Common: 10,000,000 or more minted. Sells often: 71 verified sales in the last 12 months.
25 New Pence - Elizabeth II Royal Wedding (1981)
"Charles and Diana Royal Wedding crown"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1981 |
| Denomination | 25 Pence |
| Face value | 25p |
| Mintage | 26,773,600 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Royal Wedding Commemoratives |
| Circulation | Circulating |
| Composition | Copper-nickel (75% Cu, 25% Ni) |
| Weight | 28.280g |
| Diameter | 38.6mm |
| Thickness | 3.20mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Milled |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Arnold Machin |
| Rev. artist | Philip Nathan |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Second crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, legend around.
Conjoined profile portraits of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer left, legend around, date below.
25 New Pence - Elizabeth II Royal Wedding market value
Find this on eBay
Affiliate25 New Pence - Elizabeth II Royal Wedding price history
Daily limit reached25 New Pence - Elizabeth II Royal Wedding 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC | £11.97 🔒 eBay | £0.93 | – | £0.74 – £11.97 | 45 | 45 | 22-05-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| EF | £4.56 🔒 eBay | £4.56 (1) | – | £4.56 – £4.56 | 1 | 1 | 06-04-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| VF | £0.37 🔒 eBay | £2.18 | – | £0.11 – £16.67 | 25 | 26 | 15-10-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
| PR-68 | £58.30 🔒 | £58.30 (1) | – | £58.30 – £58.30 | 0 | 1 | 08-06-2024 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
About the 1981 25 New Pence - Elizabeth II Royal Wedding
The 1981 25 New Pence - Elizabeth II Royal Wedding is a circulating 25 pence coin in the Royal Wedding Commemoratives series, struck in copper-nickel (75% Cu, 25% Ni). It weighs 28.28g and measures 38.61mm across. Reverse design: Conjoined profile portraits of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer left, legend around, date below.
26,773,600 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 1981 25 New Pence - Elizabeth II Royal Wedding worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1981 25 New Pence - Elizabeth II Royal Wedding run from £0.93 to £58.30 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many 1981 Charles and Diana crowns were made?
The Royal Mint's striking figures give 26,773,600 cupro-nickel crowns struck to circulating standard in 1981. Among the 25p and £5 crowns in the Mint's table only the 1977 Silver Jubilee crown has a higher figure, at 37,061,160.
Is the 1981 Royal Wedding crown rare?
No. With 26,773,600 struck it is the second most numerous crown in the Royal Mint's striking figures for 1972 to 2008. It is more than three times the figure for the 1972 Silver Wedding crown and nearly three times that of the 1980 Queen Mother crown.
What is the face value of the Charles and Diana crown?
It is 25p. No denomination is inscribed on the coin, but the Royal Mint confirms that crowns struck before 1990 have a face value of 25p. It is not a £5 coin: that value applies only to crowns from 1990 onwards.
Who designed the 1981 Royal Wedding crown?
Philip Nathan designed the reverse, according to the Royal Mint. It shows the portraits of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, both facing left. The obverse carries the portrait of the Queen by Arnold Machin.
Is the 1981 Royal Wedding crown legal tender?
Yes. The Royal Mint lists the 25p crown as legal tender for amounts up to ten pounds. It was made as a souvenir, however, and the Mint notes that banks and businesses are not required to accept commemorative coins.
How do I identify the 1981 25 New Pence - Elizabeth II Royal Wedding?
Check the weight 28.28g and diameter 38.61mm and the metal (copper-nickel (75% Cu, 25% Ni)) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
This crown celebrates the wedding of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in July 1981. Change Checker notes that it was tariffed at 25 pence although no denomination was inscribed on it, and that for the first time three people were portrayed on a British coin at once: the Queen on one side and the bridal couple on the other.
The Royal Mint's striking figures give 26,773,600 cupro-nickel coins struck to circulating standard. In the Mint's table of crowns from 1972 to 2008 only the 1977 Silver Jubilee issue is higher, at 37,061,160.
It was also the last of its kind. The Mint's list shows no further crown until 1990, when the face value was raised to £5 to give the coin a value consistent with its weight and size.
Philip Nathan designed the reverse. It shows the profile of Lady Diana Spencer partly overlapped by that of the Prince of Wales, both facing left. The Royal Mint gives the inscription as HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES AND LADY DIANA SPENCER 1981.
The obverse carries Arnold Machin's portrait of the Queen, which was used on the coinage until 1984. The edge is milled.
Collecting notes
More than 26 million were struck, and the Royal Mint describes crowns as souvenirs rather than coins for everyday use, so the coin is plentiful and wear from circulation is not the usual concern. Look at the high points of the portraits and the open fields for contact marks instead.
The coin is legal tender at 25p, although the Royal Mint points out that commemorative coins do not enter general circulation and banks and businesses need not accept them. It is sometimes taken for a £5 coin because later crowns carry that value, but the Mint is clear that crowns struck before 1990 are 25p pieces.
A silver proof version was also made for collectors. For the lower-mintage 25p crowns see the 1972 Silver Wedding and 1980 Queen Mother issues.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Commemorative Coin Striking Numbers, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- £5 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- Legal Tender Guidelines, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- British twenty-five pence coin, Wikipedia (read 9 Oct 2026)
- 25p Crown: Charles and Diana's Wedding, Change Checker (read 9 Oct 2026)
More from Royal Wedding Commemoratives
