Heritage World Coin Auctions
CICF Signature Sale 3032 10-12 April 2014
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Canada
Victoria Pattern Specimen 20 Cents 1871, London mint, DC-50a, SP63 PCGS. Reeded Edge - Medal Alignment. Golden toned throughout with delicate mottling and reflective fields that show pronounced depth particularly on the reverse. Of the upmost rarity, this issue was produced in both plain (DC-50) and straight edge (DC-51) formats with a total of three or four pieces estimated to exist. Produced with the Dominion of Canada obverse, the reverse actually carries a fantasy date that does not correspond with any circulation coinage. For this reason, it's production remains somewhat of a mystery as non-provincial Canada had abandoned the 20 cent piece long before in 1858. Experts therefore surmise that the types were created without sensitivity for the date, but only to demonstrate the denomination at exhibits. Also distinctly possible is that Charles Fremantle, the Deputy Master at the mint from the late 1860s through 1894, and known for creating other unusual strikings, could have produced these few oddities as cabinet pieces for prominent collectors, or even for curiosity sake. Whatever the case, today, any offering of the type is special. Not since the offering of the Belzberg Collection in 2003 have we had the opportunity to catalog an example, and it appears that neither has any other auction company. Like many of the items in the Prager Collection, nearly irreplaceable at any cost!From The Prager Collection of Canadian Specimen Coins
Estimate: 7000-9000 USD
Victoria Pattern Specimen 20 Cents 1871, London mint, DC-50a, SP63 PCGS. Reeded Edge - Medal Alignment. Golden toned throughout with delicate mottling and reflective fields that show pronounced depth particularly on the reverse. Of the upmost rarity, this issue was produced in both plain (DC-50) and straight edge (DC-51) formats with a total of three or four pieces estimated to exist. Produced with the Dominion of Canada obverse, the reverse actually carries a fantasy date that does not correspond with any circulation coinage. For this reason, it's production remains somewhat of a mystery as non-provincial Canada had abandoned the 20 cent piece long before in 1858. Experts therefore surmise that the types were created without sensitivity for the date, but only to demonstrate the denomination at exhibits. Also distinctly possible is that Charles Fremantle, the Deputy Master at the mint from the late 1860s through 1894, and known for creating other unusual strikings, could have produced these few oddities as cabinet pieces for prominent collectors, or even for curiosity sake. Whatever the case, today, any offering of the type is special. Not since the offering of the Belzberg Collection in 2003 have we had the opportunity to catalog an example, and it appears that neither has any other auction company. Like many of the items in the Prager Collection, nearly irreplaceable at any cost!From The Prager Collection of Canadian Specimen Coins
Estimate: 7000-9000 USD