M311
Silver proof, AU (noticeable fingerprints both obverse and reverse)
38 mm (1-7/16”), 31.1 grams
HISTORY: Edward VIII (1894‒1972), King of the United Kingdom, ascended the throne on January 20, 1936, and abdicated it on December 11th of the same year. No longer wishing to be king, he remained the Duke of Windsor until his death.
OBVERSE: Saint George slaying the dragon … well, that’s the simple version. The folklore has the dragon imposing his will on humans, demanding tributes of riches and livestock. When the humans ran out of traditional tributes, the dragon insisted on a human sacrifice once a year. So, one year a princess was chosen as the offering and Saint George rode in on his stallion to rescue the fair maiden, slaying the dragon with a spear. Good vs. evil—an old story.
Not until the 13th century did Saint George begin to show up in Western art. Since then, he appears throughout Europe on national, provincial, and municipal flags; coats of arms; coinage; and symbology. For hundreds of years, Saint George was illustrated in full armor. Here we see him naked, helmeted with a flowing cape. This special UK year of issue celebrating Edward shows the year “1936” in the exergue.
REVERSE: A left-facing portrait of Edward is shown, framed by the words “EDWARD · VIII · KING · & · EMPEROR.”
EDGE: Smooth.