1937-1946 British Half Crown Silver Coin Issued Under King George VI. United Kingdom's Courageous"Unlikely King". Half Crown Graded By Seller Circulated/Worn Condition

In the words of Labour Member of Parliament (MP) George Hardie, the abdication crisis of 1936 did "more for republicanism than fifty years of propaganda".[119] George VI wrote to his brother Edward that in the aftermath of the abdication he had reluctantly assumed "a rocking throne" and tried "to make it steady again".[120] He became king at a point when public faith in the monarchy was at a low ebb. During his reign, his people endured the hardships of war, and imperial power was eroded. However, as a dutiful family man and by showing personal courage, he succeeded in restoring the popularity of the monarchy.[121][122] The George Cross and the George Medal were founded at the King's suggestion during the Second World War to recognise acts of exceptional civilian bravery.[123] He bestowed the George Cross on the entire "island fortress of Malta" in 1943.[124] He was posthumously awarded the Order of Liberation by the French government in 1960, one of only two people (the other being Churchill in 1958) to be awarded the medal after 1946.[125] Colin Firth won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as George VI in the 2010 film The King's Speech.