8-12-10 Queen Victorias's portraits

British coins have always portrayed the reigning monarch. Today, I'm going to tell about the portraits of Queen Victoria, the severe-looking woman, who appears on your old English coins (see photo). You'll see that there also have been very beautiful portraits of Victoria.

During her reign, from 1837 to 1901, three main portraits followed one another on British coins:

• the young head, engraved by William Wyon, from 1838 to 1859
• the bun head, engraved by his eldest son Leonard Charles Wyon, from 1860 to 1894
• the veiled head, engraved by Thomas Brock, from 1895 to 1901

There also have been two more specific portraits:

• the portrait which appeared on florins from 1847 to 1887, a work of William Wyon
• the jubilee head, designed by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm and engraved by Leonard Charles Wyon for the queen's jubilee in 1887. This portrait raised a general disapprobation, due to the ridiculously small crown on top of the queen's head.

Victoria's portraits on British coins, in the same order as in the text

These portraits are usually surrounded with an abbreviated Latin legend, which should be read: "Victoria, Dei gratia, Brittaniarum regina, Fidei defenstrix, Indiae imperatrix". This can be translated by : Victoria, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Britains, Defender of the Faith (a title of British monarchs since the 16th century), Empress of India (concerning Victoria, from 1876).

There also were many other portraits, designed especially for British colonies and dominions.

Victoria's portraits on coins from India, Canada and Jersey

Xavier 2 comments

7-5-10 Numista mobile

You can now enjoy Numista's main features with a mobile-phone-friendly design.

Numistas's mobile version keeps you connected even when you are on the move. You can for instance access the catalog and update your collection from a fleamarket or a numismatic show, or reply to your messages and participate to the forum while using public transportation.
Only the swap tools aren't available with this version.

Although the classic version remains available from cellphones, this new interface offers unrivaled comfort and speed for mobiles and especially for smartphones like the iPhone.

To enjoy it, just type "numista.com" in your phone's web browser. If you want to try it on your computer, click here.

Xavier 1 comment

6-18-10 De Gaulle 2€ commemorative coin

70 years to the very day after the Appeal of June 18, the French mint is issuing a commemorative coin honoring General de Gaulle.
With a mintage of 20 millions, these coins should be pretty easy to find in circulation in France and nearby countries. According to Christophe Beaux, the head of the mint, at least half of them will be kept by collectors.

The Appeal of June 18

On June 18, 1940, the day after Marshal Pétain asked for an armistice, General de Gaulle spoke from London's radio and appealed to carry on the war. The speech is now considered as a symbol for resistance against Nazi Germany during World War II.

The coin's design is a reproduction of a photography which shows de Gaulle in a BBC's studio reading his speech.

Xavier 0 comment

6-3-10 10,000 coins!

Numista's catalog has just reached the step of 10,000 coins. A number I didn't even dream of at the beginning of the site!
The catalog is more and more complete and most current coins are now registered.
Thanks to all who have participated to this great success. And especially to the whole team who cares about the quality of the results and verify the coins added by the members.
When will there be 20,000 coins? Bets are open.

Xavier 12 comments