Burns Collection

关于此套币: Victoria's reign coincided with a period of prosperity and a burgeoning empire. Nevertheless, this era had its share of tumult. Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy railed against the industrialization of society and rapacious capitalism; Charles Darwin fortified the secularists rattling the church's cage; and reformers agitated with some success for changes to cruel child labour laws. But most people associate the Victorian era with politeness and prudence, a sharp departure from the boorishness of the Georgian and Regency periods.

In 1837, Victoria unexpectedly acceded to the throne at the tender age of 18. This was made possible when her three uncles died, leaving behind an army of illegitimate issue, but no proper heir.

Victoria was a woman of vast appetites. When her beloved husband Prince Albert died in 1861, she blamed her son (the future Edward VII) for his death, then tore into the cakes and custard and ballooned to 20 stone on a tiny 5' frame.

The coins from this era are remarkably varied. Business strike coins ranged from the quarter farthing all the way to 5 pounds gold (19,200 of the former will get you one of the latter). The florin (24 pence, or 1/10 of a pound) was introduced in 1849 as a baby step toward decimalization that went no further than the short-lived double florin.

The Victoria set is satisfying to collect, as there is no killer single-year type to act as a stopper. But the sheer scope of the set makes completion a challenge.

I am grateful to those who have been a source of coins through private treaty sales and trades. I love to hear from fellow Victoria collectors, so feel free to contact me.