Legendary: fewer than 100 minted. Sells occasionally: 7 verified sales in the last 12 months.
5 Pounds - Victoria 1st portrait 'Una and the Lion' (1839)
"Una and the Lion"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1839 |
| Denomination | 5 Pounds |
| Face value | £5 |
| Mintage | 400 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 39.000g · 1.1494 t oz |
| Diameter | 38.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain or lettered: DECUS ET TUTAMEN ANNO REGNI TERTIO |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | William Wyon |
| Rev. artist | William Wyon |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
| Tags | Cat or feline |
Young uncrowned portrait ('Young Head') of Queen Victoria left, legend around.
VICTORIA D G BRITANNIARUM REGINA F D
Crowned standing figure of the Queen as the character Una (see below), holding orb and sceptre, with standing lion left, legend above, date in exergue.
DIRIGE DEUS GRESSUS MEOS
'Una and the Lion' £5 Crown market value
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Affiliate'Una and the Lion' £5 Crown price history
Daily limit reached'Una and the Lion' £5 Crown 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 | £150,977.58 🔒 | £225,088.79 (2) | – | £150,977.58 – £299,200.00 | 2 | 2 | 16-01-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £349,800.00 🔒 | £319,920.00 | – | £50,954.93 – £1,386,320.00 | 2 | 15 | 15-11-2025 | |
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| PR-61 | £150,000.00 🔒 | £160,000.00 (2) | – | £150,000.00 – £170,000.00 | 0 | 2 | 30-09-2025 | |
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| PR-62 | £150,977.58 🔒 | £150,977.58 | – | £147,203.14 – £196,270.85 | 2 | 3 | 12-01-2026 | |
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| PR-60 | £110,000.00 🔒 | £126,714.35 (2) | – | £110,000.00 – £143,428.70 | 0 | 2 | 30-09-2025 | |
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| PR-63 | £196,270.85 🔒 | £193,135.43 (2) | – | £190,000.00 – £196,270.85 | 1 | 2 | 17-06-2026 | |
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About the 1839 5 Pounds - Victoria – 'Una and the Lion'
The 1839 5 Pounds - Victoria – 'Una and the Lion' is a collector 5 pounds coin, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 39g and measures 38mm across. Reverse design: Crowned standing figure of the Queen as the character Una (see below), holding orb and sceptre, with standing lion left, legend above, date in exergue.
400 were struck.
Common questions
How much is the 1839 5 Pounds - Victoria – 'Una and the Lion' worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1839 5 Pounds - Victoria – 'Una and the Lion' run from £126,714 to £319,920 across 6 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one. Its gold content is worth about £3,455 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
Why is it called Una and the Lion?
The reverse shows the young Queen Victoria as Una, a heroine of Edmund Spenser's poem The Faerie Queene, guiding the British lion. The Royal Mint Museum says the unusual design gave the coin its familiar name and calls it arguably one of the most beautiful coins in the world.
How many Una and the Lion £5 coins were made?
No exact figure is recorded. The Royal Mint Museum says the total struck was no more than a few hundred, and Wikipedia, citing Bob Bair, gives a mintage of perhaps 400, struck on demand and sold by the Royal Mint until 1886.
Was the Una and the Lion £5 a circulating coin?
No. The Royal Mint Museum says its records contain no evidence that the Una was ever to be struck for circulation. It was a proof, made mainly for the specimen sets of Victoria's first coins, dated 1839 and ready for collectors in 1843.
Who designed the Una and the Lion coin?
William Wyon designed both sides. The obverse is his Young Head portrait of Queen Victoria, which the Royal Mint Museum considers the finest of all his portraits of the Queen, and the reverse is his own Una and the lion.
How do I identify the 1839 5 Pounds - Victoria – 'Una and the Lion'?
Check the weight 39g and diameter 38mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The five-pound piece had been part of the 1816 recoinage plan, but before Victoria it had appeared only as patterns and proofs. Early in her reign William Wyon produced this coin for the specimen sets of the first Victorian coinage. The Royal Mint Museum explains that the sets, dated 1839, were not ready for collectors until 1843, and that the Una went on being struck occasionally long after.
Mint records contain no evidence that the coin was ever meant for circulation; all the indications are that it was only ever a proof. The museum puts the total at no more than a few hundred, and Wikipedia, citing Bob Bair, gives perhaps 400, struck on demand and sold by the Royal Mint until 1886.
The obverse is Wyon's Young Head of Queen Victoria, which the Royal Mint Museum considers the finest of all his portraits of her, with the legend VICTORIA D: G: BRITANNIARUM REGINA F: D:. The reverse, also by Wyon, draws on Spenser's Faerie Queene and shows the Queen as Una guiding the British lion, with the legend DIRIGE DEUS GRESSUS MEOS (O Lord, direct my steps) and the date MDCCCXXXIX in the exergue.
The museum contrasts the restrained energy of the lion with the peace and grace of Una, while noting the coin has been criticised as too medallic. The edge is either plain or lettered DECUS ET TUTAMEN ANNO REGNI TERTIO, the third year of the reign.
Varieties and errors
For so rare a coin there are many variations. The Royal Mint Museum lists different metals, different edges, different patterns of ornament on the Queen's hairbands, and a reverse reading DIRIGIT instead of DIRIGE. The museum holds 13 specimens: two in gold, four in silver, two in bronzed copper and the rest in tin, including impressions from unfinished dies.
Collecting notes
Every Una is a proof. Note the edge, the reverse legend and the hairband detail, since these define the variety. Tony Clayton places the coin in the 1839 proof sets; it was followed as a five-pound piece only in 1887, by the Jubilee five-pound piece.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Una and the lion five-pound piece, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Five pounds (gold coin), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- William Wyon, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Una and the Lion, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Five Pounds, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
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