2019 2oz Silver Antiqued Cameo Coin - Queen Victoria 200th Anniversary
Description
Queen Victoria was born Alexandrina Victoria on 24 May, 1819, at Kensington Palace, London. She was the only daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of George III. Her father died shortly after her birth and she became heir to the throne as the three uncles ahead of her in the line of succession had no surviving legitimate children.
Ascending the throne in 1837, at the age of 18, when her uncle King William IV died, Queen Victoria reigned for almost 65 years. In that time, Britain’s Empire expanded to cover about one fifth of the Earth’s surface, making Queen Victoria empress to almost a quarter of the world’s population. Queen Victoria began to shape the United Kingdom’s political landscape into that of a modern constitutional monarchy, whereby political power shifted away from the sovereign to parliament.
The coin’s reverse features a cameo insert depicting Leonard Charles Wyon’s effigy of Queen Victoria wearing wreaths of banksia in her hair. Queen Victoria popularised portrait cameos made of sea shells during her reign. A filigree design borders the Queen’s portrait, with a depiction of the royal St Edward’s Crown at the top. The inscription ‘QUEEN VICTORIA 200th ANNIVERSARY and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark are also featured in the design.
In keeping with its historical theme, the coin has been ‘antiqued’ by hand to give it a unique finish conveying the surface abrasions of an aged artefact. As a result of this treatment, the appearance of each coin in the limited mintage may vary.
Each gold coin is housed in a Perth Mint classic display case and packaged within an illustrated shipper and accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.