Great Britain. Sovereign, 1847. S.3852; Fr-387e; KM-736.1. Weight 0.2355 ounce. Victoria. Young head left. Reverse ; Crowned shield. PCGS graded AU-55. In special PCGS Ship of Gold holder which contains One Pinch of Gold Dust recovered from the S.S. Central America treasure.
Special PCGS number 675692.55/35671946. Estimated Value $500 - UP
The ongoing Great Famine in Ireland (1845-1852), which ultimately resulted in the deaths of a million people and the emigration of another million, was at its most severe in 1847. The situation was so dire in this year that a group of aristocrats, banker, and philanthropists took it upon themselves to found the British Relief Association in an attempt to provide aid. The funding of the relief effort was supported by donations, including £2,000 (the largest individual donation) from Queen Victoria, and over the course of eight months managed to provide food and clothing to some 200,000 Irish children.

At the same time that the British Relief association was providing aid to starving Ireland, Great Britain was also reeling from a financial panic that had ensued when a stock market bubble related to railway development collapsed. The Bank Charter Act of 1844, which required all banknotes to be backed by gold or government debt, was briefly suspended in 1847 in the wake of the sudden failure of many non-bank financial companies. On a more positive note, 1847 also saw the institution of the Factory Act to limit the British working day to 10 hours for women and boys aged 13-18, the foundation of the Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (the oldest in the world), and the purchase of William Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon by the United Shakespeare Company in order to preserve it.