Australia: Victoria gold Proof Pattern 1/2 Sovereign 1855-SYDNEY PR66★ Cameo NGC,...

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Sold on May 5, 2022 for:

$186,000.00 Bid Source: Internet bidder

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Likely the Finest Known 1855 Proof "Banksia" 1/2 Sovereign

Victoria gold Proof Pattern 1/2 Sovereign 1855-SYDNEY PR66★ Cameo NGC, London mint, KM-Pn3, McDonald-002 (Not seen), Rennik-pg. 24, Marsh-381B (R6), QM-229 (R6; this coin). Type II. Reeded edge. By Leonard Charles Wyon. Rarely are collectors confronted with such an exceptional offering that they can describe as practically unimprovable, and yet we have the present selection. Graced with a twin device frost and mirroring in the fields that creates an immediately appreciable sense of depth, even without magnification, the viewer can observe the coin's imposing reliefs creating their own silhouettes in the surrounding pondlike reflectivity. Interestingly, although the issue is only known as a Pattern, the small body of surviving examples indicates several may have entered into regular circulation and certainly encountered wear. Today, just 5 other specimens are known, including:

In Proof Finish:
1) Noble Numismatics Auction 62 (November 1999, Lot 1419); Spink Noble Numismatics Auction 39 (July 1992, Lot 1044); Spink Australia Auction 6 (November 1981, Lot 983); John Ahbe Collection; Captain Vivian Hewitt Collection; Virgil Brand Collection; J. G. Murdoch Collection (Sotheby's July 1903, Lot 615) [part]
2) The British Museum specimen (1935,0401.9027). Bequeathed to the British Museum by Thomas Bryan Clarke-Thornhill in 1935

In Circulated Condition:
1) The Museums Victoria, Melbourne specimen (NU 3130); Transferred from the National Gallery of Victoria, March 15, 1976; Donated by A.H.F. Baldwin in 1929
2) The Walter Eigner specimen. Noble Numismatics Auction 112 (July 2016, Lot 1769); Spink Australia Auction 15 (March 1985, Lot 474). Certified VF Details (Graffiti) by PCGS.
3) The W.E. Purnell specimen; Noble Numismatics Auction 101 (November 2012, Lot 1477)

Though Noble previously described the ex. Ahbe, Hewitt, Brand, Murdoch piece as likely the finest known in 1999, it is incredibly difficult to imagine that it surpassed the coin seen here either in terms of aesthetic appeal or technical preservation. At present the only certified example, and a specimen sure to inspire fierce competition before it disappears from the market for decades to come.

Ex. Quartermaster Collection (Monetarium, Australia June 2009, Lot 229); Monetarium, Australia to Tom Hadley (Quartermaster) in 1999; Strauss Collection (Sold via Private Treaty in 1999)

From the Regent Collection

More information about Australian Coins. See also: Australia World Coin Nationality.

View all of [The Regent Collection ]

View Certification Details from NGC