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Sale 122
Lot 1706
Great Britain. Sovereign, 1838. S.3852; Fr-387; KM-736.1. Weight 0.2355 ounce. Victoria. Young head. Reverse; Crowned shield. First year of issue. Scarce. PCGS graded VF-35. In special PCGS Ship of Gold holder which contains One Pinch of Gold Dust recovered from the S.S. Central America treasure.
Special PCGS number 674160.35/35474694. Estimated Value $1,000 - UP
More than a year after the death of William IV, the coronation of his niece as Queen Victoria took place at Westminster Abbey on 28 June 1838. Despite opposition by both the Tory and Radical parties in Parliament, the coronation was turned into a day of widespread popular celebration that established the model for the lavish spectacles that later marked British coronations and royal weddings in the 20th century. Previously, only members of the peerage had taken part in coronation ceremonies. The festivities included a grand public procession, a fireworks display, and a four-day fair in Hyde Park, all of which attracted an estimated 400,000 visitors to London. Due to Victoria's youth (she was only 19 years old at the time of the coronation) it was felt that her head and neck would be unable to support the full weight (5 lbs.) of St. Edward's Crown--the crown used for the coronation of British monarchs since the restoration of Charles II in 1660--and therefore a smaller Imperial State Crown was made for Victoria's coronation.
At the same time that 1838 was a year of celebration for the monarchy, it was also a year of social and political disturbance in the United Kingdom. The publication of the People's Charter by the London Working Men's Association ignited the movement known as Chartism, which fought for universal male voting rights without property qualifications. Likewise, the national Anti-Corn Law League-middle class moral crusading organization--was formed to exert pressure on the government to repeal the 1815 Corn Law that taxed imported wheat and raised the price of bread a t a time when factory owners were cutting wages. It became the first powerful national lobby group to influence politics and provided the model for subsequent organizations. Rather more tragic was the outcome of an agricultural workers' protest in Kent led by the mentally-ill John Nichols Tom, who presented himself to his followers as Sir William Percy Honeywood Courtney, King of Jerusalem. After shooting the brother of a local constable when he attempted to arrest him, Tom and eight of his associates were killed in a skirmish with the 45th Regiment of Foot on 31 May 1838 at Bossenden Wood-an event that is sometimes described as the last battle to take place on English soil.
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