15 May 2023
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Baldwin's recent sale featured ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine coins, along with British, Scottish and world coins, as well as commemorative medals and tokens. One of the auction’s highlights was a proof of an 1847 Queen Victoria (1837–1901) Gothic Crown struck in pure silver.
The coin, which takes its name from its medieval style, features a crowned bust of the Queen facing left with braided hair appeared on the obverse, with initials of the engraver, William Wyon RA (WW), appearing incuse at the base of the bust within the trefoil and arc border.
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The legend, in a lower-case Gothic script, reads ‘victoria dei gratia britanniar reg fd’. Crowned shields in a cruciform arrangement were depicted on the reverse, with emblems of three lions passant for England, lion rampant for Scotland and harp for Ireland, while in the angles above the ornamental cross hatching were roses, a shamrock and a thistle.
In the centre, there was a garter star, with ‘W’, for William Wyon, appearing incuse in the circle either side of the top crown.
The legend, again lower case, reads ‘tueatur unita deus anno dom mdcccxlvii’. Just 8,000 silver Gothic Crowns were minted in 1847. This example reached £33,000 from an estimate of £22,000–£25,000.
