Sovereign Rarities Ltd
Auction 7 21 Sep 2022
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Victoria (1837-1901), gold 3-coin 'Sovereigns of the Sea' Set, 1997, comprising 1852, shield reverse Sovereign, 1871, St. George reverse, Elizabeth (1952-), 1997, proof (S.3852C, 3856A, SC2). The first and second very fine, the second with dark tone, the 1997 Sovereign almost as struck with some handling marks. Within this set, both the 1852 and 1871 Sovereigns were salvaged from the shipwreck of HMS Douro. Accompanied by original Royal mint display box and certificate of authenticity. (3)
These sets were produced by the Royal Mint in 1997 to commemorate the 115th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Douro on the 1st of April, 1882. HMS Douro, a British steamship running routes between Iberia and the UK, was heading north off the west coast of Portugal late at night, when the officer of the watch noticed the Spanish steamship Yrurac Bat some 2 miles away. Already too late to alter their course, the two ships collided, with both eventually succumbing to the damage and sinking, along with 59 lives.
Efforts were never originally made to salvage the 1,500ft deep wreckage, as the technology at the time did not allow for it. In 1949, however, a novice marine archaeologist by the name of Thomas Pickford came into possession of a mysterious note reading "Douro, 1882, £53,000, Bay of Biscay". 30 years later, his son, Nigel Pickford, took up the search for the lost wreck (and the bounty). Initial deep-sea surveys of wrecks came back with little concrete evidence, but as luck would have it a small piece of crockery bearing the RMS Company's logo was discovered, thus identifying the Douro. Once the wreck was identified, the salvage operation could commence. After just a few days of work, the team were able to recover a substantial hoard of between 2,000-3,000 gold Sovereigns, bars, ingots, and several hundred pieces of European gold bullion. Reported to the appropriate authorities, the coins were eventually released back to Pickford and his team, and were given the go ahead to enter the market. Since then, the Douro shipwreck coins have offered collectors the opportunity to own an interesting piece of maritime history at a relatively affordable price.
Estimate: £1,200-1,500
These sets were produced by the Royal Mint in 1997 to commemorate the 115th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Douro on the 1st of April, 1882. HMS Douro, a British steamship running routes between Iberia and the UK, was heading north off the west coast of Portugal late at night, when the officer of the watch noticed the Spanish steamship Yrurac Bat some 2 miles away. Already too late to alter their course, the two ships collided, with both eventually succumbing to the damage and sinking, along with 59 lives.
Efforts were never originally made to salvage the 1,500ft deep wreckage, as the technology at the time did not allow for it. In 1949, however, a novice marine archaeologist by the name of Thomas Pickford came into possession of a mysterious note reading "Douro, 1882, £53,000, Bay of Biscay". 30 years later, his son, Nigel Pickford, took up the search for the lost wreck (and the bounty). Initial deep-sea surveys of wrecks came back with little concrete evidence, but as luck would have it a small piece of crockery bearing the RMS Company's logo was discovered, thus identifying the Douro. Once the wreck was identified, the salvage operation could commence. After just a few days of work, the team were able to recover a substantial hoard of between 2,000-3,000 gold Sovereigns, bars, ingots, and several hundred pieces of European gold bullion. Reported to the appropriate authorities, the coins were eventually released back to Pickford and his team, and were given the go ahead to enter the market. Since then, the Douro shipwreck coins have offered collectors the opportunity to own an interesting piece of maritime history at a relatively affordable price.
Estimate: £1,200-1,500