1847 Victoria Gothic Silver Crown NGC Graded PF-58

The 1847 Silver Victoria Gothic Crown from The Royal Mint - NGC Graded PF 58

The 1847 Gothic crown is considered by some to be William Wyon's finest work, so much so, the design was recreated as part of The Royal Mint's Great Engravers Series and showed both sides of the coin in 2 separate releases: the Quartered Arms (reverse) and the Victoria portrait (obverse).

Only 8,000 of these 1847 gothic crowns were minted, with the coins being highly sought after by collectors. 

This coin has been graded by The Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC), one of the world's leading coin graders and authenticators.

The Story of the British Crown

The crown has been around for centuries and over the years has seen differences in value, manufacture and even metal content. With its name deriving from the French gold couronne, the denier à la couronne, issued by Philip of Valois about 1339. The Crown first appeared as a British coin denomination in 1544 under Henry VII with a value of five shillings. The first silver crown, produced in 1551, was one of the first British coins to feature a date.

William Wyon

Born in 1795 Birmingham to a renowned family of skilled engravers, William Wyon quickly went on to adopt the family profession, working under his father's tutelage as an apprentice in the Soho Mint by 1809.

By 1816 Thomas Wyon Junior had been appointed as the new Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint, with Thomas Senior taking on the mantle of Chief Engraver of His Majesty's Seals, William saw these conditions as favourable and soon returned to the capital and becoming the Second Engraver to the Royal Mint.

The obverse shows Wyon's crowned bust of Queen Victoria, with braided hair. Her dress is richly embroidered with the floral emblems; roses (for England), shamrocks (for Ireland) and thistles (for Scotland). The inscription appears in a gothic style script.

VICTORIA DEI GRATIA BRITANNIAR REG F D

The reverse shows crowned cruciform shields bearing three lions passant for England, lion rampant for Scotland, and harp for Ireland. In the angles are roses, a shamrock and a thistle. In the centre, the Order of the Garter, bearing the inscription "HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE". All contained within a circular panel. 

Wyon's initials appear incuse on the circle at either side of the topmost crown. 

The reverse legend is also in lower case gothic style script: 

TUEATUR UNITA DEUS ANNO DOM MDCCCXLVII