Owner Comments:
2015 NGC AWARD : Best Presented Set
Competitive Set : GREAT BRITAIN, GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGN 1838-1901, Circulation Issue, (VICTORIA)
NGC Expert Comments:
This collection features the gold half sovereign (ten shillings) series of Queen Victoria, who still holds the record as longest-reigning British monarch. The owner presents a history of the sovereign and its half unit as coins of the realm, as well as a biography of Victoria herself. Each coin is illustrated and described fully, including it aesthetic qualities and provenance, when known. While the collection is still a work in progress, some of its current highlights include 1847 (NGC MS 64), 1852 (NGC MS 65), 1863 without die number (NGC MS 64) and 1883 (NGC MS 64).
GT. BRITAIN, VICTORIA Young (small) Head, Type A1 (without die number) GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGN 1844
(Marsh 418; S 3859).
OBVERSE: Young head bust of the Queen to the left engraved by William Wyon.
REVERSE: Ornate garnished shield containing the Ensigns Armorial of the United Kingdom, engraved by J.B.Merlen.
DIAMETER: 19.4 mm.
WEIGHT: 3.994 g.
FINENESS: 22 carat.
MILLESIMAL FINENESS: 916.66.
EDGE: Milled.
MINT: Royal Mint
MINTAGE: 1,127,007
RATING: R (M.Marsh).
1844 GOLD 1/2 SOVEREIGN MS 66
NGC 2062769-007
A tremendously alluring example of this Victoria's Type A1 half-sovereign. This superb GEM reveals impeccable detail up to the highest point, with the whole of the surfaces sheathed in silk and a layer of anticked patination that delicately covers both sides. The portrait of Victoria is outstanding, with each wave of her hair fully rendered and crisp, and a quick rotation reveals ample reflectivity that shimmers throughout the fields. The reverse design is truly enviable in its boldness and intense luster, retaining an as-struck appearance. Choice so fine, and in a certified realm of its own making.
Definitely this coin is the crown jewel of this collection, for its pedigree, its quality and condition rarity.
Pedigree : D. Moore Collection. Assembled over four decades, the collector relied on atypical but precise criteria. To be considered for the collection, each coin needed to be the very best quality available for the issue and possess exceptional eye appeal. The results of his connoisseurship are remarkable in that each coin in the collection can be appreciated individually for its beauty and rarity.
Pedigreed to this world class collection adds to allure of this high grade piece.
NGC: One of the most significant condition rarity half-sovereigns; the sole finest example certified by full two grades higher than the runner-up examples.
NGC : Price Guide Plate Coin.
Ex. Heritage Auction # 3051, New York, 9 January 2017, lot 32195.
EVENTS IN HISTORY
www.onthisday.com/events/date/1844
February 27, 1844: Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti (National Day).
June 6, 1844 : Event of Interest; Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) formed by George Williams in London.
June 15, 1844 : Historic Invention; Charles Goodyear patents the vulcanization of rubber.
September 28, 1844 : Oscar I of Sweden-Norway is crowned king of Sweden.
November 6, 1844 : Spain grants Dominican Republic independence.
December 4, 1844 : Election of Interest; James Knox Polk elected 11th US President.