Howdy everyone, I just got this sent to me in private. Can anyone come up with a good explanation of this, I don't have access to anything at the moment.
hey peter, I think he's looking at a british large penny. That's not a man on the back, and it's a shield to her side. except in high grades this coin is not worth a whole lot (under a buck, I would image) here's an example of what he's probably looking at: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3397&item=3978052131&rd=1
That is Britannia, symbol of Great Britain, on the back of the old British bronze minors. Britannia is modeled on a Roman soldier and is shown seated on a rock with a shield to her side displaying the British ensign. She is sitting in front of the ocean with a lighthouse behind her and holding a trident representing Britani's mastery of the seas and world wide empire.
GEORGIVS V DEIGRA:BRITT:OMN:REX FIDEF:IND:IMP is the abbreviation for the Latin phrase (excuse if my spelling is bad) "Georgius V, Dei Gratia Brittanarium Omnium Rex, Fidei Defensor, Indiae Imperator." In English that translates as "George V, by the Grace of God, King of all the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Indian Emperor." That phrase appeared on coins (the only change being to Georgius VI) of the Empire through the end of the Raj in 1947. Although today the phrase is different in the various countries where Elizabeth II is Queen, the British coins today say (still in Latin abbreviations) "Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God Queen, Defender of the Faith." George V reigned from 1910-1936 (thus encompassing the First World War). In 1917 he changed the dynasty name to Windsor from "something" (monarchists and historians differ as to what it was before - although most say "Saxe-Coburg-Gotha"). He is also the grandfather of the present Queen and the first cousin of, among others, the last German Kaiser, Wilhelm II.
Admittedly so! I can't promise i can answer every question on UK coins, but i can have a good haphazard attempt at most of them... Especially coins before 1800.
