Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 20 26 Sep 2018
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British Coins, George III, proof sovereign, 1820, large date, open 2, straight grained edge,laur. head r., rev. St. George and the dragon (S.3785C; W&R.200 [R7, 1-2 known]; Nobleman 51 [part], lightly impaired but brilliant, certified and graded by PCGS as Proof Genuine Uncirculated Details, Altered Surface, exceedingly rare
Proof impressions of any date of the first style of sovereigns issued, late in the reign of George III, are all rare in any state of preservation. These are technically 'proofs of record', variously called 'record proofs' and 'VIP proofs'. The Act of Union of 1800 included a provision that instructed the Royal Mint to prepare and preserve examples of the kingdom's coinage in each year so as to keep an historical record of the coinage using actual examples, not just accounts. This was an innovation. Specimen proofs of almost all coinage issues exist from that date on. When the first sovereigns of the modern era appeared in 1817 bearing the Wyon portrait of the aging monarch combined with Pistrucci's now-classic image of Saint George (replacing Saint Michael of medieval lore) depicted slaying the dragon (symbol of evil), the coin was instantly admired and continued to be struck into 1820 after the king had died. Proofs of 1817 are most often seen among the specimen coinage, followed by the considerably rarer 1818. It is believed that a single 1819 proof may exist but the coin so described in a 1950 Spink reference has not been seen in many decades. As George III passed away on 29 January 1820, proofs bearing this date seem to have been not much more than an afterthought. The 1820 proof half-sovereign (WR.207) is so rare that the Wilson-Rasmussen reference did not show its image; one appeared in the Terner Collection. The proof 1820 sovereign, as seen in this lot, is equally rare with an estimate of perhaps two examples extant. Its technical grade is of little matter as it is lacking in almost every collection in the world. One lucky buyer will be able to boast of ownership of one of the great sovereign rarities. Everyone else can put it on their wish list.
(8000-10000 GBP)
Proof impressions of any date of the first style of sovereigns issued, late in the reign of George III, are all rare in any state of preservation. These are technically 'proofs of record', variously called 'record proofs' and 'VIP proofs'. The Act of Union of 1800 included a provision that instructed the Royal Mint to prepare and preserve examples of the kingdom's coinage in each year so as to keep an historical record of the coinage using actual examples, not just accounts. This was an innovation. Specimen proofs of almost all coinage issues exist from that date on. When the first sovereigns of the modern era appeared in 1817 bearing the Wyon portrait of the aging monarch combined with Pistrucci's now-classic image of Saint George (replacing Saint Michael of medieval lore) depicted slaying the dragon (symbol of evil), the coin was instantly admired and continued to be struck into 1820 after the king had died. Proofs of 1817 are most often seen among the specimen coinage, followed by the considerably rarer 1818. It is believed that a single 1819 proof may exist but the coin so described in a 1950 Spink reference has not been seen in many decades. As George III passed away on 29 January 1820, proofs bearing this date seem to have been not much more than an afterthought. The 1820 proof half-sovereign (WR.207) is so rare that the Wilson-Rasmussen reference did not show its image; one appeared in the Terner Collection. The proof 1820 sovereign, as seen in this lot, is equally rare with an estimate of perhaps two examples extant. Its technical grade is of little matter as it is lacking in almost every collection in the world. One lucky buyer will be able to boast of ownership of one of the great sovereign rarities. Everyone else can put it on their wish list.
(8000-10000 GBP)