Six ‘good fortune’ coins from 19th century discovered beneath HMS Victory’s mast
Six 19th-century coins were discovered beneath the foremast of HMS Victory during a restoration project. The coins were traditionally placed for good fortune and protection of the vessel and its crew. This find adds to the maritime history associated with the iconic ship.
- ▪The discovery occurred during a £42 million restoration of HMS Victory.
- ▪A 750-tonne crane was used to remove the ship's masts for the restoration.
- ▪Five of the coins date back to 1894, while one is a token from 1835.
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NewsUKHome NewsSix ‘good fortune’ coins from 19th century discovered beneath HMS Victory’s mastA 750-tonne crane was used to remove the mizzen, foremast and bowsprit masts from Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship at Portsmouth Historic DockyardBen Mitchell Thursday 21 May 2026 15:22 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"CF1:2980557To1","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hms-victory-mast-coins-portsmouth-b2981241.html","title":"Six ‘good fortune’ coins from 19th century discovered beneath HMS Victory’s mast"}}open…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Independent.