Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3071 6-7 Jan 2019
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Great Britain
Victoria 10-Piece Certified gold & silver Proof Set 1893 NGC,
1) 3 Pence - PR67+★ Cameo, S-3942
2) 6 Pence - PR67 Cameo, S-3941
3) Shilling - PR68★ Cameo, S-3940
4) Florin - PR65+ Cameo, S-3939
5) 1/2 Crown - PR67 Ultra Cameo, S-3938
6) Crown - PR67 Cameo, S-3937
7) 1/2 Sovereign - PR66+ Ultra Cameo, S-3878
8) Sovereign - PR68 Ultra Cameo, S-3874
9) 2 Pounds - PR66 Ultra Cameo, S-3873
10) 5 Pounds - PR66 Ultra Cameo, S-3872
KM-PS13, S-PS7. An unbelievable ten-piece group of coins, a set that needs to be seen to be believed. Of the 773 sets produced in 1893, there surely can be no better survivor than this offering, presently the finest known.
The preceding Proof Set issued in 1887 introduced the new 'Jubilee' head portrait, the first major portrait change since the beginning of Victorian coinage in 1838; 797 of these sets were produced, hardly a significant amount more than in 1893, but the excitement generated by Victoria's Golden Jubilee coinciding with this radically different portrait elicited major public numismatic interest. Consequently, huge numbers of the 1887 currency issues were put aside by individuals as royalist keepsakes, aided by jewelers creating cased specimen sets of high-grade currency coins. This effect reduces the impact of the 1887 set somewhat as, although appealing and similarly scarce, one is quite accustomed to encountering pristine 1887 currency issues. In 1893 the new 'Widow Head' coinage was produced but by then public interest was far less--this due to there being no significant event associated with the change in style, and as this portrait followed the previous type by only six years. Accordingly, one is far less used to seeing such finely produced 1893 coins as 1887, hugely adding to the visual appeal of such gem Proofs as these.
Of astounding grade, several coins within this set represent either the joint highest or single highest graded specimens by either NGC or PCGS. Amazingly, the lowest certified is still a PR65+ Cameo, and cursory inspection will reveal that even it (the Florin) has been conservatively graded, whilst the highest grades are held by two PR68s, unbelievable for a set of this age. The Crown has one of the most defined cameo portraits the cataloguer has seen, and appears certainly worthy of an 'ultra cameo' designation; the entirety of the silver component has toned magnificently, expressing vivid blues, blazing orange-reds and a positive rainbow of iridescence. The gold pieces all boast well-deserved 'ultra cameo' designations, and the 5 Pounds graded at PR66 is second-from-highest graded by either NGC or PCGS (the highest graded, a PR67★ example, realized $152,750 in our January NYINC sale by itself).
The unparalleled quality of this set makes it rather difficult to appraise. The finest-known 1887 Proof Set offered in our April 2018 Chicago sale realized an impressive $156,000, and the finest-known 1853 set realized an identical price in our August 2018 ANA sale. We anticipate equal or likely even greater bidding for this finest known 1893 set, with its comparative rarity, appeal, and simply unbelievable technical quality. A set destined only for the most elite British collection.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 100000-150000 USD
Victoria 10-Piece Certified gold & silver Proof Set 1893 NGC,
1) 3 Pence - PR67+★ Cameo, S-3942
2) 6 Pence - PR67 Cameo, S-3941
3) Shilling - PR68★ Cameo, S-3940
4) Florin - PR65+ Cameo, S-3939
5) 1/2 Crown - PR67 Ultra Cameo, S-3938
6) Crown - PR67 Cameo, S-3937
7) 1/2 Sovereign - PR66+ Ultra Cameo, S-3878
8) Sovereign - PR68 Ultra Cameo, S-3874
9) 2 Pounds - PR66 Ultra Cameo, S-3873
10) 5 Pounds - PR66 Ultra Cameo, S-3872
KM-PS13, S-PS7. An unbelievable ten-piece group of coins, a set that needs to be seen to be believed. Of the 773 sets produced in 1893, there surely can be no better survivor than this offering, presently the finest known.
The preceding Proof Set issued in 1887 introduced the new 'Jubilee' head portrait, the first major portrait change since the beginning of Victorian coinage in 1838; 797 of these sets were produced, hardly a significant amount more than in 1893, but the excitement generated by Victoria's Golden Jubilee coinciding with this radically different portrait elicited major public numismatic interest. Consequently, huge numbers of the 1887 currency issues were put aside by individuals as royalist keepsakes, aided by jewelers creating cased specimen sets of high-grade currency coins. This effect reduces the impact of the 1887 set somewhat as, although appealing and similarly scarce, one is quite accustomed to encountering pristine 1887 currency issues. In 1893 the new 'Widow Head' coinage was produced but by then public interest was far less--this due to there being no significant event associated with the change in style, and as this portrait followed the previous type by only six years. Accordingly, one is far less used to seeing such finely produced 1893 coins as 1887, hugely adding to the visual appeal of such gem Proofs as these.
Of astounding grade, several coins within this set represent either the joint highest or single highest graded specimens by either NGC or PCGS. Amazingly, the lowest certified is still a PR65+ Cameo, and cursory inspection will reveal that even it (the Florin) has been conservatively graded, whilst the highest grades are held by two PR68s, unbelievable for a set of this age. The Crown has one of the most defined cameo portraits the cataloguer has seen, and appears certainly worthy of an 'ultra cameo' designation; the entirety of the silver component has toned magnificently, expressing vivid blues, blazing orange-reds and a positive rainbow of iridescence. The gold pieces all boast well-deserved 'ultra cameo' designations, and the 5 Pounds graded at PR66 is second-from-highest graded by either NGC or PCGS (the highest graded, a PR67★ example, realized $152,750 in our January NYINC sale by itself).
The unparalleled quality of this set makes it rather difficult to appraise. The finest-known 1887 Proof Set offered in our April 2018 Chicago sale realized an impressive $156,000, and the finest-known 1853 set realized an identical price in our August 2018 ANA sale. We anticipate equal or likely even greater bidding for this finest known 1893 set, with its comparative rarity, appeal, and simply unbelievable technical quality. A set destined only for the most elite British collection.
HID02901242017
Estimate: 100000-150000 USD