Coronation Medal

I was an extremely young child (!) growing up in South Africa when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned and she became regnant of the country.We were each issued with a coronation medal and we urged her to be "Victorious, Happy and Glorious"

60 years to the day, this medal is my blip.

The medal shows the date, 2 06 53, the words CORONATION and the Afrikaans KRONING.

The medal is extremely worn and Her Majesty's head on the obverse is almost unrecognisable.

This is not due to being kept in my pocket with the other ephemera of a schoolboy (pocket knife, marbles, Bull's Eye sweets, etc) but to a more sinister reason.

In later school years when I had access to more dangerous things, I dipped the medal into Nitric Acid. The ensuing clouds of toxic, yellow-brown fumes of nitrogen dioxide must have amused me.

I am not sure why I did not just use a small denomination copper coin, perhaps they were used to buy marbles, Bull's Eyes, etc?

Anyway, I'm sorry Ma'am that I ruined your youthful complexion,