St. James's / CNG
Auction 29 - The Lissner Collection 1-2 August 2014
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CEYLON (SRI LANKA), Colonial. British. George III. 1760-1820. Fantasy AV 4 Rixdollar (32mm, 15.53 g, 6h). Manufactured by Frank A. Lapa. Dated 1812 (Struck before May 1972). KM X7. EF, minor flaw in obverse field. Ten examples in this metal reported. LOT SOLD AS IS. NO RETURNS.
In 1977, the first example of this previously unknown gold 4 Rixdollar pattern appeared in the offices of Abraham Kosoff (1912-1983), a well-known rare coin dealer. While examples of the 1 and 2 Rixdollar patterns – commissioned by Ceylon in 1812 and struck from dies made by Thomas Wyon, Jr. at the Royal Mint in London – already were known (see lots 97 and 98 above), the appearance of this particular coin caused a stir as to its authenticity. Henry Grunthal (1905-2001), then curator of European and modern coins at the American Numismatic Society and the one who researched the coin, considered the piece to be authentic; he went so far as to declare the gold 4 Rixdollar the 'Ceylonese Stella', a reference to the famous gold US four dollar pattern of Charles E. Barber (A. Kosoff, "Authorities Authenticate Ceylon Pattern Four-Rix Dollar In Gold," Coin World [17 May 1972], p. 2). Less, than a month later, however, Coin World reported that the gold 4 Rixdollar pattern was found to be a modern fantasy of which 75 pieces in a variety of metals were reportedly produced ("Recent Findings Reveal Coin Modern Fabrication," Coin World [7 June 1972], p. 46). Although the manufacturer of this coin was unknown at the time, it was later discovered that it was produced by the coin dealer and author, Frank A. Lapa (1931-1995), a known coin counterfeiter (The E-Sylum, Volume 6, Number 1 (5 January 2003, Article 12 [http://coinbooks.org/esylum_v06n01a12.html]) and an individual with a notorious personal history (The E-Sylum, Volume 9, Number 31 (30 July 2006, Article 32 [http://www.coinbooks.com/esylum_v09n31a32.html]).
In 1977, the first example of this previously unknown gold 4 Rixdollar pattern appeared in the offices of Abraham Kosoff (1912-1983), a well-known rare coin dealer. While examples of the 1 and 2 Rixdollar patterns – commissioned by Ceylon in 1812 and struck from dies made by Thomas Wyon, Jr. at the Royal Mint in London – already were known (see lots 97 and 98 above), the appearance of this particular coin caused a stir as to its authenticity. Henry Grunthal (1905-2001), then curator of European and modern coins at the American Numismatic Society and the one who researched the coin, considered the piece to be authentic; he went so far as to declare the gold 4 Rixdollar the 'Ceylonese Stella', a reference to the famous gold US four dollar pattern of Charles E. Barber (A. Kosoff, "Authorities Authenticate Ceylon Pattern Four-Rix Dollar In Gold," Coin World [17 May 1972], p. 2). Less, than a month later, however, Coin World reported that the gold 4 Rixdollar pattern was found to be a modern fantasy of which 75 pieces in a variety of metals were reportedly produced ("Recent Findings Reveal Coin Modern Fabrication," Coin World [7 June 1972], p. 46). Although the manufacturer of this coin was unknown at the time, it was later discovered that it was produced by the coin dealer and author, Frank A. Lapa (1931-1995), a known coin counterfeiter (The E-Sylum, Volume 6, Number 1 (5 January 2003, Article 12 [http://coinbooks.org/esylum_v06n01a12.html]) and an individual with a notorious personal history (The E-Sylum, Volume 9, Number 31 (30 July 2006, Article 32 [http://www.coinbooks.com/esylum_v09n31a32.html]).