Baldwin & Sons
Auction 96 24 September 2015
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
G
BRITISH COINS, Victoria, Gold Pattern Sovereign, 1871, engraved after William Wyon, third young head left, with double fillet, W.W. in relief on truncation intrudes onto field, date below, toothed border and raised rim both sides, VICTORIA DEI GRATIA, rev struck en médaille, engraved after Jean Baptiste Merlen, crowned shield of arms within laurel wreath tied with bow below shield, seven harp strings in Irish arms, left string emanates from scroll, emblems below, small rosette either side, BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:, reverse legend slightly doubled, edge plain (cf WR 314; DM -; Murdoch 506; Nobleman 269 (part); Bentley 252). As struck, lightly toned, only the second known example in commerce, the only other was in the Bentley Collection, which was not as nice as this, extremely rare.
From the same family as the 1839 Proof Set (lot 3573) and it is likely this coin could have been owned by the same family since it was brand new.
This plain edge pattern was published for the first time in the Bentley Collection, the year 1871 was significant because this was when the Pistrucci St George and dragon reverse design was re-introduced to the London sovereign. Both the shield reverse and the St George reverse were struck concurrently by the Royal Mint, London, until 1874. These 1871 proofs struck from highly polished dies were no doubt produced as a matter of record, only the milled edge version is published.
Estimate: £15,000-18,000
BRITISH COINS, Victoria, Gold Pattern Sovereign, 1871, engraved after William Wyon, third young head left, with double fillet, W.W. in relief on truncation intrudes onto field, date below, toothed border and raised rim both sides, VICTORIA DEI GRATIA, rev struck en médaille, engraved after Jean Baptiste Merlen, crowned shield of arms within laurel wreath tied with bow below shield, seven harp strings in Irish arms, left string emanates from scroll, emblems below, small rosette either side, BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:, reverse legend slightly doubled, edge plain (cf WR 314; DM -; Murdoch 506; Nobleman 269 (part); Bentley 252). As struck, lightly toned, only the second known example in commerce, the only other was in the Bentley Collection, which was not as nice as this, extremely rare.
From the same family as the 1839 Proof Set (lot 3573) and it is likely this coin could have been owned by the same family since it was brand new.
This plain edge pattern was published for the first time in the Bentley Collection, the year 1871 was significant because this was when the Pistrucci St George and dragon reverse design was re-introduced to the London sovereign. Both the shield reverse and the St George reverse were struck concurrently by the Royal Mint, London, until 1874. These 1871 proofs struck from highly polished dies were no doubt produced as a matter of record, only the milled edge version is published.
Estimate: £15,000-18,000