What does dg mean on a Queen Victoria soveriegn?

Answer 1

"DG" is an abbreviation for "Dei Gratia", Latin for "by the grace of God".

It's part of a longer motto that appears in various forms and abbreviations on nearly all coins of the British Empire or Commonwealth countries. It usually consists of the following parts:

• The name of the monarch, often but not always Latinized. E.g. Elizabeth's name is spelled normally but her father George was shown as "Georgius". Charles may appear as Charles III or possibly Carolus III when he takes the throne.
• "DG" or a longer abbreviation followed by the Latin word for King or Queen,
• "FD" or a longer abbreviation, meaning Fidei Defensor or "Defender of the Faith" because the monarch is the head of the Church of England.

E.g. if fully spelled out, a modern British coin would have "Elizabeth II, Dei Gratia Regina, Fidei Defensor" or "Elizabeth II, Queen by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith"

When India was part of the empire the motto was modified to include the abbreviations "Britt" and "et Ind Imp". The first indicated that the monarch was king or queen of Britain, and the second that they were also emperor/empress of India.