King George V Coronation Medal 1911
History
The King George V Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal commissioned to celebrate the coronation of King George which took place 22 June 1911. It was the first to be issued to people who were not in attendance at the coronation.
For this and subsequent Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of the Commonwealth countries and Crown dependencies and possessions.
The award of the medals was then at the discretion of the local government authority, who were free to decide who got a medal and why.
The police version of the medal was awarded to police officers on duty in London on Coronation day.
It is not known how many medals were issued.
Description
The medal is circular, 32mm in diameter and was struck in silver. The obverse of the medal depicts a profile of King George V and his wife Queen Mary.
The reverse depicts Royal Cypher and the inscription; ‘GEORGE V QVEEN ELIZABETH’, above the date of the coronation.
The ribbon suspender is a plain ring attached to the medal by a small loop that surmounts the medal.
The medal was issued un-named.
In regards to the police issue, the medal was also circular, 36mm in diameter and struck in silver. The obverse of this medal bears the crowned head of King Edward V and the inscription; ‘EDVARDVS VII REX IMPERATOR’.
The reverse depicts the imperial crown with an ornate surround and the inscription; ‘CORONATION 1911’, below and the date above.
The ribbon suspender is a plain ring attached by a small loop that surmounts the medal.
Ribbon
General Issue
The ribbon is 32mm wide and dark blue in colour with two narrow red central stripes.
Police Issue
The ribbon is 32mm wide and red in colour with three narrow blue stripes.
Bars/Clasps
None were authorised for this medal.
Further relevant historical context can be found at the foot of this entry.
Dealer Retail Value *
Coronation Medal issue
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£70.00
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Coronation Medal Met Police issue
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£35.00
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Coronation Medal City Police issue
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£125.00
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Coronation Medal Police Ambulance issue
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£700.00
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Coronation Medal Met Fire Brigade issue
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£130.00
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Coronation Medal SJA issue
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£75.00
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Coronation Medal Scottish Police issue
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£90.00
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Coronation Medal St Andrews Ambulance issue
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£225.00
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* It should be noted that the values quoted above reflect the average price that a medal dealer may expect to sell this medal for - please see the ‘things you should know’ web page for more details about valuing medals.
Further Historical Context
This section contains information on the following:-
- The Festival Of Empire.
The Festival Of Empire - The Festival of Empire or Festival of the Empire was held at The Crystal Palace in London in 1911, to celebrate the coronation of King George V. It opened on 12 May.
A pageant, organised by 'Master of the Pageants' Frank Lascelles, dramatising the history of London, England and the Empire was held.
The first performance of the pageant was on 8 June 1911; in four parts, performed on separate days, it celebrated the ‘magnificence, glory and honour of the Empire and the Mother Country’.
Music was provided for The Pageant of London by 20 composers including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Frank Bridge, Cecil Forsyth, Henry Balfour Gardiner, Edward German and Haydn Wood. This was performed by a military band of 50 players and a chorus of 500 voices
As part of the festival, an Inter-Empire sports championship was held in which teams from Australasia (a combined team from Australia and New Zealand), Canada, South Africa, and the United Kingdom competed in five athletics events (100 yards, 220 yards, 880 yards, 1 mile and 120 yards hurdles), two swimming events (100 yards and 1 mile), heavyweight boxing and middleweight wrestling.
This is regarded as a forerunner of the British Empire Games (now Commonwealth Games), held from 1930. Competitors included Harold Hardwick (from Australia), Malcolm Champion (from New Zealand) and John Tait (from Canada).