Silver Kilo 2019 Una and the Lion, Coin from Alderney - detailed information

Alderney is one of the Channel Islands (situated in the Channel between England and France), and is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey - a British Crown dependency. As such, it is not a sovereign country, but has operated as a quasi-sovereign entity since the Middle Ages. The island has issued commemorative coins since 1989, denominated in the Alderney Pound - which is a variant of the Pound Sterling and is legal tender on the islands, but not in the United Kingdom.

Apart from the British Royal Mint, the island has also authorised some private mints to issue coins under its jurisdiction, which come in a variety of sizes - including in the very large silver kilo (1 kg silver) format, usually denominated as £100.

This coin is a modern re-interpretation of one of the world’s most beautiful coins, the iconic Una and the Lion Five Pound piece by William Wyon, issued in 1839 for inclusion in the first specimen coin sets of Queen Victoria's reign. It is part of a series by The Commonwealth Mint commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Queen Victoria, issued for Alderney in a variety of formats.

The obverse of the original showed the young portrait of Queen Victoria, also by Royal Mint engraver William Wyon (1795 - 1851). The reverse draws its theme from Edmund Spenser’s epic poem entitled the Faerie Queene, first published in 1590 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and depicts the Queen as Una guiding the British lion. There is a powerful contrast between the restrained energy conveyed by the lion and the peace and grace of the standing figure of Una. The design is an unusual one for a British coin, being too medallic - but then, it was never intended for circulation.