Great Britain 1939 shilling KM-853
This specimen was lot 31786 in Heritage sale 3067 (Long Beach, September 2018), where it sold for $1,680. The catalog description[1] noted, "Great Britain: George VI Proof Shilling 1939 PR66 Cameo NGC. English crest. A very [rare] Proof of Record, and exceptionally highly certified. Endless mirrors flash behind George's cameo portrait, an ever-popular contrast and all the more attractive for its presence on an off-year type! A choice offering for the selective collector of English Proofs." This type was struck 1937-46 and is common, tho the proofs are rare. To appease regional sentiment, shillings with the Scottish crest on the reverse were also struck (KM 854). In 1947, the silver coinage was converted to copper-nickel to release precious metal for the payment of American war loans.
Recorded mintage: 11,053,000 plus proofs.
Specification: 5.65 g, 0.500 fine silver, 23.5 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 853, S-4082.
- 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, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- 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, 2018 September 6-11 Long Beach Expo World Coins & Ancient Coins Signature Auction #3067, Dallas: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2018.
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