25/08/2026
Introduced in 1893, this silver Proof Halfcrown belongs to the final great redesign of Queen Victoria’s coinage, replacing the controversial ‘Jubilee Head’ portrait that had appeared only six years earlier.
By the early 1890s, the Jubilee portrait of Victoria by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm had attracted considerable criticism, and a competition was held to find a new design for the ageing Queen. The commission ultimately went to sculptor Sir Thomas Brock, whose new ‘Veiled Head’ portrait presented Victoria as both monarch and widow: crowned and veiled, wearing the ribbon and star of the Garter, a pearl necklace and pendant.
The new portrait was introduced across the coinage in 1893 and would become the final numismatic image of Victoria, remaining in use until her death in 1901. Brock’s initials, T.B., can be seen discreetly beneath the bust.
The Halfcrown pairs this new portrait with a wonderfully heraldic reverse: a crowned, spade-shaped shield of the Royal Arms, encircled by the Collar of the Order of the Garter. The surrounding legend includes IND. IMP., proclaiming Victoria’s title as Empress of India.
To mark the introduction of the new coinage, Proof pieces were struck in 1893. Just 1,312 Proof Halfcrowns were produced, compared with almost 1.8 million currency examples, making the Proof a particularly special survivor from the first year of Victoria’s final coinage.
Struck in sterling silver and preserved in Uncirculated condition, this example offers the Halfcrown design in the form originally intended to showcase Brock’s new Victorian coinage.
Offered in British & World Auction 133, Lot 82.
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