The coins of Edward VIII of England that actually circulated

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A few days ago, I posted a photo of a coin of Edward VIII of England on the Instagram of the Spanish version of ColeMone, and a couple of readers asked me what other coins of Edward VIII of England had been issued. And it’s not the first time I’ve been asked, so why not make a quick list.

You probably already know the story of Edward VIII, who only reigned for part of 1936. But just in case, here’s a quick summary to give us context:

Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson
Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson on vacation in Yugoslavia in August 1936 (Picture: Commons/National Media Museum).

George V dies in January 1936. His eldest son, Edward, ascends to the throne. He had Nazi sympathies, wanted to revolutionize the monarchy, and married an American divorcee (scandal!). And quickly lost the support of all British political and monarchic institutions. On December 11, he abdicated in favor of his younger brother, George VI.

Having said that, let me add four quick notes:

1- There are very few circulating types of coins of Edward VIII: 13 plus one error.

2- There are pattern coins made in the UK, Australia, and the Indian princely state of Jodhpur, to which I will dedicate a separate article one of these days. I will just say for now that there may be two or three of each type in private hands, and they are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. So you won’t find them on eBay.

United Kingdom - Sovereign 1937 - Edward VIII Portrait Trial
Pattern for the 1937 sovereign, which was not issued due to the abdication. Its hammer price was $2.28 million (Picture: Heritage Auctions – Auction 3096, Lot 30339).

3- Excluding the error coin and the patterns, all the coins are very cheap, and can be acquired for less than 40 bucks.

4- If you see one for sale that is not on this list, especially one with his portrait, it is a privately issued fantasy coin.

Let’s go to the list:

British West Africa

1/10 Penny

Metal: Copper-nickel / Weight: 1.9 grams / Diameter: 20 millimeters

Halfpenny

Metal: Copper-nickel / Weight: 5.6 grams / Diameter: 25.2 millimeters

1 Penny

Metal: Copper-nickel / Weight: 9.8 grams / Diameter: 30.5 millimeters

10 Cents (Error: Mule Coin)

Metal: Copper-nickel / Weight: Unknown / Diameter: 30.5 millimeters

This one is a mule coin. It features the typical obverse in the coins from that time in British West Africa, but the reverse with the denomination is the one in the British East Africa 10-cent coins.

British East Africa

5 cents

Metal: Bronze / Weight: 6.5 grams / Diameter: 26.5 millimeters

10 cents in Bronze

Metal: Bronze / Weight: 10.9 grams / Diameter: 30.6 millimeters

10 cents in Copper-Nickel

Metal: Copper-nickel / Weight: 11.5 grams / Diameter: 31 millimeters

India: Princely State of Jodhpur

1/4 Anna

Metal: Copper / Weight: 10.15 grams / Diameter: 20.4 millimeters

India: Princely State of Kutch

3 Dokda

Metal: Copper / Weight: 16.6 grams / Diameter: 33.3 millimeters

1 Kori

Metal: .601 Silver / Weight: 4.7 grams / Diameter: 17.2 millimeters

2.5 Kori

Metal: .937 Silver / Weight: 6.935 grams / Diameter: 26.5 millimeters

5 Kori

Metal: .937 Silver / Weight: 13.87 grams / Diameter: 32.2 millimeters

Fiji

1 Penny

Metal: Copper-nickel / Weight: 6.5 grams / Diameter: 26 millimeters

Papua New Guinea

1 Penny

Metal: Bronze / Weight: 6.6 grams / Diameter: 26.7 millimeters

And that’s it: 13 proper coins and one error. As I mentioned before, there are also pattern coins of Edward VIII from the United Kingdom and other territories of the British Empire. Stay tuned: those will have a special article one of these days.

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