The "Una and Lion" design originates from William Wyon's celebrated 1839 pattern crown, struck to mark the young Victoria's coronation and never intended for circulation. The Pobjoy Mint has revisited it repeatedly for Isle of Man issues, substituting Elizabeth II for Victoria — a pointed visual parallel between two long-reigning queens that collectors either find elegant or slightly forced.
Copper-nickel strikes like this one exist alongside silver and gold versions in the same release program, a tiered structure Pobjoy has used for decades to extract maximum collector value from a single design event.
The "Una and Lion" design originates from William Wyon's celebrated 1839 pattern crown, struck to mark the young Victoria's coronation and never intended for circulation. The Pobjoy Mint has revisited it repeatedly for Isle of Man issues, substituting Elizabeth II for Victoria — a pointed visual parallel between two long-reigning queens that collectors either find elegant or slightly forced.
Copper-nickel strikes like this one exist alongside silver and gold versions in the same release program, a tiered structure Pobjoy has used for decades to extract maximum collector value from a single design event.