Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's
Auction 79 8 May 2013
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
G BRITISH COINS
The Bentley Collection of British Milled Gold Sovereigns
Extremely Rare WW No Stops Sovereign, dated 1831
ex Douglas-Morris Collection
William IV, "Proof" Sovereign, 1831, by William Wyon after Francis Chantrey's model, first bare head right with finer hair and round topped ear, WW incuse fully on truncation without stops, first W meets field, nose points to second N in BRITANNIAR, GULIELMUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR REX F: D:, second and third I missing top serifs, M in King's name mispunched on die and corrected, finer toothed border and raised rim both sides, rev struck with inverted die axis, by Jean Baptiste Merlen, crowned quartered shield of arms, with the arms of Hanover as an escutcheon, Irish arms with eight harp strings, ANNO 1831 below, finer taller border teeth, edge milled, 8.00g, 22mm (WR 262 R6; Douglas-Morris 180, this coin; S 3829A). Heavily hairlined in fields, design with frosted elements, light raised die flaw in field by forehead, as defined on the coin on the Wilson Rasmussen plate, otherwise brilliant, good extremely fine and extremely rare.
ex Capt K J Douglas-Morris collection, Sothebys, 26 November 1974, lot 180
ex Leu Numismatik, Zürich, Switzerland, 26 October 2004, lot 441
This coin was featured in the Douglas-Morris sale in 1974 as a proof and has been later included and illustrated in the Wilson and Rasmussen publication, also as a proof gold Sovereign with ww only on the truncation without stops. In this cataloguer's experience all the ww without stops seem to be struck to similar high quality, just like the coin offered in the next lot, which is another of this variety that was bought as the currency piece. This coin is also brilliant with raised rims but perhaps not as frosted and also missing the die flaw by the forehead in the field. It would seem the flaw by forehead is diagnostic of WR262 - the proof variety. It seems that the obverse die then had the flaw polished out and continued to be used for striking, rendering the later non-die flawed coins "proof-like" as struck from proof dies. Milled edge proofs at this period 1825-1839 do not seem to have bold square rims to their edges as some later proof coins do. However, they do have a rim that is proud of the field of the coin. Therefore, it is a case of two sub-varieties for a coin struck to superior definition to that seen in currency, but perhaps not as clear-cut a proof as, say, the 1832 proof offered in lot 961.
It is interesting to see that the second bust rendition was used for the proof coin, as issued for the Coronation proof sets in 1831. Most current coins of 1831 carry the first bust, while the second bust in currency for 1831 is extremely rare. Strangely the 1830 Pattern also carries the second bust portrait (see Bentley Collection, part two) and the 1832 proof offered as lot 961 carries the first bust. There are also extremely rare first bust Sovereigns of 1832 struck as currency. Therefore the chronology does not follow in reality as their referencing suggests. The second bust turned out to be the most prolific in this reign, being used consistently from 1832 till the end of the reign. Both busts must have been used concurrently at times but the only reason they can accurately be called first and second bust is based on when they were phased out rather than when they were first used. For further reading, see an article by Harold Mountain in the Spink Numismatic Circular October 1984, page 255, Two Kinds of William IIII Sovereigns.
The Coronation of William IV took place 8 September 1831 and all the denominations issued for the current new coinage for the Coronation year of William IV in 1831 were also produced to proof quality in Coronation proof sets. These undoubtedly were made to present to officials and VIPs, and, in addition to current 1831 dated denominations, included a proof gold Two Pounds and silver Crown, Halfcrown and Shilling that were not current that year. Additionally William Wyon himself would be able to supply proofs to whomever he pleased or to those who would commission him to do so.
Estimate: £6000-8000
The Bentley Collection of British Milled Gold Sovereigns
Extremely Rare WW No Stops Sovereign, dated 1831
ex Douglas-Morris Collection
William IV, "Proof" Sovereign, 1831, by William Wyon after Francis Chantrey's model, first bare head right with finer hair and round topped ear, WW incuse fully on truncation without stops, first W meets field, nose points to second N in BRITANNIAR, GULIELMUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR REX F: D:, second and third I missing top serifs, M in King's name mispunched on die and corrected, finer toothed border and raised rim both sides, rev struck with inverted die axis, by Jean Baptiste Merlen, crowned quartered shield of arms, with the arms of Hanover as an escutcheon, Irish arms with eight harp strings, ANNO 1831 below, finer taller border teeth, edge milled, 8.00g, 22mm (WR 262 R6; Douglas-Morris 180, this coin; S 3829A). Heavily hairlined in fields, design with frosted elements, light raised die flaw in field by forehead, as defined on the coin on the Wilson Rasmussen plate, otherwise brilliant, good extremely fine and extremely rare.
ex Capt K J Douglas-Morris collection, Sothebys, 26 November 1974, lot 180
ex Leu Numismatik, Zürich, Switzerland, 26 October 2004, lot 441
This coin was featured in the Douglas-Morris sale in 1974 as a proof and has been later included and illustrated in the Wilson and Rasmussen publication, also as a proof gold Sovereign with ww only on the truncation without stops. In this cataloguer's experience all the ww without stops seem to be struck to similar high quality, just like the coin offered in the next lot, which is another of this variety that was bought as the currency piece. This coin is also brilliant with raised rims but perhaps not as frosted and also missing the die flaw by the forehead in the field. It would seem the flaw by forehead is diagnostic of WR262 - the proof variety. It seems that the obverse die then had the flaw polished out and continued to be used for striking, rendering the later non-die flawed coins "proof-like" as struck from proof dies. Milled edge proofs at this period 1825-1839 do not seem to have bold square rims to their edges as some later proof coins do. However, they do have a rim that is proud of the field of the coin. Therefore, it is a case of two sub-varieties for a coin struck to superior definition to that seen in currency, but perhaps not as clear-cut a proof as, say, the 1832 proof offered in lot 961.
It is interesting to see that the second bust rendition was used for the proof coin, as issued for the Coronation proof sets in 1831. Most current coins of 1831 carry the first bust, while the second bust in currency for 1831 is extremely rare. Strangely the 1830 Pattern also carries the second bust portrait (see Bentley Collection, part two) and the 1832 proof offered as lot 961 carries the first bust. There are also extremely rare first bust Sovereigns of 1832 struck as currency. Therefore the chronology does not follow in reality as their referencing suggests. The second bust turned out to be the most prolific in this reign, being used consistently from 1832 till the end of the reign. Both busts must have been used concurrently at times but the only reason they can accurately be called first and second bust is based on when they were phased out rather than when they were first used. For further reading, see an article by Harold Mountain in the Spink Numismatic Circular October 1984, page 255, Two Kinds of William IIII Sovereigns.
The Coronation of William IV took place 8 September 1831 and all the denominations issued for the current new coinage for the Coronation year of William IV in 1831 were also produced to proof quality in Coronation proof sets. These undoubtedly were made to present to officials and VIPs, and, in addition to current 1831 dated denominations, included a proof gold Two Pounds and silver Crown, Halfcrown and Shilling that were not current that year. Additionally William Wyon himself would be able to supply proofs to whomever he pleased or to those who would commission him to do so.
Estimate: £6000-8000