File:New Zealand H3037-31254o.jpg

This specimen was lot 31254 in Heritage sale 3037 (New York, January 2015), where it sold for $21,150. The catalog description^[1] noted, "George VI Proof Crown 1949 PR66 PCGS, KM 22. This broad and magnificent offering features the bare head of George VI and a silver fern leaf flanked by stars. The only Crown issued by New Zealand to bear the portrait of this King, with fully-mirrored surfaces awash in a sublime mixture of peach and gold patina. The reported mintage of this piece is estimated around three; whether or not that number is accurate seems to matter very little since in the past ten years, this coin has only been publicly offered four times. A highly interesting specimen with an equally intriguing back story: Struck for the King's proposed visit to New Zealand in 1949, his trip to the South Pacific was actually canceled because he fell ill from numerous ailments. Not surprisingly, the single finest graded example of this elusive issue graded by either PCGS or NGC."