25-sided trial

A generous period of time was set aside to design and produce the first Jubilee crown of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1977, and a number of possible routes and designs were explored. One of the most unusual possibilities considered was this 25-sided option. On the multi-sided trial, which was created to demonstrate images on each side, Arnold Machin’s portrait of the monarch was accompanied by Christopher Ironside’s lion from the ten pence.

Having a coin with as many sides as the anniversary it was commemorating clearly had a symbolic appeal, but it was not without its obstacles. The sheer number of sides give the piece an almost circular shape and would, no doubt, have resulted in numerous production challenges. While this shape was not selected for the final piece, the trial piece clearly demonstrates the interesting range of possibilities considered.