Collectors duo

At the end of her time as monarch, H.M. Queen Victoria was the longest-reigning British monarch. She was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII. After a reign of almost 64 years, the longest of any British monarch to that date, Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901. Proclaimed the Empress of India in 1877, Queen Victoria was monarch over territories that covered a fifth of the Earth’s surface. On Queen Victoria’s death, her son Albert Edward became king at the age of 59, taking the regal name Edward VII.

1901 sovereign

Sovereigns issued in 1901 featured Benedetto Pistrucci’s ageless depiction of St George and the Dragon on the reverse and the third and last of Queen Victoria’s three main coinage portraits on the obverse. Known as the ‘veiled head’ or ‘old head’ portrait, it was designed by Sir Thomas Brock and replaced the short-lived ‘jubilee head’ portrait, which was designed by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm. The inscription as part of the veiled head design includes ‘IND IMP’, which reflects Queen Victoria’s imperial title.