Somalia 25 Shillings 2001

History

25 Shillings 2001, Somalia, Gothic Queen Victoria

Obverse. Photo © Baldwin & Sons

Description

Victoria (1819–1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India. She inherited the throne at the age of 18, after her father's three elder brothers had all died, leaving no surviving legitimate children. Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine children married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together and earning her the sobriquet "the grandmother of Europe". Her reign of 63 years and seven months is known as the Victorian era and was longer than that of any of her predecessors. It was a period of industrial, cultural, political, scientific, and military change within the United Kingdom, and was marked by a great expansion of the British Empire.

Obverse	Animal (fish, bird, mammal etc.) Leopard Coat of arms Somalia Military Spear Depicts the coat of arms of Somalia, surrounded by the date and country name in English and denomination and date below in English. The coat of arms of Somalia, adopted on October 10, 1956, features a shield embellished with the Somali flag, accompanied by two Leopards standing atop crossed spears. Positioned at the center of the flag is the Star of Unity, and a crown adorns the top of the shield. Completing the emblem are crossed spears underneath, entwined with a ribbon. REPUBLIC OF SOMALIA 2001 25 SHILLINGS
Reverse	Crown, jewelry Saint Edward Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Victoria Crowned and robed bust of Queen Victoria as a very young woman facing left, wearing the Tudor Crown. Her hair is loosely braided with a long plait exposing the ear and tucked into the back of her crown. This portrait appeared on the United Kingdom's Gothic florin (KM# 746), released from 1851 to 1887. The tip of the crown cuts into the beaded edge and the inscription is the Gothic style upper and lower case lettering. VICTORIA DEI GRATIA BRITANNIARUM REGINA FIDEI DEFENSATRIX means Victoria, by the Grace of God, of the Britains Queen, Defender of the Faith. The Tudor Crown, also known as the King's Crown or Imperial Crown, is a widely used symbol in heraldry of the United Kingdom. While various crown symbols had been used for this purpose for many years previously, the specific Tudor Crown design was standardised at the request of Edward VII. It was never intended to represent any actual physical crown, although in shape it bears a close resemblance to the small diamond crown of Queen Victoria. Engraver: William Wyon Victoria dei gratia britanniar.reg:f:d·
Edge	Plain