Owner Comments:
S-3785C, Marsh 4 (Scarce)
Normal spaced date, open 2
Acquired from: Heritage
Means: Auction 3099, Lot 31931
Date: 7 May 2022
Critique: King George III reigned from 1761 to 1820. During the majority of this time, the standard gold coin of the empire was the gold guinea, which was produced from 1761 to 1799, and then one special issue in 1813. Starting in 1817, the gold sovereign was introduced, having a nominal value of twenty shillings.
There are only four dates available in this short series for Geo III, but 1819 is so rare that it is not scored for competition by NGC. Although over 40 examples of 1818 have been certified by NGC, for some odd reason this coin also receives no score in competition. Both dates are shown as being counted for competition in the actual category listing. Obviously, there are some errors here which need to be cleaned up by the Registry team as soon as someone complains! Scores for the various grades need to be assigned for 1818, and 1819 needs to be changed to "non-competitive" in the category listing.
The 1820 coin is especially interesting, since many varieties have been identified based on the size, shape, spacing, and tilt of the numerals in the date. My coin shown above is the most common variety of all, having normal size numerals spaced evenly, and an open 2. This is the very first "early" sovereign that I acquired. It's not a very high grade, but still an absolutely beautiful example of this date. Eye appeal is the main factor in my purchasing decisions, not grade. That tends to hurt me in competition, since I pass up a large number of mint state coins that are completely lacking eye appeal. Sometimes it's painful to make that decision, but I'm a firm believer in what Q. David Bowers always says, "Buy the coin, NOT the holder!"