Owner Comments:
*1817 Birth of Baha'u'llah*
www.bahai.org
www.bahaullah.org
Born Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Núrí (Persian: میرزا حسینعلی نوری), in Tehran, capital of the Persian Empire, He became the Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, youngest of the world religions, which advocates universal peace and unity among all races, nations, and religions.
Scholars trace His ancestry back to Abraham through Abraham's wife Keturah, to Zoroaster, to Yazdgerd III, the last king of the Sassanid Empire, and also to Jesse, father of King David.
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Here is a superlative Proof, produced at the height of the Great Recoinage, when pride was restored in British coin engraving, and the then-current lackluster designs were overhauled to herald such masterpieces as this. Renowned designer Benedetto Pistrucci (esp. famous for St. George slaying a dragon on reverse of full sovereign) created the portrait of King George III.
In 1816 there was a major change in British coinage powered by the industrial revolution. The Royal Mint moved from the Tower of London to new premises on nearby Tower Hill, and acquired powerful new steam-driven coining presses supplied by James Watt, Mathew Boulton and Messr Rennie.
In 1817 the "modern" half-sovereign was born.This coin was extensively used by the worldwide UK population, minted regularly for more than 100 years (until 1915 at the Royal Mint, until 1918 in Australia, until 1926 in S.Africa) and were regular circulating coins until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. At about that time, most countries in the world reduced or stopped production of gold coins for circulation and switched to a "token" coinage.
NGC Census for 1817 Half Sovereigns shows population total only three Ultra Cameos -- two graded PF63UC (one is this coin here), and one finer at PF65UC.
This coin's fields are dual mirrors bearing only light hairlines, center devices luxuriously frosted and bold; a piece struck to an impeccable standard and designed to impress the viewer, a feat it achieves effortlessly. Proofs of Record allow an entirely different appreciation of a given coinage variety, wherein the design that numismatists are quite familiar with as a business strike takes on a singular appearance and quality, cumulating in a beauty so intense and surprising that it takes one's breath away. Premium for the grade and extremely rare, this coin is an outstanding numismatic jewel.
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OBVERSE: Laureate head of King George III facing right; hair short; the tie has a loop and two hanging ends; the King's neck is bare. Below, the date 1817; around, commencing at the bottom of the coin, the legend GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA (from Latin) "George the Third, by the Grace of God".
REVERSE: Featuring the Royal Arms, an angular shield quartered with the arms of England (twice), Ireland and Scotland, along with the German dominion of Hanover in the center (King George III was descended from the House of Hanover and ruled this area after the Napoleonic wars), surmounted by the Electoral crown. Beginning at bottom of the coin and around, the legend REX FID: DEF: BRITANNIARUM ("King of the British, Defender of the Faith"), with crown at top between words.
ALIGNMENT: reverse die axis
DESIGNER: Benedetto Pistrucci
DIAMETER: 19.3mm
THICKNESS: 0.99mm
EDGE: Milled
WEIGHT: 3.99g
ALLOY: 22 Carat
FINENESS: 0.9167
ACTUAL GOLD CONTENT: 0.1177 troy oz
Many thanks to TMS Coins, from who I am learning a lot by reading his descriptions and comments. Check out his collections for many of the best sets ever assembled.