1 Penny - Victoria Pattern 3rd Portrait (1895)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1895 |
| Denomination | 1 Penny |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Bronze |
| Weight | 9.320g |
| Diameter | 30.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Thomas Brock |
| Rev. artist | Leonard Charles Wyon |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Diadem, veiled portrait ('Old Head' or 'Widow Head') of Queen Victoria left, legend around,
Seated figure of Britannia right, with trident in left hand and shield bearing the Union flag in right, sea behind within beaded inner circle broken only by the design, five pellets cruciform at top. The date and denomination around.
1 Penny - Victoria Pattern market value
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Daily limit reached1 Penny - Victoria Pattern value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VF | £6,000.00 🔒 | £3,017.20 (2) | – | £34.40 – £6,000.00 | 0 | 2 | 19-11-2024 | |
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About the 1895 1 Penny - Victoria Pattern
The 1895 1 Penny - Victoria Pattern is a collector 1 penny coin, struck in bronze. It weighs 9.32g and measures 30mm across. Reverse design: Seated figure of Britannia right, with trident in left hand and shield bearing the Union flag in right, sea behind within beaded inner circle broken only by the design, five pellets cruciform at top. The date and denomination around.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1895 1 Penny - Victoria Pattern worth?
The 1895 1 Penny - Victoria Pattern has a price in one grade on MyCoinage so far: £3,017 in VF, the median of its verified sales.
How does the 1895 pattern penny differ from the normal 1895 penny?
The Royal Mint Museum's 1906 catalogue describes its legends and types as those of the issued Old Head penny, except that the reverse has an inner circle of dots around Britannia. The circulating 1895 penny has no inner circle.
Was the 1895 pattern penny ever issued?
No. It is a trial piece kept in the Royal Mint's own collection among its patterns and proofs. The design that was issued, from 1895 under a proclamation of 11 May that year according to Wikipedia, has the plain Britannia reverse without the dotted circle.
What are the details of the Royal Mint Museum's example?
The museum's example, RMM 4259, is bronze, weighs 9.35 g, has a plain edge and is catalogued as Peck 2066. The museum's 1906 catalogue lists it as nos. 2269 to 2270, indicating two specimens at that time. No mintage is recorded.
How do I identify the 1895 1 Penny - Victoria Pattern?
Check the weight 9.32g and diameter 30mm and the metal (bronze) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
Thomas Brock's veiled portrait of Queen Victoria replaced Joseph Edgar Boehm's Jubilee head on the gold and silver in 1893. The Royal Mint Museum's 1906 catalogue records that Brock's bust was adopted for the bronze coins in 1895, and Wikipedia dates the proclamation for the new penny to 11 May of that year. Before the design was settled the Mint struck trial pieces, and this 1895 penny is one of them.
The museum catalogues it among its bronze patterns and proofs, next to an 1894 Old Head penny. Its reverse differs from the coin that went into circulation, so it is a pattern, never issued as currency.
The obverse carries Brock's bust of the Queen in diadem and veil, engraved by George William de Saulles, as on the issued penny. The reverse is the seated Britannia with trident and shield and ONE PENNY with the date, in the form de Saulles prepared for 1895 by removing the lighthouse and ship from Leonard Charles Wyon's design. What sets the pattern apart, in the museum's description, is an inner circle of dots on the reverse. The museum's example has a plain edge.
Collecting notes
The Royal Mint Museum's example is bronze, weighs 9.35 g and is catalogued as Peck 2066. No mintage is recorded. To identify an example, look for the dotted inner circle on the reverse, which the issued Old Head penny lacks, and confirm the weight and plain edge against the museum's figures.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- 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. 179 and 196, nos. 2269 to 2270, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Victoria pattern penny, 1895 (RMM 4259), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- History of the British penny (1714 to 1901), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
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