

Only a very few pennies featuring King George V were minted in 1933, making it one of the rarest 20th century British coin. It was sold at an auction for a record breaking figure of £72,000 – 60% higher than the earlier bid price. It was sold for £45,000, 10 years back.

Since already many coins were available in the market, the Royal Mint had no plans to release new ones in 1933. Just seven such coins were minted as commemorative coins to mark the year. All of them used the standard design featuring King George V on one side and Britannia on the other.

Three coins were placed under the foundation stones of important buildings under construction. One of them was stolen by thieves who removed it from the cornerstone of the Church of St Cross, Middleton, Leeds. Nobody knows where it is today. To avoid further thefts like these, the Bishop of Ripon ordered to unearth and sell a second coin buried in the grounds of St Mary’s Church, on the Hawkswood council estate, to the north of Leeds. A third was buried in a casket beneath the foundations of University of London’s Senate House in Bloomsbury. Two were presented to the British Museum and two are with private collectors.

Another four were minted using a design created by the French artist Andre Lavrillier. One of these were sold for £72,000 by the auction house A H Baldwin & Sons.

Others from this group are either are with Royal Mint or owned by private collectors.