Description
Denomination: Gold full sovereign. 22 carat
Period: Victorian
Date: 1880
Origin: Melbourne mint. Australia
Condition: VF
Obverse: Young bust of the Queen. left. legend around. M below bust (for Melbourne mint)
Reverse: St. George and the Dragon. date below. small BP
Size and Weight: 22mm. 7.98g
References: Spink 3857
Features and Provenance: Victoria was born in 1819 and enjoyed the longest reign of any British monarch until. that is. Elizabeth II. This long reign resulted in an extensive coinage in gold. silver and copper; additional mints were opened too. in Australia. to produce gold sovereigns (of which this is an example).
The coinage can be split into three distinct head types: the ‘young head’ (of which our coin is an example). the Jubilee head and the ‘old’ head. The young head. showing the Queen with her hair in a bun was used until she was 68! For her 50th year on the throne in 1887. the head was updated showing her wearing her smaller imperial crown which she had made in 1870 so she could wear it on state occasions over her widow’s cap (Albert. her beloved husband. had died in 1861). The final bust. issued in 1893. shows a mature Victoria. veiled. She died in 1901 at the age of 82.
Condition Summary. This varies with the age of coin and there are grades between
Uncirculated (U). As struck with no traces of wear
Extremely Fine (EF). Very slight traces of wear. all parts of legend etc present. visible and clear
Very Fine (VF). Some signs of wear on the higher parts of the relief. all parts of legend etc present. but maybe worn
Fine (F). Wear on the coin and parts of legend etc may be missing or not visible
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.