Five Pound Piece: Victoria (obverse); Una (reverse)

Step into the regal world of 19th-century British coinage with William Wyon's "Five Pound Piece: Victoria (obverse); Una (reverse)" from 1839. Wyon, the official chief engraver at the Royal Mint from 1828 until his death, was a master of Neoclassicism, a style evident in the elegant design of this gold coin. He was known for his prodigious output and artistic skill, designing effigies for monarchs like George IV and William IV, and notably, "The Young Head" of Queen Victoria, which graced British coinage for decades. This particular piece showcases his exceptional talent for capturing both royal portraiture and allegorical scenes. The obverse features a youthful Queen Victoria, a design Wyon had modeled as early as 1834 when she was Princess Victoria, and which became iconic on her coinage. The reverse, depicting Una, a character from Edmund Spenser's epic poem *The Faerie Queene*, demonstrates Wyon's ability to imbue a coin with narrative and symbolic depth, making this a truly remarkable example of numismatic art.