Uncommon: fewer than 10,000,000 minted. Sells often: 41 verified sales in the last 12 months.
5 Pounds - Elizabeth II 3rd portrait Queen Mother (1990)
"Queen Mother 90th Birthday crown"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1990 |
| Denomination | 5 Pounds |
| Face value | £5 |
| Mintage | 2,761,431 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-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 | Raphael Maklouf |
| Rev. artist | Leslie Durbin |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Third crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II right, wearing the George IV State Diadem, legend around.
A cypher of the letter E in duplicate, above a royal crown flanked by a rose and a thistle all within an inscription and above dates.
Queen Mother £5 Crown market value
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AffiliateQueen Mother £5 Crown price history
Daily limit reachedQueen Mother £5 Crown 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 | £6.52 🔒 eBay | £6.52 | – | £5.44 – £9.99 | 5 | 5 | 11-10-2026 | |
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| BU | £6.84 🔒 eBay | £6.95 (2) | – | £6.84 – £7.05 | 2 | 2 | 14-06-2026 | |
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| VF | £8.35 🔒 eBay | £5.88 | ▲17.6% | £1.99 – £40.42 | 34 | 35 | 16-10-2026 | |
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About the 1990 5 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Queen Mother
The 1990 5 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Queen Mother is a collector 5 pounds coin, struck in copper-nickel (75% Cu, 25% Ni). It weighs 28.28g and measures 38.61mm across. Reverse design: A cypher of the letter E in duplicate, above a royal crown flanked by a rose and a thistle all within an inscription and above dates.
2,761,431 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 1990 5 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Queen Mother worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1990 5 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Queen Mother run from £5.88 to £6.95 across 3 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
How many 1990 Queen Mother £5 coins were made?
The Royal Mint's striking figures give 2,761,431 cupro-nickel crowns struck to circulating standard in 1990. That is higher than the Mint's figures for the crowns of 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998, so it is one of the more plentiful £5 coins of the decade.
Was the 1990 Queen Mother crown the first £5 coin?
It was the first crown with a face value of £5. The Royal Mint gives 4 August 1990 as the first issue date of the £5 crown and says earlier crowns had a face value of 25p. The value was raised to suit the coin's weight and size.
Who designed the 1990 Queen Mother £5 coin?
Leslie Durbin designed the reverse, according to the Royal Mint. It shows the letter E twice as a cypher above a Royal Crown, with a rose on one side and a thistle on the other. The obverse portrait of Elizabeth II is by Raphael Maklouf.
Is the 1990 Queen Mother £5 coin legal tender?
Yes. The Royal Mint lists the £5 crown as legal tender for any amount. It also says crowns are issued for special occasions rather than general circulation and that banks and retailers do not have to accept them, although the Post Office has agreed to exchange them.
How do I identify the 1990 5 Pounds - Elizabeth II – Queen Mother?
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 marks the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. It is also the coin that changed the crown's value. On 28 March 1990 the Chancellor, John Major, told Parliament that the Queen had approved a special £5 crown for the birthday, with "a normal version of the coin issued at face value" and collectors' versions in precious and base metal sold at a premium.
The Royal Mint gives 4 August 1990, the Queen Mother's birthday, as the date the £5 crown was first issued. It says the face value was raised from 25p because £5 was "more consistent with the weight and size of the coin". The last crown before it was the 1981 Royal Wedding piece.
The Mint's striking figures give 2,761,431 cupro-nickel coins struck to circulating standard. That is above its figures for the crowns of 1993 (1,834,655), 1996 (2,396,100), 1997 (1,733,000) and 1998 (1,407,300). In the Mint's table of £5 crowns only 1999, 2000 and 2002 show higher yearly totals, and each of those years had two designs.
Leslie Durbin designed the reverse. The Royal Mint describes it as a cypher of the letter E in duplicate above a Royal Crown, flanked by a rose and a thistle, all within the inscription QUEEN ELIZABETH THE QUEEN MOTHER and the dates 1900-1990. No portrait of the Queen Mother appears, unlike the crowns made for her 80th and 100th birthdays.
The obverse carries the portrait of Elizabeth II by Raphael Maklouf, used on the £5 from 1990 to 1997. The edge is milled.
Collecting notes
The Royal Mint says "Crowns are issued to mark special occasions rather than for use in general circulation", so examples are usually bright and unworn. Check the open fields around the cypher and the high points of the crown, where a large, heavy coin kept loose soon picks up contact marks.
The coin is legal tender for any amount, but the Mint warns that banks and retailers do not have to accept crowns and that most refuse. The Post Office has agreed to exchange them for goods and services. Silver and gold proof versions share the design.
Two other crowns honour the Queen Mother's birthdays: the 1980 crown for her 80th, with a face value of 25p, and the 2000 centenary crown, a £5 coin with her portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley. Leslie Durbin went on to design the reverse of the 1997 Golden Wedding 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.
- Commemorative Coin Striking Numbers, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- £5 Coin Designs and Specifications, The Royal Mint (read 9 Oct 2026)
- How can I dispose of commemorative crowns? And why do some have a higher face value than others?, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Legal Tender Guidelines, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Mr Major's Written Parliamentary Answer on Commemorative Coins, 28 March 1990, The John Major Archive (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 1990 £5 Crown, Check Your Change (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Royal Mint Annual Report 2000-01, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
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