Great Britain 1867 florin
This specimen was lot 31227 in Heritage sale 3073 (Chicago, April 2019), where it sold for $7,200. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Victoria Proof 'Gothic' Florin 1867 PR64 PCGS Plain edge. Victoria's 'Gothic' coinage, executed by William Wyon and William Dyce, is represented solely by Florins and Crowns and said to be the most beautiful series of British coins ever produced--and the present specimen does little to refute that claim. Enigmatically depicting the date in Roman numerals, an element not seen since the coinage of Edward VI in the mid-16th century, this transitional Proof rarity is the first of its type to feature 'BRITT' within its obverse legend as oppose[d] to the previously-seen 'BRIT'. Splendidly toned surfaces (a smooth blend of blue and lavender) show only stray faint hairlines and glitter with reflective luster, and the full Proof impression of the design details on each side only adds to the exceptional eye-appeal. An outstanding offering, and likely amongst the finest known examples of this Proof rarity. From the Lake County Collection."
The florin with "BRIT" on the obverse legend was struck 1863-67, the subtype with "BRITT" was struck 1868-78 and had die numbers.
Recorded mintage: 424,000 plus proofs, a key date.
Specification: 11.31 g, 0.925 fine silver, .336 troy oz ASW.
Catalog reference: KM 746.3, ESC-2864 (R5).
- Bressett, Kenneth E., A Guide Book of English Coins, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, 2nd Ed., Racine, WI: Whitman Publishing, 1962.
- 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.
- Lobel, Richard, Mark Davidson, Allan Hailstone and Eleni Calligas, Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins, 1066 to Date, London: Coincraft, 1995.
- Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano and Warren Tucker, Heritage World and Ancient Coins Auction 3073, featuring the Lake County Collection of British coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2019.
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