Lot 3829
Great Britain. Pattern Proof Shilling, 1787. ESC-1241(incorrect on slab). George III. By Lewis Pingo. Produced on heavy flan. Obverse, draped bust of king right. Reverse, cruciform shields with crowns in angles. Stop over head, stops at date and semee of hearts in the Hanoverian shield. This proof shows a sharpness and clarity of detail never achieved on the currency coins. Struck on a thicker than normal flan, this coin is considerably heavier (around 25%) than its currency siblings. The currency coins have striated or reeded edges, this has a plain edge and a circle of partial dots around the circumference of the coin. Beautifully toned and an impressive 'presentation piece.' At 7.56 grams (ref. H.E. Manville and P.P. Gaspar 'The 1787 Shilling. A Transition In Minting Technique') this specimen is the heaviest recorded and probably the most important example of the 1787 shilling. NGC graded Proof 63.
*Master of the Mint, Lord Effingham authorized Pingo to strike 168 Proofs of the Shilling and Sixpence from the new dies. The figure included 100 of each coin for the Directors of the Bank of England. Throughout the 18th century and into the nineteenth, the striking of patterns as well as medals, was the prerogative of the engravers, not the moneyers, and the engravers were allowed to sell these pieces for private profit. No shillings had been made for general circulation during the previous 28 years and great care was taken to produce dies of a superior standard. The coins show an intermediate stage in the modernization of coinage techniques, and this pattern remains one of the finest examples of numismatic production in the late 18th century.
Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,750.
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| Realized $3,055 |
