Coin Dies
Shown here are one set of obverse and reverse dies engraved by
William Wyon and used in striking the "Una and the Lion" coin in 1839.
The coins were minted on steam-operated coins presses in the Tower Mint
in London.
There are two obverse die variations of the 5-pound coin, based upon
the spelling of DIRIGE. The three reverse varieties are dependent upon
the pattern of the queen's hair ribbon (fillet).
Notice the obverse die has been damaged at the 6 o'clock position.
This break in the die would have resulted in a raised area, or "cud" on
the coin's rim. The damage has rendered the die unusable. None of the
Una dies have ever been allowed outside of London before appearing in
this exhibit.
Dies and tooling from the British Royal Mint Collection.
Obverse Die
Steel obverse die for "Una and the Lion" 5-pound piece of 1839
(Hocking 1130).
Reverse Die
Steel reverse die for "Una and the Lion" 5-pound piece of 1839
(Hocking 1139).
Edge Lettering Collar
The three-part "collar" used to hold the coin during striking
contained lettering that imparted a message in relief on the coin's
edge. Each segment contained a different part of the motto. The message
was highly complimentary to the Queen: DECUS ET TUTAMEN ANNO REGNI
TERTIO "An ornament and a safeguard in the third year of reign".
Four different edge types are known: "large letter," "small letter,"
"plain," and "milled." These were coupled with the two obverse dies,
three reverse dies and the variety of metals used for planchets,
resulting in many different varieties of pattern coins.
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