Historical information
The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.
For 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.
A total of 90,279 medals were issued, including
6,887 to Australians
10,089 to Canadians
Physical description
Object is a miniature.
Description of full size medal:
A circular, silver medal, 1.25 inches in diameter. Featured on the obverse are the conjoined effigies of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, crowned and robed, facing left. The rim is not raised on this medal and there is no legend.
The Royal Cypher GRI appears on the reverse, surmounted by a large crown, with the inscription CROWNED / 12 May 1937 below the Royal Cypher in tow lines. Around the rim of the medal is the inscription: GEORGE VI QVEEN ELIZABETH (a V in Queen rather than a U).
The garter-blue ribbon is 1.25 inches (32 mm) wide; with a narrow (0.25 inch) band consisting of three equal widths of white, red, and white, at each edge.
Inscriptions & markings
nil