Description

George V (1865–1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. He was the only Emperor of India to be present at his own Delhi Durbar. His reign saw the rise of socialism, communism, fascism, Irish republicanism, and the Indian independence movement, all of which radically changed the political landscape. In 1917, George became the first monarch of the House of Windsor, which he renamed from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as a result of anti-German public sentiment.

When the public noticed that the "D.G." (meaning "By the Grace of God") had been removed from the coins of 1911 there was a tremendous amount of backlash over the "Godless" coins. As a result the obverse was changed in 1912 to add that text back onto the coins by the original designer Sir E. B. MacKennal.