Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 10 22 Sep 2017
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British Coins and Medals, George V, pattern crown in silver, 1910, by A. G. Wyon, bare head l., rev. Art Deco styled image of St. George on stallion, piercing a dragon below with a long lance, edge milled (ESC.384 [R5]; Bull 3660; L&S.3), FDC Proof, a superb example of this great 20th century rarity, of which only 10 were struck, a completely original specimen exhibiting reflective surfaces and lovely multi-hued champagne-gold and blue iridescent toning, bold and beautiful
Linecar & Stone describe Alan Wyon's reverse motif as a 'Spirited depiction of St. George slaying the dragon' and note that only 10 pieces each were struck with plain and with milled edges, as well as an unknown but clearly minuscule number in gold and copper, and then the style was altered to place the date in Arabic numerals on the reverse, whereupon perhaps another dozen or so pieces were struck in various metals. The exact total mintage remains unknown, but in the early 20th century these were all eagerly bought up in auctions by major collectors. They appear infrequently. Above, we commented that the reverse is 'Art Deco styled' even though this period of art did not begin until 1925. But the artistic sense of the style was well founded by then, as may clearly be seen in this wonderful crown, featuring a portrait of King George V that Forrer said 'shows concentration of thought and energy' and a modern rendition of the classic image of the honourable knight overpowering the devil which is simply splendid. (50000-55000 GBP)
Linecar & Stone describe Alan Wyon's reverse motif as a 'Spirited depiction of St. George slaying the dragon' and note that only 10 pieces each were struck with plain and with milled edges, as well as an unknown but clearly minuscule number in gold and copper, and then the style was altered to place the date in Arabic numerals on the reverse, whereupon perhaps another dozen or so pieces were struck in various metals. The exact total mintage remains unknown, but in the early 20th century these were all eagerly bought up in auctions by major collectors. They appear infrequently. Above, we commented that the reverse is 'Art Deco styled' even though this period of art did not begin until 1925. But the artistic sense of the style was well founded by then, as may clearly be seen in this wonderful crown, featuring a portrait of King George V that Forrer said 'shows concentration of thought and energy' and a modern rendition of the classic image of the honourable knight overpowering the devil which is simply splendid. (50000-55000 GBP)