5 Pounds - Victoria 1st portrait; 'Una and the Lion'

Reverse

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.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
DIRIGE DEUS GRESSUS MEOS.
MDCCCXXXIX
W. WYON R.A.

Translation:
May God direct my steps
1839

Engraver: William Wyon

Edge

Plain with or without incuse legend

Lettering: DECUS ET TUTAMEN ANNO REGNI TERTIO

Translation: An ornament and a safeguard, third year of reign

Comment

The allegorical figure on the reverse depicts Queen Victoria in the form of Una, or Truth. Una is the main female character in the poem The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser, one of the longest poems in the English language, written between 1590 and 1596 in a new verse form known as the Senserian stanza. The figure of Una in Spenser's poem is actually meant to be Queen Elizabeth I and the figure of the lion represents the nation of Britain under Elizabeth's guardianship.

Reverse die varieties:

There are two main reverse legend types, thought to be varieties rather than errors:

DIRIGIT DEUS GRESSUS MEOS translates as 'God directs my steps';
DIRIGE DEUS GRESSUS MEOS translates as 'May God direct my steps'.

The standard weight of a five sovereign was 1 177/623 troy ounce (616.4 grains). The pure gold content was 565 5/623 grains (36.6119 g).

Interesting fact

Price

Date	Mintage	VG	F	VF	XF	AU	UNC
1839	400	-	-	-	-	-	-

Values in the table are based on evaluations by sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only for 5 Pounds - Victoria (1st portrait; 'Una and the Lion') 1839 coin.