Baldwin & Sons
Auction 73 8 May 2012
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THE BENTLEY COLLECTION OF BRITISH MILLED GOLD SOVEREIGNS. Victoria, Sovereign, 1848, first young head left, ponytail terminates in single curved strand of hair, date below, doubled date figures out of alignment, toothed border both sides, rev crowned quartered shield of arms within laurel wreath, emblems below, 7.98g (Marsh 31A R2; MCE 509; S 3852). Light surface marks and nicks, small black spot on reverse rim and by Scottish lion, otherwise good extremely fine and extremely rare
ex Spink and Son Ltd, May 2001
Calendar year mintage 2,246,701
One of the unsung great rarities in the shield sovereign series of Queen Victoria is the first small young head upon the 1848 Sovereign. The majority of the surviving 1848 coins usually exhibit the second larger young head and the first small head is extremely rare in this cataloguer’s experience, more so than the rating put upon it by Marsh. The calendar year mintage is much lower in 1848 and there was a Royal Mint Commission that year to look into ways to improve the die and matrix production at which William Wyon was required to give evidence. This maybe why the output was lower and the reason why the larger young head was introduced as a result of the deliberations of this committee and would explain why the first head is rare for this year. Perhaps the wear and tear on dies was considered to be less if the design more evenly filled the available field with less of a gap between it and the legend, perhaps resulting in less strain on the dies and increasing their longevity in striking. This is worthy of further research. The legacy we are left with today is an obvious juncture in the transition of the two types of bust, the first one being so much rarer for 1848.
Victoria First Small Young Head Type Currency Sovereign
The currency Sovereigns of Queen Victoria begin with a standard Young head design engraved by William Wyon with date below. The head does not quite fill the field as a later depiction does from 1848, and has the hair bound with a double fillet. It also has a large bun at the rear of the head that drops down into a “ponytail,” which on this earlier issue terminates at the bottom in a single strand ring-like curl. The engraver’s initial’s W.W. appear raised on the truncation. The legend reads VICTORIA DEI GRATIA. The border is finely toothed with a linear circle around the raised border which features both sides with a milled edge. The young head obverse design in basic from runs from 1838 till 1887. There are no Sovereigns dated 1840. However, this first young head is of a smaller design and only lasts for ten years inclusive from 1838-1848.
The reverse engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen features a new crowned shield design with a laurel wreath surrounding to left and right of 24 leaves per side, the top of each wreath each side terminates in two leaves. The bottom stalks are tied together with a ribbon and emblematic plants are depicted below. A central rose with a thistle to the left and a shamrock to the right. A small rosette appears either side. The majority of currency reverses of Victoria carry seven strings in the Irish harp with a faint diagonal line running through them depicting the rear of the bottom harp body. The shorter left string generally emanates at the top from the scroll on the back of the female figure on the harp body. The inner arches of the crown above have eleven pearls on each side, and five more run up the central upright. There are nine varied jewels on the crown band. The legend reads BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:. The reverse is struck with an inverted die axis in relation to the obverse.
The shield type reverse design endures in the London series from 1838 till 1874 with just a few varieties. In the Colonial Australian series this reverse lasted until 1887 as it proved popular and acceptable in trade with Asia, a narrative to be continued in part two of the Bentley Collection.
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: £4000-5000
ex Spink and Son Ltd, May 2001
Calendar year mintage 2,246,701
One of the unsung great rarities in the shield sovereign series of Queen Victoria is the first small young head upon the 1848 Sovereign. The majority of the surviving 1848 coins usually exhibit the second larger young head and the first small head is extremely rare in this cataloguer’s experience, more so than the rating put upon it by Marsh. The calendar year mintage is much lower in 1848 and there was a Royal Mint Commission that year to look into ways to improve the die and matrix production at which William Wyon was required to give evidence. This maybe why the output was lower and the reason why the larger young head was introduced as a result of the deliberations of this committee and would explain why the first head is rare for this year. Perhaps the wear and tear on dies was considered to be less if the design more evenly filled the available field with less of a gap between it and the legend, perhaps resulting in less strain on the dies and increasing their longevity in striking. This is worthy of further research. The legacy we are left with today is an obvious juncture in the transition of the two types of bust, the first one being so much rarer for 1848.
Victoria First Small Young Head Type Currency Sovereign
The currency Sovereigns of Queen Victoria begin with a standard Young head design engraved by William Wyon with date below. The head does not quite fill the field as a later depiction does from 1848, and has the hair bound with a double fillet. It also has a large bun at the rear of the head that drops down into a “ponytail,” which on this earlier issue terminates at the bottom in a single strand ring-like curl. The engraver’s initial’s W.W. appear raised on the truncation. The legend reads VICTORIA DEI GRATIA. The border is finely toothed with a linear circle around the raised border which features both sides with a milled edge. The young head obverse design in basic from runs from 1838 till 1887. There are no Sovereigns dated 1840. However, this first young head is of a smaller design and only lasts for ten years inclusive from 1838-1848.
The reverse engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen features a new crowned shield design with a laurel wreath surrounding to left and right of 24 leaves per side, the top of each wreath each side terminates in two leaves. The bottom stalks are tied together with a ribbon and emblematic plants are depicted below. A central rose with a thistle to the left and a shamrock to the right. A small rosette appears either side. The majority of currency reverses of Victoria carry seven strings in the Irish harp with a faint diagonal line running through them depicting the rear of the bottom harp body. The shorter left string generally emanates at the top from the scroll on the back of the female figure on the harp body. The inner arches of the crown above have eleven pearls on each side, and five more run up the central upright. There are nine varied jewels on the crown band. The legend reads BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:. The reverse is struck with an inverted die axis in relation to the obverse.
The shield type reverse design endures in the London series from 1838 till 1874 with just a few varieties. In the Colonial Australian series this reverse lasted until 1887 as it proved popular and acceptable in trade with Asia, a narrative to be continued in part two of the Bentley Collection.
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: £4000-5000