Great Britain — Silver Crown 1844 & 1845 — Queen Victoria "Young Head" — Pair Lot Obverse: Bare head of Queen Victoria facing left, "Young Head" portrait engraved by William Wyon. Legend: VICTORIA DEI GRATIA. Date below truncation. Reverse: Crowned quartered shield of Royal Arms within laurel wreath, national floral emblems (rose, thistle, shamrock) below. Legend: BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF: Reverse engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen. Edge: Milled with incuse inscription ANNO REGNI VIII with cinquefoil stops. Specifications Parameter Detail Country Great Britain Denomination Crown (5 shillings) Years 1844 and 1845 Metal Sterling Silver — .925 fine Weight 28.28 g each Diameter 38.61 mm each Silver content 0.840 troy oz ASW each Edge Milled — ANNO REGNI VIII — cinquefoil stops Obverse engraver William Wyon Reverse engraver Jean Baptiste Merlen Mint Royal Mint, London Reference Spink S-3882 · ESC-282 · KM-741 · Dav-105 Mintage The 1844 Crown had a mintage of only 94,000 coins (Cgcoins) — an exceptionally low figure for a circulating issue. The 1845 Crown recorded a mintage of 159,000 pieces plus proofs. (Coinfactswiki) "Young Head" Crowns were struck only in 1839, 1844, 1845 and 1847. No further Crowns were struck for circulation until 1887. (CoinWeek) This makes both dates genuinely scarce in any grade. Condition Both coins display well-defined portrait detail and clearly legible shield devices consistent with VF to GVF grade. The 1845 example shows attractive natural iridescent toning on the reverse. The 1844 example presents an honest, evenly worn circulated surface with no cleaning detected. Edge inscription sharp and legible on both specimens. Historical context These Crowns were struck at the Royal Mint in London during the early Victorian era. The obverse shows a young portrait of Queen Victoria, her hair arranged into a loose bun; the reverse design features a crowned quartered shield in a laurel wreath, the quarters containing the arms of England, Scotland and Ireland, with national floral emblems beneath. (Chards) The 1844 Crown is particularly notable for its low mintage of just 94,000 — making it one of the rarer dates in the Young Head Crown series. Together, these two consecutive-year examples form a coherent and historically significant pair from one of the most iconic series in British numismatic history. From a private European collection — Belgium.