Key Milestones of Queen Victoria's Reign

Queen Victoria ( 1837 - 1901 )

1837 - Victoria succeeds her uncle, William IV

1840 - Victoria marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.

1840 - The Penny Post is introduced. First postage stamp is the Penny Black.

1840 - First colonist settlement in New Zealand.

1845 - - 1849 Irish Potato Famine kills more than a million people. Many emigrate to America.

1849 - Harrods store in London is opened

1854 - Charge of the Light Brigade

1854 - 10,000 die of cholera from contaminated water in London.

1856 - The Victoria Cross is instituted for military bravery.

1858 - First trans-Atlantic telegraph service

1861 - Prince Albert dies of typhoid

1861 - - 65 Civil War in America. Southern states unsuccessfully seek to involve Britain which has sufficient cotton from Egypt and India, but needs the Union North's grain.

1863 - The Salvation Army is founded.

1863 - The Football Association is founded.

1865 - Slavery is ended in America with Northern Union victory in the American Civil War

1867 - Canada becomes the first independent dominion in the Empire.

1868 - Gladstone becomes Prime Minister for the first time.

1870 - Death of Charles Dickens

1874 - Disraeli becomes Prime Minister for the second time.

1876 - Scots Alexander Graham Bell demonstrates the telephone

1878 - William Booths Christian movement adopts the name The Salvation Army

1880 - Gladstone succeeds Disraeli as Prime Minister

1884 - Greenwich Meridian and Mean Time adopted

1887 - Victoria celebrates her Golden Jubilee. She has ruled for 50 years.

1897 - Victoria celebrates her Diamond Jubilee.

1897 - Marconi demonstrates wireless transmission across the Bristol Channel

1901 - Queen Victoria dies, aged 81.

Victoria "Gothic" Florin 1853 - Sterling Silver Great Britain Coin

The Magnificent "Gothic" Design

The gothic design was first used on the beautiful gothic crown of 1847. After the disaster of the "Godless" issue in 1849, the gothic design was used on the new florin coin. It continued with a number of minor changes until 1887. Our specimen is dated mdcccliii for 1853, and is in excellent condition. This was only the second date of gothic florin to enter circulation. A small quantity were produced for 1851, but it is thought that they were not intended for circulation.

Obverse:

Large bust of Queen Victoria, crowned, and with a long hair braid, wearing a dress richly embroidered with roses, shamrocks and thistles. The engraver's initials W.W. for William Wyon, appear raised below the shoulder.
The obverse inscription appears in gothic style script, in upper and lower case. This in itself is quite unusual, in that most coin inscriptions are in upper case (capitals) only:
Victoria d g brit reg f d mdcccliii

Reverse:

Crowned cruciform shields bearing three lions passant for England, lion rampant for Scotland, and harp for Ireland. In the angles are roses, a shamrock and a thistle. In the centre there is a flower motif. All contained within a tressured circular panel.
The reverse design was also by William Wyon.
The reverse legend is also in lower case gothic style script, except for the "O" of "One":
One florin
one tenth of a pound

Edge

The edge is milled