Queen Victoria's 1887 Golden Jubilee
Queen Victoria celebrated her Golden Jubilee on 20-21 June 1887, marking 50 years on the throne. She had become Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 20 June 1837, following the death of her uncle, King William IV.
Only one other British monarch had reached their Golden Jubilee, so the occasion was almost unprecedented and the subject of much public anticipation. Victoria celebrated with a public procession through London and a banquet attended by fifty foreign rulers and heads of state, as well as reviews of the Army and Navy.
Victoria's Golden Jubilee occurred at a time when mass-produced objects had become cheap, resulting in a raft of souvenirs, including mugs, plates, tea towels, medals, jewellery, photo books and other small decorative items.
The Jubilee Coinage Portrait Of Victoria
Among the most popular souvenirs of the Golden Jubilee were new coins, issued in the anniversary year with a new portrait of the Queen.
Since the start of Victoria's reign, most British coins had featured an uncrowned bust, known as the Young Head, designed by engraver William Wyon. Fifty years on, this youthful portrait was not an accurate representation of Victoria, who was by then a grandmother in her late 60s.
The Jubilee Head portrait was designed by Austrian-born British sculptor Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-1890), who had completed many commissions for the royal family. His effigy of Victoria shows her wearing the Small Diamond Crown and a long lace veil in a nod to her perpetual state of mourning following the death of Prince Albert in 1861.
The size and position of the crown and Victoria's double chin were a source of much public criticism which, in part, led to the Jubilee Head portrait being replaced with the Old Head in 1893.
Buy Jubilee Head Gold Sovereigns
While contemporary critics did not care for the Jubilee Head, modern collectors are more appreciative.
The short-lived coinage portrait can be seen on gold Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns struck in London and at Australian branch mints between 1887 and 1893, as well as on the sought-after 1887 Double Sovereign and gold Five Pound. High-grade examples show the remarkable detail of the Jubilee portrait, typical of 19th-century UK coin design.
The Jubilee Head was also used on British silver coinage, including the Crown, Halfcrown, Florin, Shilling, Sixpence and Threepence, plus Maundy Money. Double Florins were only struck with the Jubilee Head, being introduced in 1887 and discontinued in 1890.
Jubilee Head coinage offers collectors a unique glimpse into Victorian artistic and numismatic history with a great deal of variety for such a short issue.
