Heritage World Coin Auctions
ANA Signature Sale 3066 17 Aug 2018
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Great Britain
Victoria 16-Piece Certified Gold, Silver and Copper Proof set 1853 NGC,
1) 1/2 Farthing - PR64 Red and Brown, KM738, S-3951
2) Farthing - PR64 Red and Brown, KM725a, S-3950
3) 1/2 Penny - PR65 Red and Brown, KM726, S-3949
4) Penny - PR65 Red and Brown, KM739a, S-3949
5) Maundy Penny - PR62, KM727, S-3920
6) Maundy 2 Pence - PR64, KM729,S-3919
7) Maundy 3 Pence - PR64, KM730, S-3918
8) Maundy 4 Pence - PR64, KM731.2, S-3917
9) Groat - PR64, KM731.1, S-3913
10) 6 Pence - PR65, KM733.1, S-3908
11) Shilling - PR66, KM734.1, S-3904
12) Florin - PR68, KM746.1, S-3891
13) 1/2 Crown - PR66, KM740, S-3888
14) Gothic Crown - PR65, KM744, S-3884
15) 1/2 Sovereign - PR63, KM735.1, S-3859
16) Sovereign - PR66, KM736.1, S-3852D
KM-PS7, S-PS4. Absolutely extraordinary. Truly one of the great enigmas of the Victoria numismatic series, perhaps the most mysterious British Proof set ever produced, and potentially the finest matched and complete set of this type extant. The 1853 Proof Set is cloaked in uncertainty, its very existence a conundrum; whilst other famous Proof sets such as those produced in 1821, 1826, 1831 and 1839 are either commemorating the coronation of a new monarch or celebrating a new coinage, every coin in the 1853 Proof set was already a circulating type at its time of production and seemingly no significant events occurred that year to merit the production of a commemorative offering. If one examines the events of the years preceding, however, a theory for this set's creation emerges, residing within Britain's colonial attitude and their approach to foreign affairs.
For many centuries Britain had been exploring new lands and establishing colonies, dramatically expanding their Empire in the decades prior to 1853. By 1852, colonial administration had become far more challenging; in just this one year, Britain had had to recognize the independence of the Transvaal in South Africa, New Zealand had established their first government, and Australia were requesting permission to produce their own coins (a request rejected by Britain after the production of the Adelaide Pound, a coin which bore little indication of British rule). Large population increases in these colonies had led to shortages of coinage, resulting in trader's tokens, unofficial gold coins and foreign currency to circulate freely. With so much new land to administrate, Britain needed a means of imposing their influence in a day-to-day manner.
Hence a possible reason for the production of the 1853 Proof set. With the chaotic coinage situation occurring in Australia and New Zealand, it would make sense for the Mint to produce special, select groups of proof currency coins to present to their colonies as specimens, in an effort to make British coins the sole legal tender. This would explain the absence of a 5 Pound and 2 Pound piece within the 1853 set, both of which were rarely encountered in circulation. Additionally, some cases for these sets bear the coat of arms of Great Britain, whilst others including the present offering feature the embossed title 'COINS OF GREAT BRITAIN', suggesting their viewing by foreign parties. It may not be a coincidence that in 1855, two years after this set was produced, Australia began to produce their own coins now bearing Victoria's image, whilst British coinage became legal tender in New Zealand in 1858.
Whatever the reason for their production, the beauty of this set is irrefutable. The copper is bright and alight with vibrant red luster, deeply flashy and attractive; the silver exhibits a simply sublime matching tone, strongly reflective with iridescent seafoam greens, cobalts and golden-browns flooding the fields, many (particularly the Gothic Crown and Halfcrown) certainly worthy of Cameo or Ultra Cameo designations were they in more modern holders. The two gold coins steal the show in terms of eye-appeal; the Half Sovereign is of the most gorgeous honey color, splashes of stark red tone at the margins, only a light scratch to Victoria's cheek lowering the certified grade, whilst the Sovereign simply takes the viewer's breath away. A lofty PR66 and yet seemingly undergraded, it has managed to survive 165 years without so much as a scratch, contact mark or smudge, its color the warmest gold imaginable. Several of these coins boast the highest grade level for their type by either NGC or PCGS including the Gothic Crown, Halfcrown and Shilling, and some even represent the single highest graded examples, notably the Florin, an incredible PR68, and the aforementioned Sovereign. Exceptionally seldom-offered, the last 1853 set to come to market in the recent past was in 2015, a far lower-certified group which realized $125,000 hammer. We have absolutely no doubts that the significance, beauty and rarity of this set, the finest known, will earn it centerpiece status in the highest-tier collection of British Proofs.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 150000-200000 USD
Victoria 16-Piece Certified Gold, Silver and Copper Proof set 1853 NGC,
1) 1/2 Farthing - PR64 Red and Brown, KM738, S-3951
2) Farthing - PR64 Red and Brown, KM725a, S-3950
3) 1/2 Penny - PR65 Red and Brown, KM726, S-3949
4) Penny - PR65 Red and Brown, KM739a, S-3949
5) Maundy Penny - PR62, KM727, S-3920
6) Maundy 2 Pence - PR64, KM729,S-3919
7) Maundy 3 Pence - PR64, KM730, S-3918
8) Maundy 4 Pence - PR64, KM731.2, S-3917
9) Groat - PR64, KM731.1, S-3913
10) 6 Pence - PR65, KM733.1, S-3908
11) Shilling - PR66, KM734.1, S-3904
12) Florin - PR68, KM746.1, S-3891
13) 1/2 Crown - PR66, KM740, S-3888
14) Gothic Crown - PR65, KM744, S-3884
15) 1/2 Sovereign - PR63, KM735.1, S-3859
16) Sovereign - PR66, KM736.1, S-3852D
KM-PS7, S-PS4. Absolutely extraordinary. Truly one of the great enigmas of the Victoria numismatic series, perhaps the most mysterious British Proof set ever produced, and potentially the finest matched and complete set of this type extant. The 1853 Proof Set is cloaked in uncertainty, its very existence a conundrum; whilst other famous Proof sets such as those produced in 1821, 1826, 1831 and 1839 are either commemorating the coronation of a new monarch or celebrating a new coinage, every coin in the 1853 Proof set was already a circulating type at its time of production and seemingly no significant events occurred that year to merit the production of a commemorative offering. If one examines the events of the years preceding, however, a theory for this set's creation emerges, residing within Britain's colonial attitude and their approach to foreign affairs.
For many centuries Britain had been exploring new lands and establishing colonies, dramatically expanding their Empire in the decades prior to 1853. By 1852, colonial administration had become far more challenging; in just this one year, Britain had had to recognize the independence of the Transvaal in South Africa, New Zealand had established their first government, and Australia were requesting permission to produce their own coins (a request rejected by Britain after the production of the Adelaide Pound, a coin which bore little indication of British rule). Large population increases in these colonies had led to shortages of coinage, resulting in trader's tokens, unofficial gold coins and foreign currency to circulate freely. With so much new land to administrate, Britain needed a means of imposing their influence in a day-to-day manner.
Hence a possible reason for the production of the 1853 Proof set. With the chaotic coinage situation occurring in Australia and New Zealand, it would make sense for the Mint to produce special, select groups of proof currency coins to present to their colonies as specimens, in an effort to make British coins the sole legal tender. This would explain the absence of a 5 Pound and 2 Pound piece within the 1853 set, both of which were rarely encountered in circulation. Additionally, some cases for these sets bear the coat of arms of Great Britain, whilst others including the present offering feature the embossed title 'COINS OF GREAT BRITAIN', suggesting their viewing by foreign parties. It may not be a coincidence that in 1855, two years after this set was produced, Australia began to produce their own coins now bearing Victoria's image, whilst British coinage became legal tender in New Zealand in 1858.
Whatever the reason for their production, the beauty of this set is irrefutable. The copper is bright and alight with vibrant red luster, deeply flashy and attractive; the silver exhibits a simply sublime matching tone, strongly reflective with iridescent seafoam greens, cobalts and golden-browns flooding the fields, many (particularly the Gothic Crown and Halfcrown) certainly worthy of Cameo or Ultra Cameo designations were they in more modern holders. The two gold coins steal the show in terms of eye-appeal; the Half Sovereign is of the most gorgeous honey color, splashes of stark red tone at the margins, only a light scratch to Victoria's cheek lowering the certified grade, whilst the Sovereign simply takes the viewer's breath away. A lofty PR66 and yet seemingly undergraded, it has managed to survive 165 years without so much as a scratch, contact mark or smudge, its color the warmest gold imaginable. Several of these coins boast the highest grade level for their type by either NGC or PCGS including the Gothic Crown, Halfcrown and Shilling, and some even represent the single highest graded examples, notably the Florin, an incredible PR68, and the aforementioned Sovereign. Exceptionally seldom-offered, the last 1853 set to come to market in the recent past was in 2015, a far lower-certified group which realized $125,000 hammer. We have absolutely no doubts that the significance, beauty and rarity of this set, the finest known, will earn it centerpiece status in the highest-tier collection of British Proofs.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 150000-200000 USD