2001 1 Crown - 150th Anniversary of Double Decker Bus

When songwriters Flanders and Swann sang about the "big six-wheeler, scarlet-painted, London Transport, diesel-engine, 97 horse-powered omnibus" they were paying tribute to that much loved institution, the double-decker.  The buses were initially slow to catch on outside London, but in the early years of the twentieth century double-deckers with pneumatic tyres and covered tops began to take over from trams in our towns and cities.  Diesel engines and sophisticated gearboxes in the 1920's and 1930's made them more economical and easier to drive, and by the 1960's new designs moved the engine to the rear.  Today, one in five UK buses is a double-decker and the classic Routemaster still graces London's streets, with the driver in the cab besides the engine, and a conductor supervising the fares.  Flanders and Swann would surely approved.

The coin cover is beautifully illustrated and is individually numbered.  As we have several of the covers in stock, the serial number may vary from the item shown.

With miniature a sheet of Classic British Double Decker Buses, and a 1 crown coin issued by Gibraltar, featuring the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Great Exhibition attracted over 6 million visitors, and the congestion they caused on the streets of London led to the introduction of the first double decker bus.

Postmark Victoria, London, 15 May 2001.