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St. James's Auctions
Auction 52  26 Oct 2021
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Lot 3269

Estimate: 7500 GBP
Price realized: 14 250 GBP
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India, East India Company, Victoria, uniface obverse test strike of the rupee in pewter, 1839, for the new rupees of Victoria, likely designed by Kenneth Dass at the Calcutta mint, VICTORIA QUEEN, young head l. (SW.2.7), certified and graded by NGC as Mint State 63
One of only two known. It was not given an SW. reference in The David Fore Collection.
A.H. Baldwin & Son, Auction 78, The David Fore Collection, 7th May 2013, all with original lot cards.
Please note that all lots have been certified and graded by NGC since their appearance in The David Fore Collection, and some were conserved during this process.
For many years now, the existence of proof 'restrike' coins have caused difficulties for collectors and numismatists alike. Indeed, proof coins of this series were 'originally' produced and were subsequently reproduced in different circumstances from 1835 to 1970. The original proof issues were struck as examples of the contemporary circulating coins, much as they are today, and were often used for display due to their delicate mirrored finish. The restrike coins were produced for esteemed collectors and for museums sometime after the original currency coins were struck. They seem to have been available to collectors 'on order' thus meaning the collector could request a special off metal striking (when the coin is struck in a metal different to the metal used for the original issue, for example, a gold two annas). These coins are often of high quality and were carefully struck with well-prepared dies. These restrikes are often called 'early restrikes'. As one would expect, the existence of 'early restrikes' does imply the existence of 'later restrikes'. These were struck between 1947 and 1970 and were struck to order when the client provided the metal to the mint and was charged a fee for the striking service. Originally the coins available in this period were restrikes of currency coins only, but towards 1960 pattern striking were also available. This period also saw a rising popularity of mule coins, showing obverses and reverses which weren't usually paired on a coin. The existence of three periods in which the 'same' coin was struck sometimes makes it difficult to assign a coin to the correct striking time frame. As such, some of the coins for sale here feature the footnote: Originally identified in The David Fore Collection as an original striking, although subsequently certified and graded by NGC with a ticket marked 'restrike'. We feel it best to give the collector this information in order to make a fully informed decision.
(7500-8500 GBP)
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