Great Britain 1839 shilling

Heritage sale 3037, lot 29706

This specimen was lot 29706 in Heritage sale 3037 (New York, January 2015), where it sold for $2,467.50. The catalog description^[1] noted,

"Victoria Proof Shilling 1839 PR63 Deep Cameo PCGS, Royal mint, plain edge, no WW. There are two main varieties of the plain edge 1839 proof shilling - with and without William Wyon's initials on the truncation of the neck. While exact mintage figures of each type are unknown, ESC lists the type with WW (which was issued in the 1839 coronation proof set) as 'scarce' while the type without WW is listed as 'rare'. Of the types without WW, however, there are what can be considered two sub-varieties: those struck in coin alignment, and those struck en medaille (medal alignment). The latter type is certainly the rarer of the two, with the Standard Catalog of British Coins pricing it at about two and a half times the value of a standard plain edge proof. As such, this is one of the rarest varieties of the 1839 proof shilling, second only to the milled edge variety (a type that is not often available publicly due to its extreme rarity). The fields on this piece have subtle yet still vibrant rainbow hues, which stand in pleasant contrast to deeply frosted devices. Though it may not technically be one, this coin is a real gem in hand."

This type was struck 1838-66 in large quantities with a slightly modified obverse continuing until 1887.

Recorded mintage: 5,667,000 plus proofs.

Specification: 5.65 g, .925 silver, 23.6 mm diameter.

Catalog reference: KM 734.1, S-3904, ESC-1284 var. (en medaille).

Source:

• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
• ^[1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and Scott Cordry, Heritage Signature Auction 3037, featuring the Empire, the Santa Catarina, the Law and the Santa Maria Collections, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2014.
• 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.

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