Owner Comments:
S-4125, Marsh 299
Acquired from: Sovereign Rarities, London
Means: Auction 6, Lot 63
Date: 28 June 2022
Critique: A very lovely coin, with much cleaner portrait than the average MS66 Elizabeth II "Gillick", as they call them in England. This is, of course, in tribute to the designer Mary Gillick, who produced this wonderful portrait of a very young queen.
In stark contrast to the 1958 Gillick which I purchased minutes earlier at this same auction, the bidding on this gem was quite intense. Three of us went back and forth for a while, until one person dropped out. Then the two of us remaining fought strongly to win. According to NGC census, there are only about half as many of this date graded MS66, but the total is 26 as of 10/2022, which I would think would be plenty to satisfy the hardcore collectors of this series (of which there seem to be precious few). So, I probably paid too much. However, I acquired a few other rare dates at this interesting auction for very reasonable prices, so on average I'm pleased with the results.
One possible reason that this coin drew such active bidding is its exceptional eye appeal. I've found that two factors tend to make bidders completely ignore price guide estimates when purchasing coins, eye appeal and the number in higher grades. If a particular coin is Top Pop, or maybe just a couple graded higher, then competition can get fierce. And if a coin has remarkable eye appeal, no matter the grade, it will frequently command the same price as one several grades higher.
By the way, as an American, one of the most fun aspects of participating in British auctions is not only the strangely different way they have of conducting their sales (not to mention the hideous early times), but also the completely different way in which coins are described. Many of their coins are raw, and the grading scale used is quite unlike the Sheldon scale that I'm used to, as used by NGC and PCGS. The first time you encounter a coin graded as "Good Fine", "Almost Extremely Fine", or "Fleur de Coin" it can be a bit bewildering. But my favorite difference is how they refer to Top Pop coins as "Equal Finest." Very proper terminology, to be sure!