100 Greatest Women On Coins Series: Una

One of the four qualities or constructs that women had to fit in to compile such a list as seen in Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest Women on Coins publication was allegorical. While not real, she was to be figurative and represent a concept or illustrate a meaning. That is the case for our next entry in the series. With help from author Ron Guth, we take a look at a woman from a legendary tale that made her way through a poem from the Elizabethan era.

#88 - Una

Una, referred to as Lady Una in Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene, was a character that represented Truth and the “true (Protestant) church.” In an even further extension, Una represented Queen Elizabeth I. Una appears in Book I of The Faerie Queene which was published in 1590 when Books I-III were released. Books IV-VI were later published in 1596 followed by the incomplete Book VII that appeared in 1609.

She travels with the Redcross Knight, who represents England, in Book I and implores him to slay a dragon that is assailing her parents’ castle. Battling allegorical characters like Sloth, Despair, Error, Falseness, Duplicity, and Pride, Una counsels the Redcross Knight along the way. While separated, Una finds herself alone in the woods where a lion bombards her with full intention of killing her. Instead, the lion is struck by her beauty and ends up kissing and licking her feet and hands. The lion then remains at her side from thereafter as a companion and protector. By the end of Book I, Una reunites with the Knight and they end up married.

Una and the lion first appeared on a coin in 1837 when a 5-pound gold coin was created to kick off Queen Victoria’s reign. William Wyon, the designer, incorporated Queen Victoria as Una. The coin was very rare as only 400 pieces were made. In other words, surviving coins are scarce. However, in 1989, Gibraltar commemorated the 150th Anniversary of the design by reproducing a gold 5-sovereign coin. They used the design again in 1997 on a gold 2-pound coin to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the first striking of the coins made for Queen Victoria.

Author Guth states that collecting these coins are very difficult as they are not only hard to come by, but are also very expensive.