TheNewYorkSaleauctionXL

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George III, (1760-1820). Gold Half Sovereign, 1817. Laureate head right, titles and date around. Rev.

Crowned arms. (S 3786; FR 372; KM673). Light golden tone. NGC graded MS-64.

$ 1,500

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George III, (1760-1820). Proof Eighteenpence Bank Token, 1811. First laureate and draped bust right

in armour. Rev. Value within oak wreath, date below, edge plain. (S 3771; KM Tn2). Practically as struck,

attractively toned.

Rare.

Proof.

$ 1,000

1816 Pattern Copper Crown

1385

George III, (1760-1820). Copper Pattern for a Crown-sized Coinage, dated 1816. Struck in pure copper,

37.7mm, 23.75g. Three Shillings Bank Token dies struck with a lettered edge. Laureate head right, legend

surrounding, GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX, border of dots around rim. Rev. Inscription within laurel

and oak wreath, BANK / TOKEN / 3 SHILL / 1816 in four lines, edge inscribed with incuse letters on

sunken edge between two plain rims, * DECUS ET TUTAMEN * ANNO REGNI QUINQUAGESIMO

SEPTIMO, struck en medaille, Two small spots and small rim bruise on the obverse, a little weakly struck at

centre. (cf L&S 151 for Halfcrown; cf MSCE Patt 12; cf Bull 2089).

Unpublished and of the highest rarity, this

the only known example.

Choice extremely fine.

$ 4,000

This unpublished piece is akin to the known 1816 Halfcrown dies, Crown-sized pattern of similar dimensions (38mm) listed in

the references quoted above. This piece has been researched further at the Royal Mint by Mr G P Dyer (their letter accompanies

this lot). It is best described as a technical trial piece leading to the eventual striking of the silver Crowns with lettered edges (issued

from 1818), though the Royal Mint record remains silent as to the circumstances of the striking of this piece. As the Royal Mint

letter details, there is an edge marking tool still in the Royal Mint Collection that is very similar to the inscription on this piece.

The Halfcrown specimen has been linked in the past to George Rennie who was appointed Superintendent of Machinery at the

Royal Mint in May 1816 and was in correspondence with Matthew Robinson Boulton of the Soho Mint in Birmingham about the

striking of lettered edge Crown-sized pieces. Preparations for the Crown pieces was known from documentary sources to have been

underway by March 1817 under the leadership of William Wellesley Pole for which this was an experimental die trial. A highly

important piece in the history of the milled coinage.

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