Description
Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837 at the age of eighteen, following the death of her uncle, William IV. Her reign lasted 63 years and covered a period of great change in many aspects of industry, science and politics. It was a time of great expansion of the British Empire and Victoria was given the additional title Empress of India.
The Old head half Sovereign, also known as the Widow head or Veiled head half Sovereign, marks the end of the Victorian era and was used from 1893 until her death in 1901. The Royal Mint had decided to replace the Jubilee design which had waned in popularity and several new designs were submitted. The successful design by Thomas Brock, depicts the portrait of an older Queen Victoria with a veil draped over her tiara and a new legend which included her title as Empress of India. The reverse continued with the popular St George and Dragon design by Benedetto Pistrucci.
