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William Wyon, 1795-1851

The celebrated engraver of the Una and the Lion coin was William Wyon, the Royal Mint's chief engraver. Wyon came from a family with a long tradition of artists and engravers. At various times several other of his relatives also were employed by the Mint.

Wyon started his career at age 14, when he apprenticed with his father, Peter. An older cousin, Thomas, also helped train the boy. Wyon had been the Mint's chief engraver for about nine years when he engraved the 5-pound pattern coin that many consider to be his crowning achievement.

Wyon worked in the traditional manner, making his own wax models and cutting the designs directly into the die using tiny gravers, punches and drills.

He was immensely talented, and had he not been continually at loggerheads early in his career with his supervisor, Benedetto Pistrucci, he might have produced even more stunning work.

Wyon was paralyzed by a stroke at age 56 and was no longer able to continue engraving. His inability to work, and not the stroke, probably is what caused his death shortly thereafter.

Other Coins by William Wyon

William Wyon also was responsible for engraving many other attractive coins, including the 1835 mohurs of India, also showing a lion.

Wyon is listed as the engraver of at least 43 different coins struck for circulation in England. He also prepared scores of coin dies for the British Territories, including the West Indies, British India, Ceylon, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Ionian Islands, Ireland, Jersey, Malta, Mauritius, New Brunswick, Penang, Straits Settlements, and New Granada.

He even designed coins for foreign countries, including Mexico, Portugal and Venezuela.

Besides coins and medals, Wyon engraved five different British stamp designs, fifteen seals and numerous embossing dies for the British government.