Heritage World Coin Auctions
ANA Signature Sale 3048 11 August 2016
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
Great Britain
George V VIP Proof Wreath Crown 1936 PR64 PCGS, Royal mint, S-4036, KM836. Obv. Head of George V left. Crown, and date, within wreath. Light russet patina, with mirrored fields and only very minor marks. An extremely limited number of VIP proofs were made as presentation issues to be given to very important persons. The 1936 issue has one of the lowest mintage of the "Wreath" Crowns, with only 2,473 pieces struck, of the regular issues, and only a very few VIP Proofs issued. An old Spink catalogue once mentioned that few Wreath crowns showed any real wear, misleading generations of collectors into believing that most of the crowns struck from 1928 through 1936 bearing the Wreath reverse are Mint State. Not so! These coins, struck in very limited numbers, were never meant for commerce. Rather, their intended use was as presents at Christmastime. Stocking stuffers! The tradition began in 1928, just two years after the terrible labor strikes that occurred during Britain's financial depression. The 1930s were rough years in most parts of the globe, for most people, and the appearance of a new crown in mantelpiece stockings for the holiday must have brought many a smile on Christmas morning. However, times did not permit most to be saved, carefully put away. Most were indeed spent for needed groceries and such, and did indeed become commercial finally, and only a handful were kept back. Most of those saved pieces were obviously not in the hands of numismatists, and were not kept with great care. Some of the survivors are prooflike, and a small number of proofs was struck each year as well "for the record." Most were not perfectly made nor are they today anywhere near perfect. What they are . . . is special pieces, mementoes of hard times long, long ago. Their rarity has never been fully appreciated, especially as concerns the proofs and the well-kept other pieces.
Estimate: 4000-5000 USD
George V VIP Proof Wreath Crown 1936 PR64 PCGS, Royal mint, S-4036, KM836. Obv. Head of George V left. Crown, and date, within wreath. Light russet patina, with mirrored fields and only very minor marks. An extremely limited number of VIP proofs were made as presentation issues to be given to very important persons. The 1936 issue has one of the lowest mintage of the "Wreath" Crowns, with only 2,473 pieces struck, of the regular issues, and only a very few VIP Proofs issued. An old Spink catalogue once mentioned that few Wreath crowns showed any real wear, misleading generations of collectors into believing that most of the crowns struck from 1928 through 1936 bearing the Wreath reverse are Mint State. Not so! These coins, struck in very limited numbers, were never meant for commerce. Rather, their intended use was as presents at Christmastime. Stocking stuffers! The tradition began in 1928, just two years after the terrible labor strikes that occurred during Britain's financial depression. The 1930s were rough years in most parts of the globe, for most people, and the appearance of a new crown in mantelpiece stockings for the holiday must have brought many a smile on Christmas morning. However, times did not permit most to be saved, carefully put away. Most were indeed spent for needed groceries and such, and did indeed become commercial finally, and only a handful were kept back. Most of those saved pieces were obviously not in the hands of numismatists, and were not kept with great care. Some of the survivors are prooflike, and a small number of proofs was struck each year as well "for the record." Most were not perfectly made nor are they today anywhere near perfect. What they are . . . is special pieces, mementoes of hard times long, long ago. Their rarity has never been fully appreciated, especially as concerns the proofs and the well-kept other pieces.
Estimate: 4000-5000 USD