Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 1 Crown 1981, KM# 73, Isle of Man, Elizabeth II, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Prince Philip
  • 1 Crown 1981, KM# 73, Isle of Man, Elizabeth II, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Prince Philip
Description

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE), is the generic name for a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young adults for completing a series of self-improvement exercises. The programmes take between one to four years to complete, and they must be completed by the participant's twenty-fifth birthday. There are around 300,000 participants annually. The programmes are at three progressive levels which, if successfully completed, lead to a Bronze, Silver or Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Obverse

Second crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, surrounded by the inscription, mintmark (PM) and date below.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

Engraver: Arnold Machin

ISLE OF MAN ELIZABETH II
PM
1981

Reverse

A portrait of Prince Philip, lettering around.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark; 1921–2021), was a member of the British royal family as the husband of Elizabeth II. The longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch and the longest-lived male member of the British royal family, he retired from his royal duties on 2 August 2017, aged 96, having completed 22,219 solo engagements and 5,493 speeches since 1952. Philip had four children with Elizabeth: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. A keen sports enthusiast, Philip helped develop the equestrian event of carriage driving. He was a patron of over 800 organisations and served as chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme for people aged 14 to 24.

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD SCHEME
1956 • ONE CROWN • 1981

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Cupronickel
Weight 28.28 g
Diameter 38.61 mm
Thickness 3.17 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Pobjoy Mint (PM)

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