Una and the Lion – The World’s Most Beautiful Coin?

Posted on by Vanessa Brockwell
  • The 2019 Queen Victoria 200th Anniversary Gold Sovereign
  • The 2019 Queen Victoria 200th Anniversary Gold Half Sovereign
Storytelling through coins, is one of the most significant ways historical events are recalled, for the simple reason that currency is a constant that has always been around in one form or another. It has adapted, changed and transformed, but it is always there telling a story of history…

There’s one coin in particular though that holds more meaning and beauty than any other, blending fact and fiction to produce what can only be described by many as the world’s most beautiful coin. Una and the Lion.

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Timeline of the 200 Years of the British Gold Sovereign

Posted on by Vanessa Brockwell
200 years of the gold sovereign
The British Sovereign was first imagined in 1489 by King Henry VII, after he instructed officers of his Royal Mint to produce a ‘new money of gold’. Prior to that point, England had enjoyed circulating gold coinage for almost a century and a half, but the new coin, named a Sovereign, was to be the largest coin both in size and value.

Then in 1817, the ‘new sovereign’ made its debut with a newly imagined design featuring St George slaying the dragon. The new design was created by Italian gem engraver Benedetto Pistrucci and was destined to become one of the world’s most loved coin designs.

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Queen Elizabeth II: Pre Decimal vs Decimal Coins

Posted on by Vanessa Brockwell
Pre Decimal Coins
Although decimalisation occurred in 1971, the names of pre decimal coinage can still be seen and heard today; making them very much a part of British Culture and history. For the period before decimalisation, Britain relied on a system of pounds, shillings and pence.

There were 12 pennies to the shilling and 20 shillings to the pound.  There were also Half Crowns, Three Pennies, Sixpences and Farthings. Prior to the decimalisation era, many had problems dealing with the complicated system, with Sir John Bowring, a Member of Parliament at the time, being one of the first calling to change to a currency based on units of ten.

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Ask the Expert – Peter Hutchison – Q&A

Posted on by Vanessa Brockwell
ask the expert

Here at Hattons of London, we pride ourselves on being coin experts. That’s why we decided to introduce our ‘Ask the Expert’ series , with our own Heritage Coin expert, Peter Hutchison. Peter has years of experience in the coin industry, residing in Australia but having a strong interest in British coinage in particular. Every week he’s answering a different question on on of the greatest sovereigns in the world. Today however, we’re talking to Peter about how his interest in heritage coins began, and what his favourite coins are.

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