Una and the Lion

[Robert]

Though not technically concerned with copper, this site is very cool.

http://www.money.org/una/coindies.html

Wait for the download. It's worth it. When it's complete, do a "mouseover" on a die and it will show you that side of the finished coin. Very cool.

This is one of the "ultimate" (IMO) British coins. It's a gold 5 pound coin struck as a proof-only in 1839. It's over 1.17 ounces of 0.917 gold (not the puny 0.900 American composition!). Only 400 were made. Book value is $28,000.

Like many British issues of that time, it's very allegorical. From the website I found out that the young Queen Victoria is depicted as "Una" (Truth) - "one of the principal characters in Edmund Spenser's 16th-century allegorical poem The Faerie Queene - accompanied by a lion that guards her virtue". The lion was also Britain's "mascot", like our Bald Eagle.

Just look at the die detail in the lion and in Victoria's robe/hair/ribbons. Do you think modern engravers could duplicate/ surpass that artistry? I don't know. To be fair, most modern dies (and coins) are designed to withstand the rigors of high production and some sacrifice of detail.


From that site you can learn/appreciate: History, art, die sinking (engraving), the relationship between dies and coins, and as a bonus "cuds".

Well done, ANA.

[Art]

Very nice site. Thanks for the interesting and educational post.