Sovereign Rarities Ltd
Auction 3 27 Apr 2021
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Elizabeth II (1952-), Set of seven decimal coinage trials on circular flans, undated, circa 1962-68 period, denominations numbered, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1, 1/4 respectively, all with a "Tower of London" style Tower Mint logo on reverse and struck en medaille, 50 and 20 in cupro-nickel with plain edges, 10, 5 and 2 in yellow metal with milled edges, 1 in bronze with plain edge, quarter in aluminium with plain edge, weights in denomination order, 16.19g, 6.40g, 11.21g, 5.58g, 2.23g, 4.41g, 1.17g respectively, diameters 32mm, 25mm, 28mm, 24mm, 18mm, 22mm, 21mm respectively. Generally a little unevenly toned, extremely fine or better, a scarce set and a relic from the process in thinking towards decimalisation which has just celebrated its own fiftieth anniversary.
The Decimal Currency Committee was appointed in December 1961 with the Rt. Hon. Earl of Halsbury as Chairman, Mr N E A Moore as Secretary (later Secretary of the Decimal Currency Board), Mr John Rimington as Assistant Secretary (from whose possession this set originally first appeared for sale). The Deputy Master of the Mint at this time was Mr J H James CB and trial pieces and proposals toward decimal currency began to be produced from the Winter of 1962 onwards. This set of coins is one of the actual sets used in the round table discussions by the committee, and according to John Rimington when he consigned it to Spink in 1997, only a handful of such sets were made.
Such trial coins as these do not have a currency defined upon them but all have an important lineal relationship to the decimal coinage by virtue of their physical dimensions.
Provenance:
Ex John Rimington, Assistant Secretary of Decimal Currency Committee, 1963 (Husband of Dame Stella Rimington the former Director General of MI5).
Ex Spink Coin Auction 124, 18-19 November 1997, lot 2264.
Ex Joanna Tansley Collection of Patterns, Proofs and Coining Trials, Dix Noonan and Webb, Auction 67, 28th September 2005, lot 418.
(£600-800)
The Decimal Currency Committee was appointed in December 1961 with the Rt. Hon. Earl of Halsbury as Chairman, Mr N E A Moore as Secretary (later Secretary of the Decimal Currency Board), Mr John Rimington as Assistant Secretary (from whose possession this set originally first appeared for sale). The Deputy Master of the Mint at this time was Mr J H James CB and trial pieces and proposals toward decimal currency began to be produced from the Winter of 1962 onwards. This set of coins is one of the actual sets used in the round table discussions by the committee, and according to John Rimington when he consigned it to Spink in 1997, only a handful of such sets were made.
Such trial coins as these do not have a currency defined upon them but all have an important lineal relationship to the decimal coinage by virtue of their physical dimensions.
Provenance:
Ex John Rimington, Assistant Secretary of Decimal Currency Committee, 1963 (Husband of Dame Stella Rimington the former Director General of MI5).
Ex Spink Coin Auction 124, 18-19 November 1997, lot 2264.
Ex Joanna Tansley Collection of Patterns, Proofs and Coining Trials, Dix Noonan and Webb, Auction 67, 28th September 2005, lot 418.
(£600-800)