1965 Winston Churchill Crown Coin
Sir Winston Churchill passed away at home on 24 January 1965. The British statesman had twice served as Prime Minister, including during the Second World War, and his death prompted a period of national mourning. His state funeral - the last held in Britain for a non-royal - was the largest in history, attended by representatives from 120 countries.
In the weeks after the funeral, the UK's national mint commissioned a new coin as a tribute to Churchill’s life and legacy. Some 19 million of these commemorative Crowns were subsequently issued, featuring a portrait of Churchill by his favourite sculptor, Oscar Nemon. These 1965 coins were the first official UK coins to feature a non-royal since the time of Oliver Cromwell.
Because of the number that were produced, these 1965 Crown coins are still very common today, often found in old piggy banks and on the shelves of antique shops. Today these Churchill coins have a face value of 25p though you can't spend them in shops.
Read more on the BCC Blog: 1965 Winston Churchill Coins: What Are They Worth?
Modern UK Churchill Collectors Coins
In recent years, Winston Churchill has been the subject of an extensive range of commemorative coins from mints worldwide, including the UK’s Royal Mint. In 2010 Churchill was featured on a special £5 coin, part of a collectors set issued ahead of the 2012 London Olympic Games. This design was inspired by a statue of Churchill in Parliament Square. In 2015 Churchill was the subject of a dedicated Royal Mint collection, released to mark 50 years since his passing. Collectors snapped up limited edition Five Pound coins in BU, silver proof, silver piedfort proof, gold proof and even platinum proof. A different design appeared on other precious metal coins including a brilliant uncirculated £20 coin.
With the 150th anniversary of Churchill's birth approaching in 2024 and the 60th anniversary of his death in 2025, it seems likely that we will see more Churchill coins in the future.
Sir Winston Churchill Medals
As well as the famous UK Crown coin, Eimer reports that more than 40 medals were issued to commemorate Winston Churchill’s death in 1965. No official medal was issued but private firms produced numerous base and precious metal tributes to Churchill, aimed at collectors.
