Great Britain 1888 4 pence
This specimen was lot 4327 in Goldberg sale 84 (Los Angeles, January 2015), where it sold for $199.75. The catalog description[1] noted, "Great Britain. Groat, 1888. Victoria. Groat or currency Four Pence, A stunning example of this unusual denomination which was produced for only a few decades in the 19th century." The groat, a descendant of the medieval grosso or groschen or gros, sat uneasily between the silver threepence and silver sixpence. It was minted for circulation in British Guiana 1838-55 and this one year type in 1888, after which circulation issues ceased. It is still included in the Maundy sets but a different reverse is used.
Recorded mintage: 120,000.
Specification: 1.88 g, .925 silver.
Catalog reference: S.3930; KM-772.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- 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.
- 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]Goldberg, Ira, Larry Goldberg, Aleeza Brown, Yifu Che, Jason Villareal and Stephen Harvey, Goldberg Sale 84: the Pre-Long Beach Auction, Los Angeles: Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, 2014.
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