Great Britain 1937 penny
This specimen was lot 21237 in Heritage sale 3010 (Boston, August 2010), where it sold for $3,220. The catalog description[1] noted,
"George VI Matte Proof Penny 1937, a major rarity graded Matte PR 63 RB by NGC, originality of the russet surfaces just ever so slightly disturbed, overall appearance really choice. How and when these Matte Proofs were struck remains a mystery, as the only official issues of this proofing version were the silver and gold pieces of 1902, but a reasonable theory is that the coins themselves, once struck from normal brilliant or polished proofing dies, were then sand-blasted, much as certain U.S. gold coins were. This coin has such a look. Other pieces seem to have been made from dies that were sand-blasted. No one is certain, and in fact it is entirely possible that the Royal Mint's proofing coiners experimented at will, making the few known examples one one way and the next the other. This charming and ultra rare Penny should find wide appeal and be strongly bid after."
This type was struck 1937-48 and no date is rare. The denomination was terminated in 1970 with the transition to decimal coinage.
Recorded mintage: 88,896,000 plus 26,000 proofs plus a few matte proofs.
Specification: 9.4 g, bronze, 31 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: S.4114, KM 845.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th 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.
- Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
- [1]Tucker, Warren, Scott Cordry and John Kraljevich, Heritage Sale 3010: World Coins, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2010.
Link to:
- 1937 farthing
- 1937 half penny
- 1937 pattern threepence, Edward VIII
- 1937 brass 3 pence
- 1937 silver 3 pence
- 1937 shilling, Scottish reverse
- 1937 2 shillings
- 1937 ½ crown
- 1937 crown
- 1937 half sovereign
- 1937 sovereign
- 1937 2 pounds
- 1937 5 pounds
- 1937 pattern 5 pounds, Edward VIII
- Coins and currency dated 1937
- return to coins of Great Britain