Information about effigy: Queen Victoria - Portrait by William Wyon (Young Head)

Young effigy of Queen Victoria, facing left; the portrait is by William Wyon and is widely known as the "Young head". The Queen's hair is bound with a double fillet and collected into a knot behind.

William Wyon RA (1795 - 29 October 1851) was official chief engraver at the Royal Mint from 1828 until his death. His name is well known among coin and medal collectors because of his prodigious output and artistic skill. He also designed the effigy of King William IV in 1830, working from the bust by Sir Francis Chantrey.

The Young Head portrait graced Victoria's coinage from 1838 to 1860 on the pennies, halfpennies and farthings, and the rest of the British coinage until 1887 and even as late as 1895 on some colonial bronze coins. There were a number of slight modifications during this time, known as simply the "Young Head" / "First Head", "Second Head", "Third Head", "Fourth Head" and "Fifth Head"; they differ by some details in the fillets in the Queen's hair, or by the quality of execution; later ones have lower relief and are of a visibly lower quality.

Young Head on gold: obverse of Una and the Lion

United Kingdom / Five Pounds 1839 Una and the Lion

The obverse of the iconic "Una and the Lion" five-pound coin.

Young head on silver: obverse of proof halfcrown

United Kingdom / Halfcrown 1839

The original portrait (not modified) on an early proof coin.

Young Head of Queen Victoria on copper proof

United Kingdom / Halfpenny 1860 (Large)

The "Young Head" portrait of Queen Victoria on an extremely rare 1860 copper proof halfpenny which was part of the Sydney Mint's exhibit at the 1879 Sydney International Exhibition, now in the collection of Museums Victoria (Melbourne).