Thomas Wyon Jr.

Thomas Wyon Jr. was the eldest son of Thomas Wyon. He was born in 1792 in Birmingham and educated in London. In 1806, aged 14, he was apprenticed to his father who had moved from Birmingham to London in 1800. Thomas Wyon Jr. was influenced by Nathaniel Marchant and studied at the school of sculpture of the Royal Academy. In 1811 he was appointed Probationer Engraver of the Mint, and was employed in making the dies for Bank Tokens for England and Ireland, and coins for the British Colonies and for Hanover. He became Chief Engraver to the Mint in 1815 and the following year was responsible for the reverse designs of the new halfcrown, shilling and sixpence silver coins and undertook the work of engraving the dies from the models developed by Pistrucci. In 1816, his father Thomas Sr. was also employed at the Royal Mint and in September that year he was appointed Chief Engraver of His Majesty's Seals.