DENOMINATIONS.--_Silver._ Crown, Half-crown, Florin or Two-shilling
piece, Shilling, Sixpence, Groat or Fourpence, Threepence, Twopence,
Penny. _Gold._ Five-pound-piece, Double-sovereign or Two-pound-piece,
Sovereign, Half-sovereign. _Copper._ Penny, Halfpenny, Farthing,
Half-farthing. _Bronze._ Penny, Halfpenny, and Farthing.
OBVERSE.--_Type._ Crown and Half-crown. Sinister bust profile of the
queen, undraped, round the head two plain bands, hair parted on the
forehead, carried over the top of the ear, and all gathered together
at the back of the head. The Half-crown has the fore hair plaited
immediately before it joins the back hair. None of these have been
issued for home currency since 1851. Florin. Sinister bust profile of
the queen, crowned with an open arched crown, elegantly draped over the
shoulders. Shilling, Sixpence, etc., bust same as Half-crown.
_Legend._ Crown and Half-crown, VICTORIA DEI GRATIA. Date under
the head. Florin, first issue, VICTORIA REGINA, 1849; later issue,
=Victoria: d: g: britt: reg: f: d:= and date as =mdccclxviii=. Shilling
and sixpence, VICTORIA DEI GRATIA BRITANNIAR REG. F. D. Fourpence and
Maundy money, VICTORIA D. G. BRITANNIAR. REGINA F. D.
REVERSE.--_Type._ Crown and Half-crown, royal arms quarterly, 1 and
4, England, 2, Scotland, 3, Ireland, shield plain, crowned, within a
wreath formed of two olive branches tied together at the bottom by a
ribband; beneath the shield, the rose, thistle, and shamrock. Florin,
first issue, in a tressure of eight arches, whose cusps have trefoil
terminations, within the inner circle, four crowned shields arranged
as a cross, first and third England, second Scotland, fourth Ireland.
In the centre a rose; the crowns extending through the legend to the
outside edge of the coin. In the four angles are, respectively, two
roses, a thistle and a shamrock. Later issues, similar to the other,
with a trefoiled quatrefoil instead of rose in the centre. Shilling
and Sixpence; value in two lines, within a wreath formed of a branch
of olive and an oak branch tied together with a ribband, above the
value the royal crown, beneath the wreath the date. Fourpence, figure
of Britannia seated, helmeted, in her left hand the trident, her right
resting on the shield, date in exergue. Maundy money, value, crowned,
within a wreath of oak branches and date.
_Legend._ Crown and Half-crown, BRITANNIARVM REGINA FID. DEF. Florin,
first issue, ONE FLORIN ONE TENTH OF A POUND; later issues, =One florin
one tenth of a pound=. Shilling and Sixpence, the words ONE SHILLING,
and SIXPENCE, within the wreath of laurel and oak, beneath which is the
date. Fourpence, FOUR PENCE. Threepence, figure 3 crowned.
The most beautiful of our modern coins is a Crown-piece struck in 1847,
from dies engraved by Wyon. It is in somewhat low relief, and bears on
the obverse an exquisite profile portrait of the queen, to the left,
filling up the entire diameter of the coin. Her Majesty wears an open
four-arched crown; the hair, being plaited, is brought down below the
ear, and fastened at the back of the head; shoulders and bosom draped
with delicate and elaborately ornamented lace, pearls, and jewels, the
portion of the robe visible being diapered with roses, thistles, and
shamrocks in lozenges. _Legend._ =Victoria dei gratia britanniar. reg:
f: d=. Reverse: within the inner circle four shields (two England, one
Scotland, one Ireland), arranged as a cross, within a tressure of eight
arches; each shield crowned, the crowns extending through the legend
and to extremity of the coin. In the centre the star of the Order of
the Garter, and in the angles between the shields, which are diapered,
a rose twice repeated, a thistle, and a shamrock; the spandrils and the
cusps trefoiled. _Legend_, =tueatur unita deus anno dom. mdcccxlvii=.
Round the edge =decus· et· tutamen· anno· regni· undecim=. This,
usually known as the “gothic crown,” was not put in circulation.
_Gold._ Sovereign, and Half-sovereign; obverse, same bust as the
silver, VICTORIA DEI GRATIA, and date; reverse, Sovereign, royal arms,
as the Half-crown; later issues, St. George and the Dragon as on those
of George IV., and date; Half-sovereign, royal shield as before,
without the wreath, mantled, crowned, BRITANNIARVM REGINA FID. DEF.
_Copper._ Farthings; obverse, same as Sovereign; reverse, figure of
Britannia, as before, with the rose, thistle, and shamrock beneath,
BRITANNIAR REG. FID. DEF.; Half and Quarter-farthings have also been
struck for the colonies to supersede the use of cowries.
_Bronze._ Obverse: beautifully laureated profile bust of the queen,
hair tied behind, draped over the shoulders; the portrait filling up
the diameter of the coin; legend, VICTORIA D: G: BRITT: REG: F: D:
Reverse: figure of Britannia, helmeted and draped, holding a trident
in her left hand, and her right resting on a shield of the union; in
the distance, on one side, the Eddystone Lighthouse, on the other a
ship in full sail. _Legend_: ONE PENNY, date in exergue, 1860, _et
seq_. A large number of pattern pieces for coins of various values, and
in all the metals, have at one time or other during this reign been
prepared and struck, and are of the highest interest for the cabinets
of collectors.
TRADERS’ TOKENS
OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.
[Illustration: TRADERS’ TOKENS, SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.]
[Illustration: TRADERS’ TOKENS, SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.]
[Illustration]