Great Britain 1746 crown Dav-1351

Heritage sale 3089, lot 31192

Goldberg sale 87, lot 3123

The first specimen was lot 31192 in Heritage sale 3089 (Dallas, TX, January 2021), where it sold for $17,400. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Great Britain. George II Proof Crown 1746 PR63 NGC, VICESIMO edge. A stunning crown which clearly carries its Proof status as a badge of honor, the whole of the coin's finish delightfully sharp and fully expressed, with an even silty tone producing an almost matte-like finish to its already medallic details. Just light cabinet friction in the fields defines the grade, though this is relatively inconsequential when taking the offering's eye appeal as a whole. For the sake of completeness, we note a few small strike throughs (likely through a piece of thread) on the reverse." The second specimen was lot 3123 in Goldberg sale 87 (Los Angeles, September 2015), where it did not sell. The catalog description^[2] noted,

"Great Britain. Proof Crown, 1746. George II. by John Tanner. Obverse, second, older laureate draped bust left GEORGIVS II DEI GRATIA. Reverse, inverted die axis, crowned cruciform shields, angles plain. Edge VICESIMO in raised letters. Mint state. Obverse has an attractive steel blue tone to complement the razor sharp detail. The reverse is toned in blue with a hint of aquamarine. An exquisite coin which has been cherished over the centuries and consequently remains free from imperfection. A masterpiece of British eighteenth century numismatic production, and much rarer in top grade than the (later) Proof Crowns of 1826 and 1839. NGC graded Proof 63.
King George II was born in 1683 and raised in Hanover Germany. His father, George I, became King of England after Queen Anne died childless in 1714, and reigned until his demise in 1727. Becoming king in 1727 George II adapted well to life in England and indulged his passions for music, all things military, and his wife Caroline of Ansbach. He was famous as the last English king to have personally lead his troops into battle. George despised his son Frederick and after the death of George II (in 1760) the throne passed to his grandson - later to become George III - as Frederick had already passed away in 1751. Numismatically, the reign of George II was interesting. Some gold coins were made from bullion supplied by the East India Company and the initials of the company E.I.C appear on the obverse of these pieces. Admiral Anson's seizure of precious metal during his circumnavigation of the globe led to the production of gold and silver coins bearing the word LIMA below the king's portrait. And in 1732 and 1746 two stunning Proof Crowns were produced, one featuring the early (young) bust of the king, and the other (this piece) the older portrait. Copper coins were produced in abundance but none was made after 1754."

This crown was struck 1746, 1750-51 and is the last crown struck before 1818. "Lima" crowns were also struck in 1746 and are much more available.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 30.10 g, 0.925 fine silver.

Catalog reference: KM 585.2, S-3690, ESC-1669 (R; prev. ESC-126), Dav-1351.

Source:

Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1700-1800, 2nd Ed., London: Spink & Son, 1964.
Lobel, Richard, Mark Davidson, Allan Hailstone and Eleni Calligas, Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins, 1066 to Date, London: Coincraft, 1995.
Rayner, P. Alan, and Maurice Bull, English Silver Coinage from 1649, 6th Ed., London: Spink & Son, 2015.
Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
^[1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, Heritage Auction 3089: NYINC World & Ancient Coins Platinum & Signature Auction - Dallas, featuring the Cape Coral Collection of European Crowns and the Penn Collection, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2020.
^[2]Goldberg, Ira, Larry Goldberg, John Lavender, Yifu Che, Jason Villareal and Stephen Harvey, Goldberg Sale 87: the Pre-Long Beach Auction, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2015.

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Great Britain 1746 crown Dav-1351

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