George V of Great Britain (1911-1936)

George Frederick Ernest Albert, later George V, was born on the 3rd of June in 1865. He was the middle son of his predecessor, King Edward VII. He was married to Victoria Mary of Teck with whom he had five sons and a daughter. George V died on the 20th of January in 1936 and, was succeeded (briefly) by his oldest son, Edward VIII.

George's coronation was on the 22nd of June 1911 and, like for his father, proof sets with varying numbers of pieces were issued in that year. Two of the sets included gold, the first containing 12 coins from the five-pound down to the Maundy Penny. The second was the same as the first but did not include the five- or two-pound piece. A third proof set with 8 coins was struck that consisted of the halfcrown down to the Maundy Penny. In 1927 a fourth proof set was issued having 6 coins. This was of the new type of coins and consisted of the new crown (Wreath style), halfcrown, florin, shilling, sixpence, and the threepence. Sets that are complete with original cases are worth a bit more than non-cased sets, or sets in generic cases.

Gold coins were struck in various mints besides London and include Ottawa, Bombay, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and Pretoria. See here for the mintmarks used and for their locations on the coins. Additional mintmarks were used to identify the Heaton and King's Norton issues of Penny. See here for their location on the coins.

There are several types issued for many of the denominations and collecting them all can be a bit of a challenge owing to the subtleties in them. For example is the Old vs Modified Effigy types. The differences between them vary by denomination. See here for ways to determine the difference on some of the various denominations.

In 1923 there was also a change in the composition of the penny, halfpenny, and farthing. Up until 1922, the composition was .950 copper, .040 tin, and .010 zinc. From 1923 until World War II, the composition was changed to .955 copper, .030 tin, and .015 zinc. In 1920, silver coins were also debased and went from .925 fine to .500 fine.