Common: 10,000,000 or more minted. Sells often: 235 verified sales in the last 12 months.
1 Crown - Elizabeth II Churchill (1965)
"Churchill crown"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1965 |
| Denomination | 1 Crown |
| Face value | 25p |
| Mintage | 19,640,000 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Churchill Commemoratives |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Composition | Copper-nickel |
| Weight | 28.280g |
| Diameter | 38.6mm |
| Thickness | 3.00mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Mary Gillick |
| Rev. artist | Oscar Nemon |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Young laureate bust of Queen Elizabeth II right, legend around, date below.
ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F.D. 1965
A sombre-looking portrait of Sir Winston Churchill, in a siren suit facing right.
CHURCHILL
1 Crown - Elizabeth II Churchill market value
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Affiliate1 Crown - Elizabeth II Churchill price history
Daily limit reached1 Crown - Elizabeth II Churchill value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDC | £1,700.00 🔒 | £1,700.00 (1) | – | £1,700.00 – £1,700.00 | 0 | 1 | 02-06-2013 | |
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| UNC | £2.77 🔒 eBay | £2.33 | – | £0.73 – £40.00 | 26 | 28 | 15-10-2026 | |
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| BU | £4.44 🔒 eBay | £5.38 | – | £4.44 – £6.15 | 4 | 5 | 03-09-2026 | |
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| EF | £3.45 🔒 eBay | £3.45 | – | £2.40 – £3.77 | 3 | 3 | 29-09-2026 | |
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| VF | £1.60 🔒 eBay | £1.69 | ▼32.7% | £0.50 – £5,284.22 | 196 | 203 | 15-10-2026 | |
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| MS-64 | £7.57 🔒 eBay | £7.57 (1) | – | £7.57 – £7.57 | 1 | 1 | 15-08-2026 | |
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| MS-65 | £38.16 🔒 eBay | £34.18 | – | £17.00 – £55.86 | 4 | 8 | 20-06-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £2.77 🔒 eBay | £2.77 (1) | – | £2.77 – £2.77 | 1 | 1 | 23-03-2026 | |
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About the 1965 1 Crown - Elizabeth II Churchill
The 1965 1 Crown - Elizabeth II Churchill is a circulating 1 crown coin in the Churchill Commemoratives series, struck in copper-nickel. It weighs 28.28g and measures 38.61mm across. Reverse design: A sombre-looking portrait of Sir Winston Churchill, in a siren suit facing right.
19,640,000 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 1965 1 Crown - Elizabeth II Churchill worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1965 1 Crown - Elizabeth II Churchill run from £1.69 to £1,700 across 8 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many Churchill crowns were made?
Wikipedia, citing the Standard Catalogue, gives 19,640,000. The Royal Mint Museum says close to 20 million were issued between October 1965 and the following summer. It is by far the largest of the three pre-decimal crowns of Elizabeth II.
Is the 1965 Churchill crown rare?
No. With 19,640,000 struck it is about nineteen times as plentiful as the 1960 crown and more than three times the 1953 Coronation crown. Ordinary examples are common. Pieces with Nemon's initials beside the portrait, which most coins lack, stand apart.
Who designed the Churchill crown?
The sculptor Oscar Nemon designed the reverse portrait of Sir Winston Churchill. The Royal Mint Museum says it was based on a marble bust Nemon had made for the Queen. The obverse carries Mary Gillick's portrait of Elizabeth II.
Is the Churchill crown legal tender?
The Royal Mint says crowns struck before 1990 remain legal tender at 25p. It also notes that crowns were made for special occasions rather than everyday use, so most banks and shops will refuse them. The Post Office has agreed to accept them.
Why does the Churchill crown not say five shillings?
The proclamation of August 1965 set the obverse inscription as ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F.D. with the date below, and the reverse as the single word CHURCHILL. Unlike the 1953 and 1960 crowns, no denomination was specified.
How do I identify the 1965 1 Crown - Elizabeth II Churchill?
Check the weight 28.28g and diameter 38.61mm and the metal (copper-nickel) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
Sir Winston Churchill died on 24 January 1965, and a proclamation of 3 August 1965, in force from 6 August, set the design for a cupro-nickel crown in his memory. The Royal Mint Museum says it went on sale in October 1965 and that close to 20 million were issued by the following summer. Numismatic News reports that it was distributed through British banks.
Wikipedia, citing the Standard Catalogue, gives 19,640,000 struck. That dwarfs the other pre-decimal crowns of the reign: 5,962,621 for the 1953 Coronation crown and 1,024,038 for the 1960 crown. It was the last crown before decimalisation.
The reverse is a portrait of Churchill by the sculptor Oscar Nemon, with the single word CHURCHILL. The Royal Mint Museum says the design was adapted from a marble bust Nemon had made for the Queen, and that this was the first British coin to show anyone other than the monarch, a point the Royal Mint repeats.
The obverse carries Mary Gillick's portrait of the Queen. Its inscription, ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F.D., has the date 1965 below the portrait, and unlike the 1953 and 1960 crowns the coin carries no statement of value. The edge is milled.
Varieties and errors
The Royal Mint Museum illustrates an example with Nemon's initials in tiny letters to the left of the portrait and notes that approved coins generally omitted them, perhaps because they did not suit his unconventional portrait. Coins of the UK also records two reverse varieties that differ in the shape of the R. No mint errors are documented for this coin.
Collecting notes
With almost 20 million made, ordinary examples are plentiful. Check the area left of Churchill's head for the initials, and look closely at the lettering of CHURCHILL for the two forms of R.
The Royal Mint says crowns struck before 1990 remain legal tender at 25p, but most banks and shops will refuse them. For earlier crowns of the reign see the 1953 Coronation crown and the 1960 New York Exhibition crown.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Churchill crown, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Queen Elizabeth II Churchill Crown 1965, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- The London Gazette, issue 43731, page 7445 (proclamation of 3 August 1965), The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Crown (British coin), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Five Shillings (or Crown), Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- How can I dispose of commemorative crowns?, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- The History of the 1965 Winston Churchill Commemorative Crown, Numismatic News (read 10 Oct 2026)
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