Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 30 20 Mar 2019
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Edward VII, matt proof halfpenny, 1902, bare head r., by de Saulles, rev. Britannia seated r., with trident and shield, low tide variety (BMC 2222, Rev. B, rarity given as EXR; S.3991; KM.793.1), subdued golden red mint colour fading to brown, of extreme rarity and unusually well preserved; certified and graded by NGC as Proof 64 RB
The Royal Mint's then recent tradition of including no bronze coins in the Proof Sets continued with the Coronation proofs of 1902. Specimens of the new bronze coinage of 1902 such as this matt proof halfpenny should therefore be considered to be 'Proofs of Record', made for preservation in museums such as the Royal Mint Museum. This is a coin that was never intended for private collectors. The coin is considered one of the rarest coins of Edward VII.
Accompanying this lot is a copy of a letter dated 1 July 1985 from Graham Dyer, Librarian and Curator of the Royal Mint collection together with a copy of an earlier letter, 6 May 1977, from the specialist Michael J. Freeman, both attesting to the proof status of this coin. Dyer writes, "... we are inclined to agree with Mr. Freeman that it is a matt proof. In quality of striking it matches the two matt proofs in the Mint collection, and we find the rim on the obverse particularly persuasive."
(5000-8000 GBP)
The Royal Mint's then recent tradition of including no bronze coins in the Proof Sets continued with the Coronation proofs of 1902. Specimens of the new bronze coinage of 1902 such as this matt proof halfpenny should therefore be considered to be 'Proofs of Record', made for preservation in museums such as the Royal Mint Museum. This is a coin that was never intended for private collectors. The coin is considered one of the rarest coins of Edward VII.
Accompanying this lot is a copy of a letter dated 1 July 1985 from Graham Dyer, Librarian and Curator of the Royal Mint collection together with a copy of an earlier letter, 6 May 1977, from the specialist Michael J. Freeman, both attesting to the proof status of this coin. Dyer writes, "... we are inclined to agree with Mr. Freeman that it is a matt proof. In quality of striking it matches the two matt proofs in the Mint collection, and we find the rim on the obverse particularly persuasive."
(5000-8000 GBP)