Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3081 12-13 Jan 2020
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Great Britain
Victoria gold Sovereign 1839 MS64 NGC, KM736.1, S-3852. Tied for finest certified at either NGC or PCGS; a fantastic rarity of the British Sovereign series. 500,000 Sovereigns were struck in 1839, but are almost never seen in Mint State, and are rarer still than the preceding 1838 issue (a rarity unto themselves). A theory for this deficit of high-grade 1839 Sovereigns goes that while some 1838 Sovereigns were saved as mementoes of the new Queen's first gold coinage, in 1839 the Coronation Proof set was issued with a Proof 1839 sovereign in it and so wealthy citizens could simply purchase this rather than saving a currency issue. Accordingly, most of the 1839 sovereigns produced for commercial purposes did in fact go into circulation, leading to many being eventually melted down and the small number of examples extant today exhibiting considerable wear. The present offering suffered no such fate, its surfaces exhibiting not a hint of handling or significant contact; fields of outstanding sleekness glowing with satin luster, a perceptible ring of orange-peel tone forming at the peripheries. Its sharpness of design and execution leads one to believe that, despite its lofty certification, this could still have been conservatively assessed. One of the most difficult types to obtain in any grade, and simply a must-have for the condition conscious collector of this immensely popular denomination.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/great-britain/great-britain-victoria-gold-sovereign-1839-ms64-ngc-/a/3081-30824.s?type=CoinArchives3081
HID02906262019
© 2019 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 15000-20000 USD
Victoria gold Sovereign 1839 MS64 NGC, KM736.1, S-3852. Tied for finest certified at either NGC or PCGS; a fantastic rarity of the British Sovereign series. 500,000 Sovereigns were struck in 1839, but are almost never seen in Mint State, and are rarer still than the preceding 1838 issue (a rarity unto themselves). A theory for this deficit of high-grade 1839 Sovereigns goes that while some 1838 Sovereigns were saved as mementoes of the new Queen's first gold coinage, in 1839 the Coronation Proof set was issued with a Proof 1839 sovereign in it and so wealthy citizens could simply purchase this rather than saving a currency issue. Accordingly, most of the 1839 sovereigns produced for commercial purposes did in fact go into circulation, leading to many being eventually melted down and the small number of examples extant today exhibiting considerable wear. The present offering suffered no such fate, its surfaces exhibiting not a hint of handling or significant contact; fields of outstanding sleekness glowing with satin luster, a perceptible ring of orange-peel tone forming at the peripheries. Its sharpness of design and execution leads one to believe that, despite its lofty certification, this could still have been conservatively assessed. One of the most difficult types to obtain in any grade, and simply a must-have for the condition conscious collector of this immensely popular denomination.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/great-britain/great-britain-victoria-gold-sovereign-1839-ms64-ngc-/a/3081-30824.s?type=CoinArchives3081
HID02906262019
© 2019 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 15000-20000 USD