Baldwin & Sons
Auction 73 8 May 2012
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THE BENTLEY COLLECTION OF BRITISH MILLED GOLD SOVEREIGNS. Victoria, Proof Sovereign, 1893, engraved by Thomas Brock, old veiled bust left, T.B. below, VICTORIA D:G: BRITT: REG: F: D: IND: IMP:, toothed border surrounding, rev struck en médaille, engraved after Benedetto Pistrucci, St George slaying dragon with sword, three strand streamer on helmet, horse with long tail, three strand end to tail, two spurs of extra hair on curve of tail, dragon with four claws on each foreleg, broken lance on ground-line to left, WWP in relief under lance, date in exergue, tiny B.P. to upper right, finely toothed border within twin linear concentric circles and raised rim, edge milled, 7.95g, 22.1mm (WR 341; Murdoch 496; Nobleman 277/9; S 3874). Brilliant, mint state FDC.
Figures have been quoted of 556 Proof Sets with gold issued in 1893, 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 750 pieces as an educated guess for this new coinage.
The Last Coinage of Queen Victoria
It was decided by a Royal Mint committee in February 1891 that the unpopular Jubilee portrait was no longer appropriate and something new was required. Fellows of the Royal Academy were called upon to submit ideas and designs, and the following made submissions:- Edward Onslow Ford ARA sculptor, Edward J Poynter RA painter, Henry N Armstead RA sculptor, Charles A Birch ARA sculptor, Thomas Brock RA sculptor, W Hamo Thornycroft RA sculptor. Interestingly Poynter had been one of the harsh critics of the Jubilee design, so now had a chance to literally prove how good a coin designer he himself was.
However, Thomas Brock’s design won the day and the new older “widow” bust with heavy veil appeared for currency in 1893 to great acclaim. The design was engraved in metal from the designs by the Chief Engraver, George W De Saulles, who later went on to design the obverse for the King Edward VII coinage. Brock’s initials appear below the bust and the titles now significantly include the Empress of India and read thus VICTORIA D:G: BRITT: REG: F: D: IND: IMP: again the coins are struck en médaille with an upright die axis and the St George reverse continues effectively unchanged except in the smallest details, which can vary from die to die. The edges are of course milled.
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: £1200-1500
Figures have been quoted of 556 Proof Sets with gold issued in 1893, 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 750 pieces as an educated guess for this new coinage.
The Last Coinage of Queen Victoria
It was decided by a Royal Mint committee in February 1891 that the unpopular Jubilee portrait was no longer appropriate and something new was required. Fellows of the Royal Academy were called upon to submit ideas and designs, and the following made submissions:- Edward Onslow Ford ARA sculptor, Edward J Poynter RA painter, Henry N Armstead RA sculptor, Charles A Birch ARA sculptor, Thomas Brock RA sculptor, W Hamo Thornycroft RA sculptor. Interestingly Poynter had been one of the harsh critics of the Jubilee design, so now had a chance to literally prove how good a coin designer he himself was.
However, Thomas Brock’s design won the day and the new older “widow” bust with heavy veil appeared for currency in 1893 to great acclaim. The design was engraved in metal from the designs by the Chief Engraver, George W De Saulles, who later went on to design the obverse for the King Edward VII coinage. Brock’s initials appear below the bust and the titles now significantly include the Empress of India and read thus VICTORIA D:G: BRITT: REG: F: D: IND: IMP: again the coins are struck en médaille with an upright die axis and the St George reverse continues effectively unchanged except in the smallest details, which can vary from die to die. The edges are of course milled.
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: £1200-1500