Victoria Sixpence 1887 Wreath Uncirculated

In 1887 Queen Victoria finally allowed for her portrait on British coins to be changed. Since 1839 all of our coins had had the young head portrait of the Queen on the coins. So the Mint issued all new coinage to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. But they made an error… On the 1887 Jubilee Head Sixpence they made the reverse with a shield that was very similar to the one on the gold half sovereign of 1887. Remember that a half sovereign was a lot of money then. Some criminals would hire deaf mutes to go shopping for them. They would give their accomplice a gold plated sixpence, to buy from the shop an item costing sixpence. Then they would wait and see if they were given change for a half sovereign rather than a sixpence. As the accomplice could neither hear nor speak, they could not be prosecuted for breaking the law. The Mint had to quickly change the reverse of the sixpence, the new coins had ‘Six Pence’ spelled out and that finished the scam. It's the latter reverse we have on offer.