A mystery wrapped in an enigma. When researching Queen Guinevere, this was basically the consensus. Several stories surround the Queen and wife of King Arthur and can be construed in a number of ways depending on what you read and from where it is that you have read it.
From an adulteress to a noble Queen in her own right, Queen Guinevere’s story is notably captured in Whitman Publishing’s 100 Greatest Women On Coins publication for which we have started to explore in this blog series. With author Ron Guth at the helm, we look to break down the importance of the elusive Queen and her existence within the numismatic landscape.
#36 - Queen Guinevere
The wife of King Arthur, Queen Guinevere was known to be very beautiful although there is said to be no clear image of her. In the earliest of stories, the Welsh from the 11th century conclude that there is not only one Queen Guinevere (spelled Gwenhwyfar), but three. The sources claim that the first one was an unfaithful version as she brought shame to her husband, King Arthur. This version set in motion future depictions of the Queen as an adulteress.
Later on in the 12th century, the second version of Guinevere was characterized as a descendant of a noble Roman family. This version expanded and led to the warning from Merlin, the King’s trusted advisor, not to marry Guinevere due to her feelings and love towards Sir Lancelot, one of Arthur’s knights. The third version of the Queen was just that, a Queen in her own right. The daughter of King Leodegraunce of Cameoliard, Queen Guinevere had her own palace and the Round Table was brought to him as dowry.
In other early stories, Queen Guinevere was kidnapped by King Melwas of Glastonbury. However, when portrayed in later stories, rescuers and even the ones to abduct her changed many names. Her abduction stories, much like her depictions, differ from author and time period. One thing that remained present in most of her stories was the role Sir Lancelot played in her life. He was named as one of her rescuers in the abduction of the Queen, eventually falling in love with Guinevere and ultimately betraying his King Arthur. The two of them were said to have engaged in a forbidden romance and upon discovery, Arthur was grief-stricken. King Arthur was later said to have died on the battlefield and Queen Guinevere was then to have entered a convent and became a nun. However, this ending to her story was different depending on what stories were interpreted. Other stories did not paint her ending so well.
In numismatics, her portrayal did not meet the face of many coins. The Isle of Man issued a one-quarter-crown and one-crown coin in 1996 bearing her image as it was a part of a Legend of King Arthur series. Since Whitman’s publishing of this top 100 Women’s Series, a 2016 issue from Cook Islands, Choice Mint, and Coin Invest Trust (CIT) minted a Camelot series using Smartminting technology that featured Guinevere on one of the two-ounce .999 fine silver coins. The series was comprised of six coins and officially ended in 2018.
Although extremely limited in options, collecting coins with Queen Guinevere depicted is easy. One would have to reference the Isle of Man collection from 1996 and the 2016 collection from CIT. Author Ron Guth did find upon surveys, there are one or two medals bearing her image in addition to a casino token.