When Queen Victoria was born, in 1819, few people would have thought that she would become queen. As fate would have it, however, she moved up the line of succession and ultimately acceded to the throne upon the death of her uncle, William IV, in 1837. The last British monarch of the House of Hanover, Queen Victoria ruled for more than 63 years, becoming Britain’s longest reigning monarch in the process.

The great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth II was thrust into power at a similarly tender age. Succeeding her father, King George VI, in 1952 at the age of only 25, Elizabeth II became Britain’s longest reigning monarch in September 2015, surpassing the reign of Queen Victoria. Naturally enough, the coinage of both record-breaking monarchs circulated in Australia.

From the time of European settlement in 1788 until the withdrawal of the 1c and 2c in the early 1990s, British and Australian copper coinage was a fundamental element of the colonial and then national economy. Between the mid-1820s and 1910, British currency was the only acceptable form of legal tender in Australia. Even after the introduction of Australia’s first national currency, British coinage circulated alongside Australian coinage well into the 20^th century.

Genuine artefacts of Australia’s early currency history, this set unites a British penny of Queen Victoria and an Australian penny of Queen Elizabeth II – Britain’s two longest reigning monarchs.