Saint Helena is a small island in the South Atlantic Ocean which is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha. The currency of the island is the Saint Helena pound, fixed at parity with the pound sterling. The island has authorised some private mints to issue coins under its jurisdiction, which come in a variety of sizes - including in the popular gold ounce (1 oz gold) format, denominated as £5.
This design is the third in The Queen's Virtues Series and represents Charity.
The Mint says about it: The allegorical presentation of the Queen’s six virtues was first presented on the Victoria Memorial, situated outside Buckingham Palace. Designed after Queen Victoria’s death in 1901, The Winged Angel of Victory is featured at the very top of the monument and crouched at her feet are the allegorical figures of Courage and Constancy. Courage wears a helmet and bears a club, while Constancy holds a ship’s compass, and both have cloaks swirling out in the breeze. Beneath stand personifications of Justice, Truth and Charity. Designed and sculpted by Sir Thomas Brock, he described the symbolism of the monument as devoted to the “qualities which made our Queen so great and so much beloved".
The design of this coin is inspired by the monument showing the allegorical figure caring for the young. This warm and touching depiction of "Motherhood" symbolises the virtue of Charity. It is said to represent the virtue of making charitable efforts caring of the suffering. As Monarch, both Queens are considered to have held and exercised the virtue of Charity. Widely acknowledged as the core principles founded by Queen Victoria during her extraordinary reign, they have been carried forward by the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
All coins in the series have been designed by Dutch medallist Elles Kloosterman. |