AR Florin

Struck: 1859
Mint: London
Size: 30mm
Weight: 11.16g
Die Axis: 45°
Grade: VF
Ref: KM 746.1

Obv: Crowned bust of Queen Victoria left, legend and date around.
Rev: Crowned cruciform shields of England, Scotland and Ireland, national flower emblems in angles, legend around.
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Queen Victoria was born on May 24th, 1819 and served as queen of Great Britain from 1837 to 1901. She had the longest reign of any British monarch and longest of any female monarch in history. Her reign saw great cultural expansion and unprecedented advances in industry, science, communications, the building of railways and the London Underground.

After the death of her husband Albert in 1861, Victoria went into a seclusion of sorts and neglected many duties which garnered unpopularity. She was able to recover from this and with her recognition as empress of India she rose high in her subjects favor and by the time of her death on January 22, 1901 was hailed as an exemplary monarch. Her stern view on morality and the preeminence of Britain on the world stage under her rule helped define the age that bears her name.