Baldwin & Sons
Auction 73 8 May 2012
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THE BENTLEY COLLECTION OF BRITISH MILLED GOLD SOVEREIGNS. Victoria, Proof Sovereign, 1887, engraved by Joseph Edgar Boehm, Jubilee tall veiled bust left with older features, veil with two rows of crenellations, with small Imperial crown, large fleurs inside, top cross on field within the border, wearing 13 pearl necklace, brooch at front with relief jewel, half a garter star at base of bust under sash, decorated border to dress bust, J.E.B. on edge of truncation into field with stops, angled J, repositioned second legend closer to crown, two pearl drop ear ring, VICTORIA D:G: BRITT: REG: F: D:, finely toothed border within twin linear concentric circles and raised rim both sides, outer rim blends with teeth, rev struck en médaille, after Benedetto Pistrucci, St George slaying dragon with sword, extra mane hair above hand holding rein, horse with short tail, three strand end to tail, two spurs of extra hair on curve of tail, dragon with three claws to left and three to right foreleg, trace of fourth claw, all attached, broken lance on ground-line to left, WWP in relief under lance, date in exergue, tiny B.P without final stop, incomplete P, to upper right, edge milled, 7.99g, 22.1mm (WR 333; S 3866B). Brilliant mint state with just a few wispy hairlines.
English Silver Coinage quotes a figure of 797 Proof Sets with gold issued in 1887, no doubt Sovereigns and other coins from the set would have been available singly too, but the total issue of proof Sovereigns would be unlikely to exceed 1000 pieces as an educated guess.
The above proof Sovereign sets the standard description for the Jubilee type coinage. There are only really three major varieties in this coinage. Firstly the position of the obverse legend of which this proof is the so-called second type with the first half of the legend appearing closer to the crown on the Queen’s head. The first type has the legend just over a millimetre further away.
The designer’s initials on the truncation are the other area of variety on the obverse. The normal size initials always seem to have an angled letter J where the bottom is angled horizontally off the upright vertical. The smaller designer initials tend always to have a hooked J as you would expect. These initials can be differently arranged on the truncation of the bust, whether closer or spread and in line or in an arc, they can differ more on the Australian series coins.
The other difference is the horse’s tail on the reverse, which becomes longer with different hair strand arrangements on some coins from 1891. Note with this proof the lack of a final stop after the initials in the exergue.
The Jubilee Style Bust Coinage For the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria
Much like today with our current Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, preparations for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee of 1887 were underway years in advance. The Queen herself had first signified that she was willing for a change in portrait on the coinage as she had been most impressed by a portrait medal of her effigy by Mr Joseph Edgar Boehm RA (6 July 1834 - 12 December 1890) modelled from life. A large plaster model was prepared by Boehm in his studio, and from this metal copies were taken and then reduced for coinage. The first proposed coinage patterns appear from 1880 in base metals and silver, the Queen having sat for her portrait with Boehm in February of that year. The resulting currency coinage produced for 1887 included a commemorative gold Five Pound and Two Pound coin issued together for the first time since 1826. There were sets available in various guises officially for sale as proof or currency quality, with cases costing extra. The Jubilee coinage also marks for the first time in the British currency coinage the die axis being upright (en médaille). All die axes previously on coinage were of the inverted orientation and upright axis was reserved for medals or patterns. The obverse legend appears slightly more abbreviated than the last young head issue too. Apart from this, and the obvious bust change, the coinage is very similar to the previous young head St George type with a milled edge.
The story of the gestation of the coinage was revealed in a series of Royal Mint correspondence, the elements of which have been published in the British Numismatic Journal by G P Dyer and Mark Stocker in 1984. What can be seen is that the resulting currency coins were received with mixed reaction from the public, much to the consternation of C W Fremantle, the Deputy Master of the Mint who had fully supported the design. The populous accepted the change in celebration of the Jubilee, but more seriously criticism of the design was given by critics at the Royal Academy for the way the crown appeared upon the Queen’s head, and the coinage was much discussed in Parliament. Comments ranged from such as “this toy crown” and “too small to be realistic,” as had the Queen turned or moved the crown would have tumbled from her head.
More seriously, the Sixpence and Half-Sovereign coins being of similar dimensions and unfortunately of similar design, meant the Sixpences were quickly gilt by the unscrupulous and passed as gold coins. The Numismatic Society again were vocal about this, saying that the Mint had a precedent in 1821 when the Half Sovereign design had to be changed after one year as it was too similar to the sixpence. In 1887 the Sixpence became the withdrawn coin and the reverse design regressed to what it was before. The Numismatic Society and its President Sir John Evans, amongst others, continued to criticise the designs and the Jubilee portrait only lasted on British coins from 1887-1892 inclusive. Even the Queen herself had remarked on her displeasure of this coinage during 1888. In Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, the portrait continued briefly into 1893 on the gold coins. Boehm having died in 1890 was no longer around to see the change so soon after the Jubilee, and the criticism received may well have contributed to his demise, though he was kept very busy with his sculpture work.
For further reading see British Numismatic Journal 1984, p.274-288 “Edgar Boehm and the Jubilee Coinage” by G P Dyer and Mark Stocker.
The Reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901)
House of Hanover
Born: 24 May 1819
Accession: 20 June 1837
Married: Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 10 February 1840
Coronation: Thursday 28 June 1838
Children: four sons, five daughters
Died: 22 January 1901, aged 81
Estimate: £1000-1200
English Silver Coinage quotes a figure of 797 Proof Sets with gold issued in 1887, no doubt Sovereigns and other coins from the set would have been available singly too, but the total issue of proof Sovereigns would be unlikely to exceed 1000 pieces as an educated guess.
The above proof Sovereign sets the standard description for the Jubilee type coinage. There are only really three major varieties in this coinage. Firstly the position of the obverse legend of which this proof is the so-called second type with the first half of the legend appearing closer to the crown on the Queen’s head. The first type has the legend just over a millimetre further away.
The designer’s initials on the truncation are the other area of variety on the obverse. The normal size initials always seem to have an angled letter J where the bottom is angled horizontally off the upright vertical. The smaller designer initials tend always to have a hooked J as you would expect. These initials can be differently arranged on the truncation of the bust, whether closer or spread and in line or in an arc, they can differ more on the Australian series coins.
The other difference is the horse’s tail on the reverse, which becomes longer with different hair strand arrangements on some coins from 1891. Note with this proof the lack of a final stop after the initials in the exergue.
The Jubilee Style Bust Coinage For the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria
Much like today with our current Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, preparations for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee of 1887 were underway years in advance. The Queen herself had first signified that she was willing for a change in portrait on the coinage as she had been most impressed by a portrait medal of her effigy by Mr Joseph Edgar Boehm RA (6 July 1834 - 12 December 1890) modelled from life. A large plaster model was prepared by Boehm in his studio, and from this metal copies were taken and then reduced for coinage. The first proposed coinage patterns appear from 1880 in base metals and silver, the Queen having sat for her portrait with Boehm in February of that year. The resulting currency coinage produced for 1887 included a commemorative gold Five Pound and Two Pound coin issued together for the first time since 1826. There were sets available in various guises officially for sale as proof or currency quality, with cases costing extra. The Jubilee coinage also marks for the first time in the British currency coinage the die axis being upright (en médaille). All die axes previously on coinage were of the inverted orientation and upright axis was reserved for medals or patterns. The obverse legend appears slightly more abbreviated than the last young head issue too. Apart from this, and the obvious bust change, the coinage is very similar to the previous young head St George type with a milled edge.
The story of the gestation of the coinage was revealed in a series of Royal Mint correspondence, the elements of which have been published in the British Numismatic Journal by G P Dyer and Mark Stocker in 1984. What can be seen is that the resulting currency coins were received with mixed reaction from the public, much to the consternation of C W Fremantle, the Deputy Master of the Mint who had fully supported the design. The populous accepted the change in celebration of the Jubilee, but more seriously criticism of the design was given by critics at the Royal Academy for the way the crown appeared upon the Queen’s head, and the coinage was much discussed in Parliament. Comments ranged from such as “this toy crown” and “too small to be realistic,” as had the Queen turned or moved the crown would have tumbled from her head.
More seriously, the Sixpence and Half-Sovereign coins being of similar dimensions and unfortunately of similar design, meant the Sixpences were quickly gilt by the unscrupulous and passed as gold coins. The Numismatic Society again were vocal about this, saying that the Mint had a precedent in 1821 when the Half Sovereign design had to be changed after one year as it was too similar to the sixpence. In 1887 the Sixpence became the withdrawn coin and the reverse design regressed to what it was before. The Numismatic Society and its President Sir John Evans, amongst others, continued to criticise the designs and the Jubilee portrait only lasted on British coins from 1887-1892 inclusive. Even the Queen herself had remarked on her displeasure of this coinage during 1888. In Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, the portrait continued briefly into 1893 on the gold coins. Boehm having died in 1890 was no longer around to see the change so soon after the Jubilee, and the criticism received may well have contributed to his demise, though he was kept very busy with his sculpture work.
For further reading see British Numismatic Journal 1984, p.274-288 “Edgar Boehm and the Jubilee Coinage” by G P Dyer and Mark Stocker.
The Reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901)
House of Hanover
Born: 24 May 1819
Accession: 20 June 1837
Married: Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 10 February 1840
Coronation: Thursday 28 June 1838
Children: four sons, five daughters
Died: 22 January 1901, aged 81
Estimate: £1000-1200