Very Rare: fewer than 100,000 minted.
1 Penny - Victoria 3rd portrait Maundy issues (1893–1901)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1893–1901 |
| Denomination | 1 Penny |
| Mintage | 22,000 |
| 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 |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Thomas Brock, George William de Saulles |
| Rev. artist | Jean Baptiste Merlen |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Older crowned and veiled bust ('Old Head') of Queen Victoria left, legend around.
VICTORIA DEI GRA BRITT REGINA FID DEF IND IMP
Crowned denomination divides date within oak wreath
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1893 1 Penny - Victoria – Maundy issues
The 1893 1 Penny - Victoria – Maundy issues is a collector 1 penny coin issued from 1893 to 1901 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 22,000 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held.
Common questions
How much is the 1893 1 Penny - Victoria – Maundy issues worth?
No verified sale of the 1893 1 Penny - Victoria – Maundy issues has been logged on MyCoinage yet.
How many Old Head Maundy pennies were made?
CoinVarieties, quoting the Krause catalogue, gives 22,000 for 1893, 18,000 for 1894 and 17,000 each for 1896, 1899 and 1900. The other years were not confirmed. CoinVarieties adds that Maundy coins survive in larger numbers than these figures suggest, because recipients kept their sets.
Who designed the Old Head Maundy penny?
Thomas Brock modelled the veiled portrait, chosen after a competition run by the coin design committee appointed in 1891, and George William de Saulles engraved it. The reverse is Jean Baptiste Merlen's crowned 1 in an oak wreath of 1822, with the crown Leonard Charles Wyon redrew in 1888.
Is an Old Head Maundy penny legal tender?
Yes. Maundy money stayed legal tender at decimalisation, and Wikipedia notes that all Maundy pieces were then deemed to be in new pence, so this coin's face value is 1p. Its silver and collector interest mean it never circulates.
How do I identify the 1893 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 held on the day before Good Friday, and the white purse given to each recipient holds silver Maundy coins in pence matching the monarch's age. The penny is the smallest of the four denominations, struck in sterling silver as the Royal Mint Museum notes Maundy money has been since the seventeenth century.
Boehm's Jubilee portrait had been widely mocked for its small crown. A committee on coin design appointed in 1891 held a competition, and Thomas Brock's veiled head was chosen; Wikipedia records the proclamation for the new coins on 30 January 1893. The Maundy coins changed in the same year. CoinVarieties, quoting Krause, gives 22,000 pennies for 1893, falling to 17,000 by 1896. Wikipedia reports that by 1897, the Diamond Jubilee year, recipients were being urged to sell their pieces at a premium.
The obverse shows Brock's bust of the Queen in a diadem and veil, engraved by George William de Saulles. The Royal Mint Museum's 1906 catalogue describes the Maundy obverse as matching the 1893 five pounds, with the legend VICTORIA DEI GRA BRITT REGINA FID DEF IND IMP and T.B. below the bust. The added IND IMP stands for Empress of India.
The reverse shows a crowned 1 within an oak wreath, dividing the date: Jean Baptiste Merlen's design of 1822 with Leonard Charles Wyon's crown of 1888. The coin is 0.925 silver and weighs 0.47 g.
Collecting notes
Tony Clayton explains that Victorian sets could be bought through a bank by anyone, and that supply grows through a reign because the number of recipients rises with the monarch's age. Old Head Maundy pennies are therefore among the easier Maundy coins to find, usually in four-coin sets. Look for even toning and the absence of wear; Clayton notes that Maundy coins after 1820 seldom turn up below very fine. The next value up is the Old Head Maundy twopence.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Jubilee coinage, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Maundy money, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Catalogue of the Coins, Tokens, Medals, Dies and Seals in the Museum of the Royal Mint, Vol. I Part I (W. J. Hocking, 1906), pp. 178, 182 and 188, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1893, 1896, 1899 and 1900 penny KM-775 and 1894 silver penny (pages read one by one), CoinVarieties (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Maundy Money, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Maundy Money, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
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