The 1980 Queen Mother Crown is a UK commemorative 25 pence coin issued for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s 80th birthday. It is a pre-decimal-style crown denomination, not a modern £5 coin and not a circulating everyday coin.
1980 Queen Mother Crown specifications
The standard UK issue is cupro-nickel, weighs 28.28 grams and measures 38.61 millimetres across. It is not a silver coin. The obverse carries Arnold Machin’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, while the reverse design by Richard Guyatt shows the Queen Mother.
Specialist catalogues record a standard mintage of 9,306,000. Treat that as a catalogue figure and make sure you are comparing the UK issue rather than a similarly named crown-sized coin from another territory.
Is the 1980 Queen Mother Crown silver?
The ordinary UK coin is cupro-nickel. A .925 silver proof exists as a separate issue, with different packaging and collector characteristics. Do not use the price of a silver proof to value an ordinary example.
Is it legal tender?
Pre-1990 UK crowns were redenominated to 25 pence. The Royal Mint says commemorative crowns remain legal tender, but shops and banks are not obliged to accept them. Legal-tender status does not mean that the coin will sell for its face value or for a fixed collector price.
How much is it worth?
Value depends on the exact issue, condition, proof finish, packaging and demand. Earlier versions of this article included dated eBay figures. They should not be treated as current market values because they may have mixed asking prices, completed sales, grades and varieties.
For a realistic estimate, compare several recent completed UK sales of the same type. Record whether the result is for an ordinary cupro-nickel coin, a .925 silver proof, a boxed set or another product. Seller asking prices and dealer listings are not completed-sale evidence.
How to identify your coin
Check the date, denomination, portrait, reverse design, weight, diameter and packaging. Also check that it is the UK 1980 issue rather than a foreign or Commonwealth crown-sized coin. If the coin appears to be silver, unusual or damaged, ask a specialist numismatist to examine it.