Owner Comments:
GT.BRITAIN, VICTORIA Young Head (shield), Type A2 (without die number),1861 GOLD SOVEREIGN, (Marsh 44; S 3852D).
OBVERSE: Second larger Young head bust of the Queen facing left, WW incuse on truncation without stops, date below. Engraved by William Wyon.
REVERSE: Ornate garnished quartered shield containing the Ensigns Armorial of the United Kingdom. Engraved by J.B.Merlen.
DIAMETER: 22.05mm.
WEIGHT: 7.998g.
EDGE: Milled.
FINENESS: 22ct.
MINTAGE: 7,624,736. The Mint output for the calendar year is back up to higher levels and therefore statistically this dictates more variety than ever, which is apparent on date and legends for 1861 dated Sovereigns.
RARITY: N (M.Marsh).
VICTORIA, SOVEREIGN, 1861.
From 1848 the size of Victoria’s young head bust increases to fill more of the available field and is therefore rendered closer to the legend lettering. This may have been an attempt to prolong the life of the dies, which are subjected to multiple tons of pressure in use, and as conjectured in the footnote for the previous lot after a Royal Mint Commission in this year investigated the die and matrix production. The Chief Engraver, William Wyon was called to give evidence on die production to this commission. This second larger young head type sovereign was in use from 1848-1855 inclusive and is of the same general design as the previous smaller bust with the engravers initials w.w. raised with stops on the bust. The easiest way to tell the sizes of the bust, particularly when looking at the changeover year of 1848, is too look how close the front hair band fillet is to the legend as it is this point that differs most in the sizing of the busts. In 1853 there was a slight change on some dies produced and the engravers initials ww are incuse on the truncation without stops and this runs concurrently from 1853-1855 with the first type and then alone from 1856-1870 inclusive. Strangely the 1853 proof has one stop between the letter W’s only on the truncation. From 1863 until 1874 the reverses of the shield type feature an additional “die” number below the shield.
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.
1861 GOLD SOVEREIGN (SHIELD, without die number) MS 62
A strong example of this date with frosty luster and honey-gold color.
ex Northeast Numismatics, Concord MA, USA. Purchased 23 July 2012.