‘Most beautiful British coin’ discovered in Gwynedd house clearance to go under the hammer for £70k
Rare Victorian ‘Una and the Lion’ five sovereign coin estimated to fetch £70,000 – £120,000 in upcoming Rogers Jones Chester sale.
An extremely rare Victorian coin has been discovered in a house clearance in Gwynedd, North Wales, and is estimated to sell for at least £70,000 at an auction in Chester next month.
The coin, known as ‘Una and the Lion’, was designed by engraver William Wyon and features a young Queen Victoria, just two years after she was crowned. The obverse side features the young monarch as Una from Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, accompanied by a lion symbolizing England.
Only a very limited number of these coins are believed to have been produced, with estimates ranging between 200 and 300 in total. As a result, they rarely appear at auction and are highly sought after by collectors across the globe. The current world record price for a Una and the Lion coin stands at £340,000.
“The original scarcity of these coins means that they very rarely come to auction, so we’re expecting a lot of interest from around the world on this,” said Charles Hampshire, Auctioneer, Valuer and Partner at Rogers Jones, who will be auctioning the coin on 9th April.
“It’s an absolutely stunning coin - a real work of art in its own right. It certainly lives up to its reputation as one of the most beautiful coins in England - or in our case, Wales! With a young and beautiful Queen and a roaring British lion, it perfectly reflects the optimism and energy of its period.”
The Rogers Jones Jewellery, Very Fine Coins and Watches auction is due to take place at 10 am on Thursday, 9th April, at the Rogers Jones Chester saleroom. For more information, go to https://auctions.rogersjones.co.uk/auctions/9598/rogers10631 or email rogersjones@yourssincerely.online
