1 Crown - George IV 1st portrait

George IV's first portrait crown was issued almost immediately after his coronation in July 1821, with production split across just two years before Pistrucci's second portrait took over. The 1822 issues are notably scarcer than the 1821 strikes, and collectors distinguish between the two by the edge inscription year rather than the obverse alone.

Benedetto Pistrucci, the Italian gem-engraver responsible for the dies, had a famously fractious relationship with the Royal Mint establishment — he was never granted the title of Chief Engraver because he was foreign-born, a bureaucratic slight that embittered him for decades.