Material: Sterling Silver (.925)
Diameter: 19 mm
Weight: 2.817 g
Actual Silver Weight (ASW): 0.084 troy oz
Mint / Mintmark: Royal Mint, London
Obverse: Young head of Queen Victoria facing left; legend VICTORIA DEI GRATIA BRITANNIAR: REGINA FID: DEF:
Reverse: Crowned wreath surrounding denomination SIX PENCE; date 1838 below; design by William Wyon, chief engraver of the Royal Mint.
Notes:
This 1838 silver sixpence, struck during the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign, represents one of the most beloved and culturally charged coins in British history. Though modest in value, the Victorian sixpence became woven into customs of luck, love, and celebration, making it far more than a simple piece of currency.
Minted in sterling silver, sixpences circulated widely throughout the 19th century. As the smaller silver three pence gradually vanished from daily use, the sixpence assumed a new ceremonial role in British households. By mid-century, it had become the traditional coin stirred into the Christmas pudding on Stir-Up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent. Each member of the family would take a turn mixing the batter, hoping for a glimpse of the hidden coin. Whoever found it on Christmas Day was believed to receive good fortune for the year ahead.
The sixpence also became a symbol of wedded happiness. Victorian brides adopted the custom of placing “a silver sixpence in her shoe”, a gesture traditionally made by the bride’s father, wishing prosperity, security, and joy for the marriage to come. This tiny coin was carried down the aisle in thousands of weddings across Britain and, later, the Commonwealth.
By the 20th century, the sixpence gained yet another layer of symbolic meaning. Royal Air Force aircrew sewed them behind their wings or brevets as a discreet good-luck charm, a tradition dating back to the Second World War.
Coins like this often passed through many hands, lived in pockets and purses, and perhaps even served in one of these cherished traditions. Far beyond its monetary worth, the Victorian sixpence is a small, shining emblem of hope, celebration, and connection, carrying with it generations of British custom and memory.