United Kingdom (Great Britain) Elizabeth II 10 Pounds

History

10 Pounds 2019, Sp# M17, United Kingdom (Great Britain), Elizabeth II, 200th Anniversary of Birth of Queen Victoria

Obverse. Photo © Royal Mint

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	British royal family Birth or death Crown, jewelry Diamond Diadem Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Elizabeth II The fifth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the George IV State Diadem and drop earrings. The George IV State Diadem, officially the Diamond Diadem, is a type of crown that was made in 1820 for King George IV. The diadem is worn by queens and queens consort in procession to coronations and State Openings of Parliament. The piece of jewelry has been featured in paintings and on stamps and currency. It can be seen in the Queen's Gallery at Buckingham Palace. ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FIDEI DEFENSATRIX means Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith. Engraver: Jody Clark ELIZABETH II•D•G•REG•F•D•10 POUNDS•2019• J.C
Reverse	Animal (fish, bird, mammal etc.) Dolphin Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Victoria, Prince Albert Depicts conjoined busts of the Royal couple left, trident in a field to right, two dolphins below. surrounded by the inscription in Latin and date 1819 in Roman numerals when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert both were born. The love story of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert is legendary. A power couple of mid-nineteenth-century Britain, they were progressive reflections of the rapid societal and industrial change taking place all around them. After Prince Albert died, aged 42, Queen Victoria paid respect to him for the rest of her life by wearing the mourning colour of black. The portrait of them featured on this coin, first commissioned for a medal for the Great Exhibition of 1851, shows the ambitious couple at their peak. Engraver: William Wyon VICTORIA REGINA + ALBERTUS PRINCEPS CONJUX MDCCCXIX
Edge	Reeded (milled)