The
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the
coronation of Queen Elizabeth IIThe Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the ceremony in which the newly ascended monarch, Elizabeth II, was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, and Pakistan, as well as taking on the role of Head of the Commonwealth...
.
Issue
For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of the
CommonwealthThe Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
countries and
Crown dependenciesThe Crown Dependencies are British possessions of the Crown, as opposed to overseas territories of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea....
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 138,214 medals were issued, including:
- 11,561 to Australians
- 12,500 to Canadians
Description
A circular, silver medal, 1.25 inches in diameter. The obverse features a crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, in a high-collared
ermineErmine has several uses:* A common name for the stoat * The white fur and black tail end of this animal, which is historically worn by and associated with royalty and high officials...
cloak and wearing the collar of the
GarterThe Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
and Badge of the
BathThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, and facing right. There is no raised rim and no legend.
The reverse shows the
Royal CypherIn modern heraldry, a royal cypher is a monogram-like device of a country's reigning sovereign, typically consisting of the initials of the monarch's name and title, sometimes interwoven and often surmounted by a crown. In the case where such a cypher is used by an emperor or empress, it is called...
EIIR surmounted by a large crown. The legend around the edge reads: QUEEN ELIZABETH II CROWNED 2nd JUNE 1953.
The dark red ribbon is 1.25 inches (31.8 mm) wide, with two narrow dark blue stripes (0.09375 inches {3/32"} wide) in the centre (0.0625" apart) and narrow white stripes (0.0625") at each edge.
Ladies awarded the medal can wear it on their left shoulder with the ribbon tied in the form of a bow.
The medals were issued without inscription except for the 37 issued to the British Mount Everest Expedition. These were engraved "MOUNT EVEREST EXPEDITION" on the rim.