In 2001 to commemorate the Centenary of Queen Victoria, the Royal Mint released a very Limited Issue Queen Victoria £5 Five Pound Silver Proof Coin struck in solid .925 Sterling Silver.
The Victorian Anniversary Silver Proof £5 Five Pound Coin of 2001 recalls that great age of industry, reform and progress with a magnificent commemorative reverse inspired by one of the most famous events in Victorian history, the Great Exhibition.
The ornate iron frame of the spectacular Crystal Palace provides a fitting and decorative background for a portrait of the young Queen Victoria, while the use of railway lines to form the letter V is a pleasing reminder that the Victorian era is also the age of railway expansion.
The obverse of the coin features the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank Broadley FRBS, FSNAD.
These legal tender coins have been struck to proof quality using specially prepared dies and highly polished blanks.