Owner Comments:
S-SC8, Marsh 335
Acquired from: The Coin Cabinet
Means: Auction 101, Lot 81
Date: 23 January 2024
Critique: Excellent example of this gold sov commemorating the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne on 6 February 1952. It was only the second time in British history that a monarch had reached this milestone, the first being Queen Victoria in 1897. Although a fairly large number of these coins have been certified by NGC, as of Jan 2024 only two examples have been graded higher.
The reverse of this coin is a special, one-time design created by British sculptor Paul Day to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. It is a modern interpretation of the classic St George and the dragon motif, which was originally designed by Benedetto Pistrucci in 1817
As I've mentioned on other coins, my favorite auction situation is to find a high-grade coin that is second tier, with a small number of examples graded just one step higher. Since very wealthy bidders only seem to be interested in Top Pop coins, they almost always ignore lots consisting of second tier like this one. This auction turned out exactly as expected, with the coin selling for a ridiculously low price considering its relative scarcity in this high grade. I was actually willing to pay double what it ended up costing. Always nice to add a beautiful coin to my collection for a cheap price!