Rare Victorian Five Pound Gold Coin Fetches £110,000 at Chester Auction

A rare "Una and the Lion" five-pound gold coin, found during a probate valuation in Bangor, has sold for £110,000, solidifying its status as a numismatic masterpiece.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 10, 2026, 8:34 AM EDT

Source: BBC News

A Discovery in North Wales

The appearance of the coin at auction followed a valuation process in Bangor, where it had been held as part of a private estate. Unlike standard currency, these five-pound gold pieces were never intended for general circulation. They were produced in exceptionally limited quantities—with fewer than 300 specimens ever struck—intended for dignitaries and high-level collectors of the Victorian era. The auctioneer, Rogers Jones and Co, noted that the coin's emergence from a private home highlights the significant latent value often found in long-held family collections.

The Artistry of William Wyon

The coin is the celebrated masterwork of William Wyon, who served as the Royal Mint’s chief engraver from 1828 until 1851. Wyon is credited with elevating British coinage to a fine art form, and "Una and the Lion" is considered his crowning achievement. The design was revolutionary for its time, marking the first instance in which a British monarch was depicted as a fictional character from literature. This blend of royal portraiture and narrative art has secured the coin’s reputation as a "holy grail" for international collectors.

Literary Symbolism and Royal Poise

The reverse of the coin features an allegorical representation of Queen Victoria as Lady Una, a character from Edmund Spenser’s 1590 epic poem The Faerie Queene. In the design, Victoria is shown guiding a lion with a scepter, symbolizing truth and purity leading the strength of the British nation. This imagery was a strategic choice at the beginning of her reign, intended to project a sense of calm authority and moral virtue to the public and the world. The lion, a traditional symbol of the UK, represents the raw power of the empire being gracefully directed by the young monarch.