¼ Sovereign - Victoria Young head Pattern (1853)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1853 |
| Denomination | ¼ Sovereign |
| Face value | 25p |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Sovereign |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Gold (.9167) (917/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 2.260g · 0.0666 t oz |
| Diameter | 13.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Uncrowned portrait ('Young Head') of Queen Victoria left, legend around.
Crowned quartered shield of arms dividing date, legend around.
Find this on eBay
AffiliateAbout the 1853 Quarter Sovereign - Victoria Young head – Pattern
The 1853 Quarter Sovereign - Victoria Young head – Pattern is a collector ¼ sovereign coin in the Sovereign series, struck in 91.67% gold. It weighs 2.26g and measures 13mm across. Reverse design: Crowned quartered shield of arms dividing date, legend around.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1853 Quarter Sovereign - Victoria Young head – Pattern worth?
No verified sale of the 1853 Quarter Sovereign - Victoria Young head – Pattern has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its gold content is worth about £200 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
Was there a Victorian quarter sovereign?
Only as a pattern. In 1853 the Royal Mint prepared trial pieces for a gold five-shilling coin, but the Royal Mint Museum says the proposal foundered on fears that so small a coin would wear too quickly. The first quarter sovereign issued as currency came in 2009.
How many types of 1853 quarter sovereign pattern are there?
Two. The Royal Mint Museum holds specimens of both: one with a prominent statement of value and one with a finely drawn shield of the royal arms. Wikipedia describes one as denominated five shillings and the other as a quarter sovereign.
Who proposed the 1853 quarter sovereign?
The Royal Mint Museum's records say the idea was aired by Sir John Herschel while he was Master of the Mint. Practical objections, chiefly the expected wear on a very small gold coin, stopped it going into production.
How do I identify the 1853 Quarter Sovereign - Victoria Young head – Pattern?
Check the weight 2.26g and diameter 13mm and the metal (91.67% gold) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
In 1853 the Royal Mint prepared patterns for a gold coin worth five shillings, a quarter of a sovereign. The Royal Mint Museum's records say the proposal was aired by Sir John Herschel as Master of the Mint, but foundered on fears that the coin would wear too quickly, with other practical objections against it. Wikipedia adds concern about its small size.
The coin was never issued. The museum notes that a quarter sovereign finally became legal currency in 2009, and points to the 1853 patterns as the main precedent.
Two designs were produced. The Royal Mint Museum holds specimens of both: one bearing a prominent statement of value and the other a finely drawn shield of the royal arms. Wikipedia describes them as one denominated five shillings and the other a quarter sovereign. The museum's examples are gold, weigh about 2 g and have plain edges.
Collecting notes
These are trial pieces, not coins that circulated, and no figure for the number struck is published. Check which design a piece carries, its weight against the museum's 2.00 g and 2.01 g specimens, and that its edge is plain. Small brass toy coins also exist and should not be mistaken for the Mint's patterns. The Fitzwilliam Museum holds one, dated to between 1849 and 1853, inscribed H.M.G.M. QUEEN VICTORIA around a head of the Queen and MODEL QUARTER SOVEREIGN around a crowned shield. The museum records its image as about 13 mm across; its brass metal and the word MODEL give it away.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Victoria pattern quarter-sovereign, 1853 (RMM 3870), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Victoria pattern quarter-sovereign, 1853 (RMM 3871), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Crown (British coin), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Model quarter sovereign, Rogers Toy Coin Collection (CM.2498-2003), Fitzwilliam Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
More from Sovereign
