Sovereign Rarities Ltd
Auction 2 24 Sep 2019
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Extremely Rare Victoria Silver Proof Gothic Crown Dated 1853
Victoria (1837-1901), silver Proof Gothic Crown, 1853, engraved by William Wyon, crowned gothic style bust left, small ww incuse on truncation, trefoil and arc border, legend in lower case Gothic lettering both sides, "Victoria dei gratia britanniar. Reg: f: d.", rev. inverted die axis, crowned cruciform shields, emblems in angles, garter star at centre, w incuse on inner border either dies of top crown, date in roman numerals in lower right of legend which commences in upper left quarter, "tueatur unita deus anno dom mdcccxliii", edge inscribed in raised letters with rose and crown stops "decus. et. tutamen. anno. regni. decimo. septimo.", weight 28.22g (Bull 2584 R3; L&S 69; ESC 293 R3; S.3884). Toned with some light surface nicks and hairline scratches on obverse, trace of old thumbprint in field, two light rim bruises, otherwise extremely fine / good extremely fine and very rare.
Produced six years after the much more common 1847 dated Gothic Crown of which 8,000 were struck, the 1853 Gothic Crown was struck only in a very limited number specifically for the proof set dated that year. The quantity is unknown but it seems proof sets of coins sold slowly in those days and were only available to order through the official agents of that time Hunt and Roskell as the public were not permitted to deal directly with the Mint. The 1853 sets were not struck for any specific occasion but perhaps could be more viewed as the vanity project of the new Master of the Mint as of 1851, the astronomer Sir J. F. W. Herschel. Upon arrival he totally reorganised the Mint clean sweeping away the multiple departments in favour of a centralised office modus operandi with the Master in charge. By 1851-52 period all the older stock of 1839 proof sets had at last been sold, and so the new Master insisted that new sets of all the denominations in proof quality be produced for sale to the public through the official agents on demand, and it seems sets were then sold on a sporadic basis for years afterward. The Gothic Crown was the key piece of the silver and the largest physical coin to feature in the set dated 1853. It is arguably one of the finest designs in the entire milled series and along with the 1839 Una and the Lion gold Five Pounds one of the most coveted designs by Royal Academy Member William Wyon.
Victoria (1837-1901), silver Proof Gothic Crown, 1853, engraved by William Wyon, crowned gothic style bust left, small ww incuse on truncation, trefoil and arc border, legend in lower case Gothic lettering both sides, "Victoria dei gratia britanniar. Reg: f: d.", rev. inverted die axis, crowned cruciform shields, emblems in angles, garter star at centre, w incuse on inner border either dies of top crown, date in roman numerals in lower right of legend which commences in upper left quarter, "tueatur unita deus anno dom mdcccxliii", edge inscribed in raised letters with rose and crown stops "decus. et. tutamen. anno. regni. decimo. septimo.", weight 28.22g (Bull 2584 R3; L&S 69; ESC 293 R3; S.3884). Toned with some light surface nicks and hairline scratches on obverse, trace of old thumbprint in field, two light rim bruises, otherwise extremely fine / good extremely fine and very rare.
Produced six years after the much more common 1847 dated Gothic Crown of which 8,000 were struck, the 1853 Gothic Crown was struck only in a very limited number specifically for the proof set dated that year. The quantity is unknown but it seems proof sets of coins sold slowly in those days and were only available to order through the official agents of that time Hunt and Roskell as the public were not permitted to deal directly with the Mint. The 1853 sets were not struck for any specific occasion but perhaps could be more viewed as the vanity project of the new Master of the Mint as of 1851, the astronomer Sir J. F. W. Herschel. Upon arrival he totally reorganised the Mint clean sweeping away the multiple departments in favour of a centralised office modus operandi with the Master in charge. By 1851-52 period all the older stock of 1839 proof sets had at last been sold, and so the new Master insisted that new sets of all the denominations in proof quality be produced for sale to the public through the official agents on demand, and it seems sets were then sold on a sporadic basis for years afterward. The Gothic Crown was the key piece of the silver and the largest physical coin to feature in the set dated 1853. It is arguably one of the finest designs in the entire milled series and along with the 1839 Una and the Lion gold Five Pounds one of the most coveted designs by Royal Academy Member William Wyon.