St. James's Auctions
Auction 32 19 May 2015
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Victoria, sovereign, 1843, 'narrow shield', young head l., rev. crowned shield of arms within wreath (S.3852B; M.26A), extremely fine, exceedingly rare, possibly one of the finest known of this variety
*ex Bentley Collection, Baldwin's Auctions, 8 May 2012, lot 45
While the details of the reverse of this distinctive variant are well explained in the footnote to lot 24, of perhaps greatest importance is the remarkable die-work seen in the united thistle, rose and shamrock as an armorial emblem placed beneath the shield itself: each segment of the emblem is larger and more finely detailed than on any other sovereign of this reign and even from the rendering of this motif on the patterns of 1837 and 1838; the thistle in particular stands out as larger and much closer to the central rose. This begs the questions: why did the die exist, and who engraved it? Was it the unfinished die originally intended for a pattern, or the work of an apprentice cast aside? For the advanced collector of sovereigns, this coin will forever be of singular interest, and elusive.
Estimate: £12,000-15,000
*ex Bentley Collection, Baldwin's Auctions, 8 May 2012, lot 45
While the details of the reverse of this distinctive variant are well explained in the footnote to lot 24, of perhaps greatest importance is the remarkable die-work seen in the united thistle, rose and shamrock as an armorial emblem placed beneath the shield itself: each segment of the emblem is larger and more finely detailed than on any other sovereign of this reign and even from the rendering of this motif on the patterns of 1837 and 1838; the thistle in particular stands out as larger and much closer to the central rose. This begs the questions: why did the die exist, and who engraved it? Was it the unfinished die originally intended for a pattern, or the work of an apprentice cast aside? For the advanced collector of sovereigns, this coin will forever be of singular interest, and elusive.
Estimate: £12,000-15,000