2001 100th Anniversary of the Victorian Era Base Metal BU Crown Royal Mint PNC Cover

Buy a 2001 100th Anniversary of the Victorian Era Base Metal BU Crown Royal Mint PNC Cover!

The coin comes in a Philatelic Numismatic Cover (PNC) meaning the coin comes in a envelope with commemorative stamps.

This coin was issued to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the Victorian Era, an era of great innovation and profound social change. 

This cover comes with 2 Comemmorative First Class Stamps, issued by Royal Mail to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Penny Black - The UK & Worlds first ever adhesive postage stamp!

The Victorian Era

The Victorian age, ending with Queen Victoria's death at the dawn of the twentieth century, was one of industrial and social transformation. By the end of the nineteenth century people were enjoying the benefits of railways, telephones, electric lighting and motor cars, things that everyone, today, takes for granted.

The Penny Black 

The Penny Black was the world's first ever adhesive postal stamp, issued on the 1st of May 1840. This way a prepaid stamp would result in the sender making payment for the postage, rather than the recipient. Working out the postage cost was complex due to it depending on how many sheets were sent and distance travelled. This way a Penny Black stamp could be used to send a letter regardless of distance at a set rate of one penny. 

The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace was Built in Hyde Park, London. to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Crystal Palace used 60,000 glass panes and was made using cast iron. It was designed by famous engineers Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Robert Stephenson. In 1852, the palace was relocated to Sydenham Hill. The palace was sadly destroyed in a fire in 1936, only the remains of the upper terrace are left. 

The obverse is the 4th coinage portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley. The coin features the legend of:

ELIZABETH · II · D · G · REG · F · D · 2001

The reverse of the coin was designed by Mary Milner Dickens and draws inspiration from the Penny Black and the Crystal Palace.

The reverse shows the Young Head of Queen Victoria used on the Penny Black Stamp.

Mary Milner Dickens was influenced by the Crystal Palace for her design, with parts of the ornate frame visable on either side of Victoria.