The Changing Face of an Icon

Three pennies tell the story of Queen Victoria’s remarkable reign

One of the great defining chapters in our history, the Victorian era remade British society – a time of economic and industrial revolution that positioned Britain as the world’s pre-eminent superpower. Presiding over the largest empire the world had ever seen, Queen Victoria was heralded as a national icon by an adoring public as the country enjoyed unrivalled peace, prosperity and progress.

Three pennies chart a golden age when Britain really did rule the waves. Coins featuring William Wyon’s neoclassical ‘Young Head’ portrait, the ‘Bun Head’ portrait by Leonard Charles Wyon and Thomas Brock RA’s ‘Old Head’ effigy which replaced it until her death in 1901, are presented together in one complete set.