Six 19th century coins and tokens have been found beneath the foremast of HMS Victory after the successful removal of the ship’s mast at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. The newly discovered hms victory mast coins will go on display in the Victory Gallery from 23 May and remain there throughout the summer.
The find included five coins and one token, among them an 1892 one penny with Queen Victoria’s bun head portrait. It was made during HMS Victory: The Big Repair, the £42m conservation project aimed at preserving Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship for future generations.
Andrew Baines said the placing of coins beneath a ship’s mast has long been seen as a symbolic act associated with protection and good fortune for the vessel and her crew. He said the discovery of six pieces was an extraordinary surprise, especially because they had spent 132 years under the fore lower mast while bearing the weight of approximately 50 tonnes of masts, yards and rigging above them.
The coins will be shown alongside an earlier farthing found beneath Victory’s main lower mast, adding a small but telling layer to the ship’s story. HMS Victory remains open to visitors throughout The Big Repair, giving the public a chance to see the vessel even as conservation work continues around it.
The discovery matters because it links a major preservation effort with a rare physical trace of the people who once worked on the ship. The question now is less about whether more objects may turn up than how many more details the repair will uncover before the project is complete.
