BRITISH COINS, MILLED GOLD SOVEREIGNS, Victoria, Gold Sovereign, 1882S, third young head left, w.w. in relief on truncation, date below, rev crowned quartered shield of arms within laurel wreath, mint letter S below (Bentley -; McD 131; QM 62; Marsh 78; KM 6; Fr 11; S 3855). Short scratch on neck, surface marks and hairlines, otherwise toned, good fine, reverse better, the rarer earlier bust variety for the date, no example present in the Bentley Collection.
Calendar year mintage 1,298,000, includes both bust varieties. The latest Spink catalogue only lists the bust varieties as three types, when there are really four as defined in the Bentley Collection. This date is unlisted in the latest Spink catalogue for this final use of the obverse bust variety. It is interesting to note the Bentley Collection did not contain an example of the earlier third head obverse 1882S shield Sovereign, listed as the rarer variety within the Quartermaster Collection.
Estimate: £200-300