It really depends on the condition of the penny and exactly which one you have, as some varieties are rarer than others.
If you are going to sell it in an auction, it will help to put as much information as you can in to the listing details.
The phrase ‘Victoria Dei Gra Britt Regina Fid Def Ind Imp’ is abbreviated from Latin. The literal translation would be ‘Victoria by the Grace of God, Queen of the British Territories, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India’.
This expression and variations of it appear on all pre-decimal coins of all British Empire/Commonwealth countries. It identifies the reigning Monarch of the period, which in the case of your penny was Queen Victoria. The expression does not identify the country or the denomination of the coin.
So you may also see coins with the words ‘Edwardvs VII Dei Gra Britt Omn Rex Fid Def Und Imp’. The literal translation would be ‘Edward VII by the Grace of God, King of all the British Territories, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India’ and would relate to Victoria’s successor.
For all years from 1895 to 1901, the inscription on pennies was ‘Victoria Dei Gra Britt Regina Fid Def Ind Imp’. In 1895 there were two varieties, one with a picture on the reverse showing Britannia holding a trident 1 mm to the left of the letter 'P' in ‘Penny’. The other depicted her holding the trident 2 mm away from the P and there is no sea behind her. The latter is quite rare.
The 1897 penny also has two varieties, one of which has the tide level to Britannia's left as high and another, more common, as normal. 1901 pennies are more commonly held as they were kept back as keepsakes as the Queen died that year.
If you are going to sell it in an auction, it will help to put as much information as you can in to the listing details.
The phrase ‘Victoria Dei Gra Britt Regina Fid Def Ind Imp’ is abbreviated from Latin. The literal translation would be ‘Victoria by the Grace of God, Queen of the British Territories, Defender of the Faith, Empress of India’.
This expression and variations of it appear on all pre-decimal coins of all British Empire/Commonwealth countries. It identifies the reigning Monarch of the period, which in the case of your penny was Queen Victoria. The expression does not identify the country or the denomination of the coin.
So you may also see coins with the words ‘Edwardvs VII Dei Gra Britt Omn Rex Fid Def Und Imp’. The literal translation would be ‘Edward VII by the Grace of God, King of all the British Territories, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India’ and would relate to Victoria’s successor.
For all years from 1895 to 1901, the inscription on pennies was ‘Victoria Dei Gra Britt Regina Fid Def Ind Imp’. In 1895 there were two varieties, one with a picture on the reverse showing Britannia holding a trident 1 mm to the left of the letter 'P' in ‘Penny’. The other depicted her holding the trident 2 mm away from the P and there is no sea behind her. The latter is quite rare.
The 1897 penny also has two varieties, one of which has the tide level to Britannia's left as high and another, more common, as normal. 1901 pennies are more commonly held as they were kept back as keepsakes as the Queen died that year.
