25 April 2019
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The Royal Mint has released details of new coins designed to echo the splendour of a special medal designed to celebrate the 1851 Great Exhibition that was masterminded by Prince Albert.
'The Great Partnership' of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is depicted by William Wyon, in a portrait showing the royal couple side by side.
The design of the original 19th-century medal has been reworked to create a commemorative coin commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria and of Prince Albert.
In the same location as the medal, the coin design features different roman numerals, MDCCCXIX or 1819, to mark the fact that the royal couple were born in the same year. The design is being produced on a series of special five-ounce and kilo coins. Finished to Proof standard – the highest standard available – the coins are available in both gold and silver editions.
The 1851 Great Exhibition
The Great Exhibition, full name The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, was held at the Crystal Palace in London between 1 May and 15 October 1851, drawing in more than six million visitors.
Its legacy continues through the surplus funding raised, which went towards the founding of the Science Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum.
To order the coins, visit The Royal Mint website.
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(image copyright The Royal Mint)
