Coin | Sovereign 1878 Shield |
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A gold coin (22.05 mm diameter with milled edge) featuring a head of Queen Victoria facing left with a plain band and fillet in her hair, the date, 1878 below; the artist's initials, W.W., on neck truncation; around, VICTORIA DEI GRATIA.
The reverse features the royal shield of arms, garnished and crowned; around, BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:
The mint mark S is located between the ribbon beneath the shield and the rose. |
Mint | Sydney Mint |
Mint Mark | Letter S |
Total Mintage |
1,259,000 (1.3 million)
, Rarity: S (Scarce) |
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Obverse | |
Young head of Queen Victoria facing left wearing ribbon (double fillet) in her hair; the hair is collected up into a knot behind; around, the legend VICTORIA DEI GRATIA (Victoria, by the Grace of God); the designer's initials W.W. (for William Wyon) are in relief on the neck truncation.
In the field below the neck truncation, the date 1878. |
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Reverse | |
The Ensigns Armorial of the United Kingdom within a plain shield quartered with the arms of England (1 & 4), Scotland (2) and Ireland (3), surmounted by a crown. A branch of laurel is shown on each side of the shield, tied at the bottom by a ribbon. At the bottom, the Thistle, Rose and Shamrock (symbols of Scotland, England and Ireland respectively) are placed with a small flower stop on each side.
Around, the rest of the monarch's legend (continuing from the obverse): BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF: (Queen of the Britains, Defender of the Faith).
The mint mark S is located between the ribbon beneath the shield and the rose. |
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Reverse Inscription |
BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF: |
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Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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Notes | The Sydney Mint produced only Shield reverse sovereigns in this year. The Melbourne Mint produced only St. George reverse sovereigns in this year.
Type ID by Marsh.
References to additional information:
[Book] Remick, Jerome. The Guide Book and Catalogue to British Commonwealth Coins, Regency Coins and Stamps Ltd, Winnipeg, Canada, 1971, p55 [Book] Marsh, Michael A. The Gold Sovereign. Cambridge Coins, Cambridge, UK, 1980. (2017 ed. pp 27-46) |
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