Victoria Young Head Shield back 1838 - 1887

Queen Victoria Shield Back Sovereigns

Queen Victoria Shield Back Sovereigns were produced between 1838 and 1887, covering the largest period of time for the Victorian era. The Shield Back Sovereigns take their name from the design on the reverse of the coin, a shield featuring the Royal Arms.

Mint marks denote coins produced in mints in the Empire outside of London, which at the time would have been Australia. A total of five initials appear on Queen Victoria Gold Sovereigns, to mark either engravers and designers or the Mint Master of the time.

• William Wyon (W.W.) - up to 1851
• Benedetto Pistrucci (B.P.) - up to 1855
• Joseph Edgar Boehm (J.E.B.) - up to 1890
• Leonard Charles Wyon (L.C.W.) - up to 1891
• Thomas Brock (T.B.) - up to 1901 (and 1922 on Sovereigns)