Great Britain 1812 1 shilling 6 pence
This specimen was lot 72374 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, May 2023), where it sold for $528. The catalog description[1] noted, "GREAT BRITAIN. 1 Shilling & 6 Pence Bank Token, 1812. George III. PCGS MS-65. Armored bust variety. A Gem not only in grade but in coloration, spectacular tones include a medley of vivid amethyst, sapphire, Swiss topaz blue, and amber-russet. A true delight to illuminate, the naturally colorful surfaces of this 18 Pence token also display superb technical quality for the grade with nary a mark nor imperfection to be spotted under magnification. Satiny, crisply struck devices contrast smooth fields in a manner indicative of superb production quality. Tied for finest certified with just one other at PCGS, any numismatist would be temped by this enticing piece." The 1790's and early 1800's saw one of the recurring shortages of coin in England as she engaged in her titanic struggle with Napoleon. The Bank of England attempted to alleviate this by countermarking Spanish colonial pesos with a punch bearing the head of George III. When this countermark was enthusiastically counterfeited, the bank resorted to counterstamping the entire coin. This token, issued 1811-12, was probably struck on new blanks.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.925 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-Tn2; ESC-2114.
- Bressett, Kenneth E., A Guide Book of English Coins, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, 2nd Ed., Racine, WI: Whitman Publishing, 1962.
- Lobel, Richard, Mark Davidson, Allan Hailstone and Eleni Calligas, Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins, 1066 to Date, London: Coincraft, 1995.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, May 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Featuring the Richard Elliott Collection of Hooknecks, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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