1936 was a momentous year in the history of the British monarchy. Upon the death of King George V, his son, the popular Prince Edward became King Edward VIII. However, his reign was to be short lived, as his desire to marry the divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson was not compatible with the views of the British Parliament.
Forced to choose between his love and the throne, he chose the former, and became the first ever British monarch to abdicate. He was succeeded by the unprepared but warmly received King George VI, who was to go on and successfully lead the country through World War II.
The Year of the Three Kings Silver Coin Cover
At the heart of this Coin First Day Cover are two original Silver Half-Crowns from the reigns for George V and George VI.
Set alongside these historic coins is a new crown-sized Edward VIII Sterling Silver Proof Medal - specially commissioned by The Westminster Collection in this anniversary year and based on the original patterns for Edward VIII's coinage.
The commemorative piece features an engraving of King Edward VIII as he would have appeared on his coinage. In the event of his abdication however, no coins were ever struck for circulation bearing his image - so this piece is sure to become especially significant to interested collectors.
Alongside the silver half crowns and commemorative piece is a 1st Class 'Royal Seal' stamp, postmarked on 1st January 2011.
Completing the cover are three genuine stamps, one from the reign of each monarch - a tangible link to the extraordinary events of 75 years ago.
It also carries a worldwide edition limit of just 495.