Official Coronation Medals of Great Britain

The tradition of issuing official medals for the coronations of British monarchs began in 1603 with the coronation of James I. Initially, these medals were distributed by being thrown into crowds, a practice later discontinued due to the chaos it caused. The medals were relatively small to facilitate this distribution. However, as die-breaking was common, new dies with minor variations were often produced. Many examples listed here show such varieties.

Early medals were struck in silver and gold, with some produced in base metals for public sale. By the coronation of Edward VII, medals were issued in two sizes. Interestingly, no official medal was issued for the coronation of Elizabeth II.

References:

 

• BHM: Brown, L.E., British Historical Medals, 1760–1960, Volumes 1–3, London.
• Eimer: Christopher Eimer, British Commemorative Medals and Their Values, London, 2010.
• MI: Hawkins, Edward, Medallic Illustrations of the History of Great Britain and Ireland, London, multiple editions.
• Wollaston: Henry Wollaston, British Official Medals for Coronations and Jubilees, Nottingham, 1978.

For unofficial coronation medals, visit the Royalty page.