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Rare 1997 Una and the Lion gold proof three-coin set from Pobjoy Mint. This cased set includes Sovereign, Half Sovereign and Quarter Sovereign-sized coins, all featuring William Wyon's historic Five Pound design from 1839. Inspired by Edmund Spencer's 'The Faerie Queen', this celebrated engraving shows Queen Victoria in the guise of Una leading a lion with her sceptre. Original proof coins are vanishingly rare, but these 1997 coins beautifully recreate the motif. Struck under the issuing authority of Gibraltar, these 24-carat gold coins predate the modern Royal Mint Great Engravers Una reissue by decades.
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This highly collectable set from the Pobjoy Mint includes the following three gold proof coins:
Numismatists regard the so-called 'Una and the Lion' gold Five Pound, designed by William Wyon in 1839, as one of the most beautiful British coins ever issued. The design has been reissued several times, including by The Royal Mint.
On these coins the Una design is accompanied by a legend that reads 'MONETA REGIA GIBRALTARICA' with 'Au. 999.9' to the right and the date 'MCMXCVII' (1997) below. The obverses display a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
These gold coins are comparable in size to a UK 'full' Sovereign, Half Sovereign and Quarter Sovereign, but each is struck in solid 999.9 (24-carat) gold with a proof finish and a milled edge.
The three coins in this set are supplied in a red leather case from the Pobjoy Mint, a British private mint which produced currency, commemorative coins, and medals, often for the Isle of Man and Gibraltar, much of which is collectable.
