DID YOU KNOW?

Held at Westminster Abbey, the coronation was the first of its kind to be broadcast live on television—a defining moment for a medium still in its infancy. As part of a coordinated effort dubbed “Operation Pony Express,” the coronation was filmed and the footage was flown from London (United Kingdom) to Goose Bay, Newfoundland; the film canisters were then transferred to a Canadian CF-100 fighter plane bound for Montreal, where the new studio would broadcast the event just a few hours after they had taken place in London.

On your coin’s reverse, Queen Elizabeth II holds the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, or the “rod of Equity and Mercy,” which serves as a symbol of good governance. It is one of two sceptres used during a coronation—the other is the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Dove. Commissioned in 1661, the sceptre was altered in 1910 in order to receive the world’s largest colourless cut diamond, the Cullinan I.

Also on your coin’s reverse, the Sovereign’s Orb is a representation of the Christian world. The hollow gold sphere is mounted with pearls, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, rose-cut diamonds and one amethyst. Just like the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, the Orb was created for the coronation of King Charles II in 1661.