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| Origin/Country: |
GREAT BRITAIN 1816-1901 |
| Design Description: |
ex BENTLEY COLLECTION |
| Item Description: |
1SOV 1887 G.britain JUBILEE HEAD EX: BENTLEY COLLECTION |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 64 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
GT.BRITAIN, VICTORIA, Jubilee head, 1887 GOLD SOVEREIGN
(Marsh 125; S 3866B).
OBVERSE: The Jubilee bust of the Queen facing left wearing a small crown, veiled and with ribbon; top cross on crown meets border, j.e.b. fully on truncation, angled J.
REVERSE: The Pistrucci's design of St. George slaying the Dragon with sword; horse with short tail, date in exergue, tiny b.p. to upper right, all stops present,
DESIGNER: Joseph Edwar Boehm.
DIAMETER: 22.05mm
WEIGHT: 7.998g
FINENESS: 22 carat.
EDGE: Milled.
MINTAGE: 1,111,280.
RARITY: N (M.Marsh)
1887 was the Jubilee year for the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Victoria's accession.
VICTORIA, SOVEREIGN, 1887.
Preparations for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee of 1887 were underway years in advance. The Queen herself had first signified that she was willing for a change in portrait on the coinage as she had been most impressed by a portrait medal of her effigy by Mr Joseph Edgar Boehm RA (6 July 1834 - 12 December 1890) modelled from life. A large plaster model was prepared by Boehm in his studio, and from this metal copies were taken and then reduced for coinage. The first proposed coinage patterns appear from 1880 in base metals and silver, the Queen having sat for her portrait with Boehm in February of that year. The resulting currency coinage produced for 1887 included a commemorative gold Five Pound and Two Pound coin issued together for the first time since 1826. There were sets available in various guises officially for sale as proof or currency quality, with cases costing extra. The Jubilee coinage also marks for the first time in the British currency coinage the die axis being upright (en médaille). All die axes previously on coinage were of the inverted orientation and upright axis was reserved for medals or patterns. The obverse legend appears slightly more abbreviated than the last young head issue too. Apart from this, and the obvious bust change, the coinage is very similar to the previous young head St George type with a milled edge. The story of the gestation of the coinage was revealed in a series of Royal Mint correspondence, the elements of which have been published in the British Numismatic Journal by G P Dyer and Mark Stocker in 1984. What can be seen is that the resulting currency coins were received with mixed reaction from the public, much to the consternation of C W Fremantle, the Deputy Master of the Mint who had fully supported the design. The populous accepted the change in celebration of the Jubilee, but more seriously criticism of the design was given by critics at the Royal Academy for the way the crown appeared upon the Queen’s head, and the coinage was much discussed in Parliament. Comments ranged from such as “this toy crown” and “too small to be realistic,” as had the Queen turned or moved the crown would have tumbled from her head. More seriously, the Sixpence and Half-Sovereign coins being of similar dimensions and unfortunately of similar design, meant the Sixpences were quickly gilt by the unscrupulous and passed as gold coins. The Numismatic Society again were vocal about this, saying that the Mint had a precedent in 1821 when the Half Sovereign design had to be changed after one year as it was too similar to the sixpence. In 1887 the Sixpence became the withdrawn coin and the reverse design regressed to what it was before. The Numismatic Society and its President Sir John Evans, amongst others, continued to criticise the designs and the Jubilee portrait only lasted on British coins from 1887-1892 inclusive. Even the Queen herself had remarked on her displeasure of this coinage during 1888. In Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, the portrait continued briefly into 1893 on the gold coins. Boehm having died in 1890 was no longer around to see the change so soon after the Jubilee, and the criticism received may well have contributed to his demise, though he was kept very busy with his sculpture work.
QUEEN VICTORIA
The reign of Queen Victoria (House of Hanover): 1837-1901.
Born: 24 May 1819.
Accession: 20 June 1837.
Married: Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 10 February 1840.
Coronation: Thursday 28 June 1838.
Children: four sons, five daughters.
Died: 22 January 1901, aged 81.
1887 GOLD SOVEREIGN MS 64
NGC 3504391-016
A choice mint state with superb detailed strike, satiny luster and hardly any abrasions.
ex BENTLEY COLLECTION
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| Origin/Country: |
GREAT BRITAIN 1816-1901 |
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| Item Description: |
1SOV 1900 G.britain Ex BENTLEY COLLECTION |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 64 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
GT.BRITAIN, VICTORIA Veiled Head, 1900 GOLD SOVEREIGN
(Marsh 151; S 3874).
OBVERSE: Bust of the Queen facing left, crowned, veiled and draped, wearing ribbon and star of the Garter. The small letters T.B. appear below the bust.
REVERSE: St. George mounted with streamer flowing from helmet, slaying the dragon with sword. The date is shown below the exergue line with the small letters B.P. to right.
DESIGNER: Obverse: Thomas Brock. Reverse: Benedetto Pistrucci.
DIAMETER: 22.05mm.
WEIGHT: 7.998g.
FINENESS: 22ct.
EDGE: Milled.
MINTAGE: 10,846,741; This output for 1900 represents the zenith of the old head coinage of Victoria.
RARITY: C (M.Marsh)
VICTORIA, SOVEREIGN, 1900.
The Last Coinage of Queen Victoria. It was decided by a Royal Mint committee in February 1891 that the unpopular Jubilee portrait was no longer appropriate and something new was required. Fellows of the Royal Academy were called upon to submit ideas and designs, and the following made submissions:- Edward Onslow Ford ARA sculptor, Edward J Poynter RA painter, Henry N Armstead RA sculptor, Charles A Birch ARA sculptor, Thomas Brock RA sculptor, W Hamo Thornycroft RA sculptor. Interestingly Poynter had been one of the harsh critics of the Jubilee design, so now had a chance to literally prove how good a coin designer he himself was. However, Thomas Brock’s design won the day and the new older “widow” bust with heavy veil appeared for currency in 1893 to great acclaim. The design was engraved in metal from the designs by the Chief Engraver, George W De Saulles, who later went on to design the obverse for the King Edward VII coinage. Brock’s initials appear below the bust and the titles now significantly include the Empress of India and read thus VICTORIA D: G: BRITT: REG: F: D: IND: IMP: Again the coins are struck en médaille with an upright die axis and the St George reverse continues effectively unchanged except in the smallest details, which can vary from die to die. The edges are of course milled.
QUEEN VICTORIA
The reign of Queen Victoria (House of Hanover): 1837-1901.
Born: 24 May 1819.
Accession: 20 June 1837.
Married: Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, 10 February 1840.
Coronation: Thursday 28 June 1838.
Children: four sons, five daughters.
Died: 22 January 1901, aged 81.
1900 GOLD SOVEREIGN MS 64
NGC 3504391-014
A very choice UNC example of the "Veiled Head" design.
Lovely satiny surfaces.
NGC population of three, none finer. Total graded for the date 87 (Nov.16 2013).
From the wonderful Bentley Collection, the best and most complete set of sovereigns ever formed.
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GREAT BRITAIN 1902-70 |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
1SOV 1914 G.britain EX BENTLEY COLLECTION |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 65 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
GT. BRITAIN, GEORGE V GOLD SOVEREIGN 1914
(Marsh 216; S 3996).
OBVERSE: The King's bare head facing left. Designed by Edgar Bertram Mackennal.
REVERSE: St. George mounted and slaying Dragon with sword. Date at the bottom with small letters B.P. to right.
DIAMETER: 22.05mm.
WEIGHT: 7.9887g ( 0.9170 gold).
FINENESS: 22 Carat.
EDGE: Milled.
MINTAGE: 11,501,117
RATING: C (M.Marsh).
GEORGE V, SOVEREIGN, 1914
ex THE BENTLEY COLLECTION OF BRITISH MILLED GOLD SOVEREIGNS.
George V, Sovereign, 1914, bare head left, rev St George slaying dragon with sword, date in exergue, 7.99g (Marsh 216; MCE 642; S 3996). Ex Randy Weir Numismatics, Unionville, Ontario, Canada, purchased 25 March 1992. Calendar year mintage 11,501,117. Mintage of gold still continued to be high even though World War I commenced during this year. Following the outbreak the Government issued Treasury banknotes to the value of Sovereigns and Half-Sovereigns ,which were convertible to gold on demand at the Bank of England. However the public were encouraged not to do this, as the gold was no doubt needed elsewhere for purchases of vital supplies from overseas. The coinage of the reign of King George V features a bare head portrait of the King facing to the left by the Australian sculptor, Edgar Bertram Mackennal (12 June 1863 – 10 October 1931), whose initials appear on the truncation of the bust and with the titles georgivs v d: g: britt: omn: rex f : d : ind : imp :. Mackennal was famed for his artistic sculptures, but became more numismatically interesting, as the designer of the Olympic Medals for the London Olympic Games of 1908. This led to the commission for the Coronation Medallion for King George V, and he then successfully won the commission for the coinage and for postage stamp portraits. One other Royal commission was to design the tomb for King Edward VII at St George’s Chapel, Windsor. He was also the first Australian citizen to be knighted, in 1921 and was admitted to the Royal Academy in 1922. For the Sovereign the classic St George and dragon design continues engraved, after Pistrucci with his initials in the exergue, and amazingly still featuring the tiny wwp under the lance for William Wellesley Pole from his days of the Master-ship of the Mint circa 1820. Had the London Mint continued to produce gold Sovereigns from 1928, like some of the Colonial Mints did, then a smaller portrait of George V would no doubt have appeared as at Melbourne, Perth and Pretoria. More significantly, the reverses of these Colonial small head pieces are revised and the wwp initials disappear at last.
George V’s reign witnessed the end of the sovereign’s life as a circulating coin. Gold in daily use had always been an expensive luxury but the demands of wartime finance during the First World War made a circulating gold coinage completely unfeasible. Within hours of the declaration of war in August 1914, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, David Lloyd George, made it clear that anyone who was hoarding gold was helping the enemy more effectively than if they were taking up arms to fight against Britain. Instead of sovereigns and half-sovereigns, banknotes with a value of £1 and 10 shillings were issued for use and the public were encouraged to hand over their gold to aid the war effort.
KING GEORGE V
The Reign of King George V (House of Windsor) : 1910-1936.
Born: 3 June 1865.
Accession: 6 May 1910.
Married: Mary of Teck, 6 July 1893.
Coronation: Thursday, 22 June 1911.
Second Coronation as Emperor of India at the Delhi Durbar: Tuesday, 12 December 1911.
Children: five sons, one daughter.
Died: 20 January 1936, aged 70.
1914 GOLD SOVEREIGN MS 65
NGC 2776090-002
A true GEM with excellent provenance. A beauty with satiny luster and a sharp strike. Common in XF and AU as one of the "kings sovereigns" but difficult to find with mint frost and such choice surfaces. Only a handful of sovereigns of this king have been graded above MS63 by each TPG company.
NGC Pop 5 with one grading higher.
ex BENTLEY COLLECTION. Purchased at A.H. BALDWIN Auction 73, 8 May 2012, lot 360. Self submitted.
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| Origin/Country: |
CANADA - 1858 TO 1968 |
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| Item Description: |
1SOV 1914C Ex BENTLEY COLLECTION |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 64 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
CANADA. Ottawa, Canada Mint. George V, Sovereign, 1914 C
(KM 20; Fr 2; Marsh 223 R3; S 3997).
OBVERSE: Bare head left, b.m. on truncation.
REVERSE: St George slaying dragon with sword, C mint mark on ground, date in exergue, tiny b.p. to upper right.
WEIGHT: 7.98g
MINTAGE: 14,891 including 9 pieces which were sent for pyx trial.
RARITY: R3 (M.Marsh).
1914C GOLD SOVEREIGN MS 64
NGC 2780173-004
Some light surface marks both sides, scratch below chin.
ex Randy Weir Numismatics, Unionville, Ontario, Canada, purchased 6 April 1990.
ex BENTLEY COLLECTION, A.H.Baldwin Auction 76, 27 September 2012, lot 886.
Self submitted.
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| Origin/Country: |
AUSTRALIA - CIRCULATION |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
1SOV 1914M Ex BENTLEY COLLECTION |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 64 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
SOUTH AUSTRALIA. The Melbourne Branch Mint. George V, Sovereign, 1914 M.
(McD 247; QM 190; KM 29; Fr 39; Marsh 232; S 3999).
OBVERSE: Bare head left, b.m. on truncation, latter stop weak and smaller.
REVERSE: St George slaying dragon with sword, M mint mark on ground, date in exergue, tiny b.p. to upper right.
WEIGHT: 7.99g
MINTAGE: 2,011,000 of which 1,029 went for pyx trial.
RARITY: C
1914M GOLD SOVEREIGN MS 64
NGC 2780173-002
Softly struck, some residual dirt in the milling, attractively toned, practically as struck.
ex BENTLEY COLLECTION, A.H.Baldwin Auction 76, lot 827, 27 September 2012.
Self Submitted.
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| Origin/Country: |
AUSTRALIA - CIRCULATION |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
1SOV 1914P Ex BENTLEY COLLECTION |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 63 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
SOUTH AUSTRALIA. The Perth Branch Mint. George V, Sovereign, 1914 P.
(McD 248; QM 190; KM 29; Fr 40; Marsh 253; S 4001).
OBVERSE: Bare head left, b.m. on truncation, latter stop weak and smaller.
REVERSE: St George slaying dragon with sword, P mint mark on ground, date in exergue, tiny b.p. to upper right.
WEIGHT: 7.99g
MINTAGE: 4,815,996
RARITY: C
1914P GOLD SOVEREIGN MS 63
NGC 2780173-003
ex Randy Weir Numismatics, Unionville, Ontario, Canada, purchased 23 April 1993.
ex BENTLEY COLLECTION, A.H.Baldwin Auction 76, lot 860, 27 September 2012.
Self Submitted.
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| Origin/Country: |
AUSTRALIA - CIRCULATION |
| Design Description: |
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| Item Description: |
1SOV 1914S Ex BENTLEY COLLECTION |
| Grade: |
NGC MS 64 |
| Research: |
View Coin |
Owner Comments
SOUTH AUSTRALIA. The Sydney Branch Mint. George V, Sovereign, 1914 S.
(McD 246; QM 190; KM 29; Fr 38; Marsh 274; S 4003).
OBVERSE: Bare head left, b.m. on truncation, latter stop weak and smaller.
REVERSE: St George slaying dragon with sword, S mint mark on ground, date in exergue, tiny b.p. to upper right.
WEIGHT: 7.99g
MINTAGE: 1,774,000
RARITY: C
1914S GOLD SOVEREIGN MS 64
NGC 2780173-001
Some light nicks on neck and reverse field, otherwise practically as struck.
ex Randy Weir Numismatics, Unionville, Ontario, Canada, purchased 10 June 1991.
ex BENTLEY COLLECTION, A.H.Baldwin Auction 76, lot 730, 27 September 2012.
Self Submitted.
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