Heritage World Coin Auctions
ANA Signature Sale 3066 17 Aug 2018
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Great Britain
Victoria gold Sovereign 1839 MS64 PCGS, KM736.1, S-3852. An exceptional rarity of the British Sovereign series, rarer still for its being the joint highest certified by either NGC or PCGS, with just one other example at its grade level. Despite 500,000 Sovereigns of this date being struck, they are almost never seen in Mint State, and are rarer still than the preceding 1838 issue (a rarity unto themselves). A theory for this deficit of high-grade 1839 Sovereigns goes that while some 1838 Sovereigns were saved as mementoes of the new Queen's first gold coinage, in 1839 the Coronation proof set was issued with a proof 1839 sovereign in it and so wealthy citizens could simply purchase this rather than saving a currency issue. Accordingly, most of the 1839 sovereigns produced for commercial purposes did in fact go into circulation, leading to many being eventually melted down and the small number of examples extant today exhibiting considerable wear. The present specimen has thus survived extraordinarily well, satiny surfaces aglow with deep-gold luster, the strike especially strong giving a bold portrait of the young Queen and reverse shield. With outstanding eye appeal and immensely rare this nice, this is a premium example of one of the rarest early date Victorian Sovereigns.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 15000-20000 USD
Victoria gold Sovereign 1839 MS64 PCGS, KM736.1, S-3852. An exceptional rarity of the British Sovereign series, rarer still for its being the joint highest certified by either NGC or PCGS, with just one other example at its grade level. Despite 500,000 Sovereigns of this date being struck, they are almost never seen in Mint State, and are rarer still than the preceding 1838 issue (a rarity unto themselves). A theory for this deficit of high-grade 1839 Sovereigns goes that while some 1838 Sovereigns were saved as mementoes of the new Queen's first gold coinage, in 1839 the Coronation proof set was issued with a proof 1839 sovereign in it and so wealthy citizens could simply purchase this rather than saving a currency issue. Accordingly, most of the 1839 sovereigns produced for commercial purposes did in fact go into circulation, leading to many being eventually melted down and the small number of examples extant today exhibiting considerable wear. The present specimen has thus survived extraordinarily well, satiny surfaces aglow with deep-gold luster, the strike especially strong giving a bold portrait of the young Queen and reverse shield. With outstanding eye appeal and immensely rare this nice, this is a premium example of one of the rarest early date Victorian Sovereigns.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 15000-20000 USD