Information about effigy: Queen Victoria - Portrait by Leonard Charles Wyon (Young Head with Banksia)

This effigy of Queen Victoria was created by Leonard Charles Wyon. He was born in the actual Royal Mint in London in 1826 - where his father, William Wyon, was an engraver at the Mint and became Chief Engraver in 1828. While studying at the Merchant Taylor's School in London Leonard was tutored in die engraving by his father and was appointed Second Engraver at the mint in 1843. The position of Chief Engraver ceased with the death of William in 1851. Leonard took over its duties as Resident Engraver and later Modeler and Engraver.

The first sovereign and half-sovereign designs of the Sydney Mint in 1855 were derived from the work of his father (and had a portrait of the Queen by James Wyon, William Wyon's cousin), but in 1857 new obverse portraits of Queen Victoria by Leonard Charles Wyon were adopted. These remained in use until 1870, after which the Sydney coins were the same as those of London.

This portrait was only used on colonial coinage of New South Wales, which the banksia symbolised (it is a native plant of Australia). In 1860, the artist created a different effigy of the Queen for the Imperial bronze coinage, known as her "Bun Head" portrait.

Queen Victoria with banksia

New South Wales / Australian Sovereign 1857

The effigy was only used on Australian sovereigns and half sovereigns - "Australian" meaning the continent then and not the country and this point, as Australia was federated after the Queen's death; the coins were issued by the colony of New South Wales.