The "Gothic" Crown

This example of the famous silver proof "Gothic" crown of Queen Victoria's reign was minted in 1847, one of only 8,000 pieces. A few were also produced in 1853, for the year sets only. It is widely regarded as the most beautiful coin ever made in this country, and hopefully these pictures will show why.

Shown above is the obverse. Designed by William Wyon of the Royal Mint, it shows a young bust of the queen, crowned and wearing an embroidered bodice. The legend is in gothic script (hence the name) and reads "Victoria dei gratia britanniar . reg : f : d".

The reverse of the crown, designed by William Dyce, shows crowned cruciform shields with the star of the garter at the centre. Between the shields are a rose, thistle, shamrock and another rose. The legend reads "tueatur unita deus anno dom mdcccxlvii" (may God guard this unity 1847).

The edge of this coin also bears an inscription. Until early in the reign of Charles II, coins were hammered by hand as they had been since ancient times (with some exceptions in the reigns of Elizabeth I and Charles I), but in 1663 milled coins, struck by machine, were finally introduced. Milling meant better quality and more consistent striking, with portraits, designs, and inscriptions clearer and in higher relief. Additionally, the risk of clipping, where metal was sliced from the coin to be melted down, was reduced. It was to further reduce this risk that edge inscriptions were added to higher value coins - a practice which continues to this day, long after the actual risk disappeared (look at the £1 and £2 coins in your pocket). The Gothic crown shown above, being of the more common "undecimo" type, has one that reads "decus et tutamen anno regni undecimo", which means "an ornament and a safeguard regnal year eleven", as it was the eleventh year of Victoria's reign. Note that the words "decus et tutamen" were intended to reassure the public that the coin had not been clipped, and they still appear on the edge of many of today's £1 coins.

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