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2 Pounds - Elizabeth II Una and the Lion - Gold 7g
| Issuer | East India Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 2020 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 7 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH II · D · G · REGINA · F · D · ST · HELENA · 2 POUNDS |
| Reverse description | Central design depicting Una and the Lion, inspired by William Wyon's celebrated composition for the 1839 British Five Pounds gold coin. Una, a flower-crowned female figure draped in a flowing gown and belted at the waist, stands to the right holding a sceptre in her right hand while resting her left hand upon the mane of a seated lion at her left. The East India Company monogram (EIC) appears in the right field. The legend UNA AND THE LION arcs along the upper left of the field, and the date 2020 is inscribed to the upper right, all within an ornamental guilloche border. |
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| Additional information |
The original Una and the Lion design appeared on the 1839 Five Pounds — a pattern coin, never released for circulation — widely considered the most beautiful British coin of the 19th century. William Wyon modeled the composition on Spenser's Faerie Queene, with Queen Victoria depicted as Una leading the lion. That piece was struck to showcase the young queen's portrait, and the pattern's sheer quality meant it circulated among collectors and diplomats rather than pockets.
The East India Company's revival of the design trades on that prestige. The EIC itself was dissolved in 1874; the modern entity operating under that name is a private luxury brand with no governmental or colonial standing.