Lot 418
Great Britain. Proof Sovereign, 1818. S-3785A; WR-198; Fr-371; KM-674. New Coinage. George III, 1760-1820. Older, Laureate Head right. Reverse: St George and the Dragon. Legend type B; reeded edge. Another Proof of Record, but far rarer! R6, extremely rare (just 3 to 5 known, according to Wilson & Rasmussen, and this seems an accurate appraisal). Dr Terner searched for years for a spectacular cameo Proof, and this was the piece he settled upon; it was purchased by the present owner in our sale of his collection several years ago. NGC graded Proof 64 Ultra Cameo.
Around the time of the commencement of England's recoinage, the art world was caught up in the artistic movement known as Neoclassicism. One of the most influential patrons of this type of contemporary Italian art was the Prince Regent, later George IV of England. It was because of his taste, and through his influence, that an Italian medallist and cameo engraver named Benedetto Pistrucci was appointed to the Mint to design and engrave new dies for the Great Recoinage. He produced a series of busts of the aged George III which were certainly the equal of the Napoleonic imperial portaits, and yet it was for the reverses of the crown and the new sovereign that his laurels were earned. His conception of Saint George and the Dragon was monumental. It was one of the most successful coin designs of its time, and remains so to this day. His original rendering of Saint George was a carved hardstone cameo shown to officials at the Royal Mint, and it was they who directed that a small number of Proofs should be struck to preserve these classics of design for future generations.
Estimated Value $12,000 - 15,000.
Ex Sharps-Pixley and Terner Collections. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection. Illustrated in Money of The World, coin 142.
|
| |
| Realized $26,450 |
