Rare: fewer than 500,000 minted.
1 Penny - Victoria 1st portrait Maundy issues (1838–1887)
"Maundy penny"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1838–1887 |
| Denomination | 1 Penny |
| Mintage | 8,976 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Maundy Money |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Silver (.925) (925/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 0.470g · 0.0140 t oz |
| Diameter | 11.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | William Wyon |
| Rev. artist | Jean Baptiste Merlen |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Uncrowned portrait ('Young Head') of Queen Victoria left, legend around.
Crowned denomination divides date within oak wreath.
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1838 1 Penny - Victoria – Maundy issues
The 1838 1 Penny - Victoria – Maundy issues is a collector 1 penny coin issued from 1838 to 1887 in the Maundy Money series, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 0.47g and measures 11mm across. Reverse design: Crowned denomination divides date within oak wreath.
A mintage of 8,976 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held.
Common questions
How much is the 1838 1 Penny - Victoria – Maundy issues worth?
No verified sale of the 1838 1 Penny - Victoria – Maundy issues has been logged on MyCoinage yet.
What is a Victorian Maundy penny?
A tiny sterling silver penny, about 0.47 g, struck each year only for the Royal Maundy, when the monarch gives Maundy money to as many men and women as the sovereign's age. By Victoria's reign the silver penny no longer circulated, and CoinVarieties notes this type was struck 1838 to 1887 for the sets.
Are Victorian Maundy pennies rare?
Not especially. Tony Clayton says Victorian Maundy sets are relatively common because anyone could order them through a bank, and Wikipedia notes that in the 19th century up to sixty times the number needed for the ceremony were struck. Yearly figures run from about 4,000 to 16,000.
Is a Victorian Maundy penny still legal tender?
Maundy coins were never demonetised. Wikipedia explains that at decimalisation in 1971 all Maundy pieces, before and after Decimal Day, were deemed to be denominated in new pence, and Clayton says the whole series was revalued as 1, 2, 3 and 4 new pence.
Why does the Maundy penny change in 1888?
The Young Head was replaced by Boehm's Jubilee Head for the 1887 coinage, and Wikipedia records that in 1888 Leonard Charles Wyon altered the crown on the Maundy reverse. The 1838 to 1887 coins therefore form one type, with the Young Head and the earlier crown.
How do I identify the 1838 1 Penny - Victoria – Maundy issues?
Check the weight 0.47g and diameter 11mm and the metal (92.5% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The Royal Maundy is the ceremony on Maundy Thursday at which the sovereign gives gifts to as many elderly men and women as there are years in the monarch's age. The Royal Mint Museum explains that silver pennies had been used for the gift since Tudor times, and that specially struck Maundy money began in 1662. By Victoria's reign the silver penny had long gone from circulation, and this type was struck from 1838 to 1887 only for the Maundy sets.
Far more were made than the ceremony needed. Wikipedia records that up to sixty times the number required were struck in the 19th century and that from 1846 the Queen asked for pieces for her own use. CoinVarieties gives 7,920 for many dates, rising to 16,000 by 1886.
The obverse carries William Wyon's Young Head of the Queen, the portrait the Royal Mint Museum says she kept on her coins until she was a grandmother in her 60s.
The reverse is the crowned numeral 1 within an oak wreath, dividing the date. Wikipedia credits this design, introduced in 1822, to Jean Baptiste Merlen, and notes that Leonard Charles Wyon altered the crown in 1888, after this type ended. The coin is sterling silver, about 0.47 g, with a plain edge.
Collecting notes
Clayton notes that Victorian Maundy coins are relatively common because anyone could order sets from the bank, and that they seldom turn up in worse than VF condition since they were kept rather than spent. Proofs are recorded for some years, including 1838, 1839 and 1853; the Royal Mint Museum holds an 1839 proof penny weighing 0.48 g.
Clayton's value lists cover both complete four-coin sets of 1d, 2d, 3d and 4d and single pennies. The matching Young Head fourpence is covered at Maundy fourpence 1838 to 1887.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Great Britain penny KM-727 pages, 1839 to 1886 (CoinVarieties, read one by one), CoinVarieties (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Victoria proof penny, 1839 (RMM 4147), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Royal Maundy, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Maundy Money, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- William Wyon, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- The Wyons: A Dynasty of Engravers, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Maundy Money, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Values of Silver Maundy Pennies, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
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