The 1937 crown obverse features the bare head portrait of King George VI. This portrait was created by Humphrey Paget, whose initials can be seen towards the bottom right. Paget is widely considered one of the most influential coin designers, and he created the bare head portrait of King George VI in just one month. This portrait would go on to be known as the classic coinage head of the 20th century, and it’s easy to see why.

The reverse surprisingly does not have the image of St George and the Dragon like previous crowns and instead features a large shield supported by a unicorn and lion. This was created by George Kruger Gray, whose initials can be seen underneath the lion and unicorn.

One million crowns were minted for circulation in 1937 which means that the circulation-strikes are today readily available. Their availability tends to cloud collectors perception of the scarcity of the 1937 PROOF CROWN. With only 100 struck, they are exceedingly difficult to procure, particularly in top quality. This 1937 Proof Crown was sold in 1995 to the owner of the Madrid Collection of Australian Rare Coins. And while the name of the Collection might suggest that the owner was a resident of Spain, in fact our client resides in Sydney. Over the past three decades he formed one of the foremost collections of our time, his collecting mission to acquire the very best and the rarest, including this 1937 Proof Crown. The coin is a superb example from the original mintage of 100 and one of the finest we have handled. That great collectors only ever hold great coins is clearly evidenced with this very impressive 1937 Proof Crown.