Auction Name: 2026 January 12 NYINC World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction - New York

Lot Number: 31141

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/3129*31141

Victoria gold Proof "Una and the Lion" 5 Pounds 1839 PR63 Ultra Cameo NGC, KM742, S-3851, W&R-279 (R2). 39.87gm. Medal alignment. Front fillet five scrolls, rear nine leaves. By William Wyon, lettered edge. The iconic Una and the Lion struck only two years into Queen Victoria's reign, this piece narrates a symbol drawn from Edmund Spenser's 16th century epic, The Faerie Queene, with Una representing Truth and the lion symbolizing the full might of England. As a highly coveted and elusive issue, the awe-inspiring execution of this design offers an unrivaled example of numismatic mastery by 19th century Royal Mint Chief Engraver, William Wyon. This particular example boasts conditional scarcity, as Choice examples are difficult to come by even for this more common variety of the type. Not to mention the Ultra Cameo designation that proves highly covetable amongst collectors. Just a few scuffs to the highpoints are visible, but hardly remarkable in light of the high relief nature of Wyon's incredible design.

The Faerie Queene by Edmund Spenser is an epic allegorical poem following knights who each represent a particular virtue on quests assigned by the Faerie Queene, Gloriana. Among them is the Redcrosse Knight, who symbolizes Holiness and, by the poem's end, is revealed to become St. George, the patron saint of England and defender of the faith. Separated from Una, the personification of Truth, Redcrosse faces numerous spiritual and moral trials, while Una herself is protected for a time by a lion symbolizing natural virtue. That lion is eventually slain by Sansloy ("without law"), who also exposes Archimago, a sorcerer representing Hypocrisy, disguised as Redcrosse. Through richly layered allegory-including encounters with figures of Superstition, Falsehood, and Despair-Spenser explores the dangers truth and virtue face in a fallen world, blending Christian morality with chivalric romance and Protestant ideals.
The Peh Family Collection, Part IV

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