Australia: Victoria gold Proof Pattern Sovereign 1855-SYDNEY PR65 Ultra Cameo NGC,...

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Gorgeous 1855 Reeded Edge Pattern Sovereign

Victoria gold Proof Pattern Sovereign 1855-SYDNEY PR65 Ultra Cameo NGC, London mint, KM-Pn4, McDonald-102 (this coin), Rennik-pg. 31, Marsh-A360A (R6), QM-26 (R6; this coin). Type II. Reeded edge. By Leonard Charles Wyon. A coin which perfectly couples aesthetic and technical beauty, pressing the very upper bounds for what could reasonably be expected for a Pattern of its age. Offering the first portrayal of Wyon's famous "banksia" head--arguably the most attractive portrait ever produced on an Australian coin--this design would not be formally adopted on the circulating coinage until 1857. Engraved with the utmost care and expertise in all of its facets, the design captures upon every element of its seemingly simple, yet iconic, composition in a degree of clarity that is simply never encountered, presenting the young queen in a far more elegant and regal light than the seemingly austere "fillet" head of James Wyon, allover endowed with a thin frost and razor-sharp edges to the devices giving the coin the appearance of a royal medalet.

It has been supposed that only some three examples of this exquisite issue exist in private hands, with the last having appeared on auction in January 2019 (Künker Auction 316, Lot 869, certified PR65 Cameo by PCGS), and another piece known in the Murdoch Collection (Sotheby's July 1903, Lot 615 [part]). We are aware of a single example in the British Museum (1924,0205.2), Hocking making no entry of any in the collection of the Royal Mint Museum in 1910, while apparently none are held by the Museums Victoria in Melbourne. Unsurprisingly the finer of only 2 certified examples by virtue of its deep, Ultra Cameo contrasts, and quite possibly the finest extant.

Ex. Quartermaster Collection (Monetarium, Australia June 2009, Lot 26); Monetarium, Australia to Tom Hadley (Quartermaster) in 1999; Strauss Collection (Sold via Private Treaty in 1999)

From the Regent Collection

Metal: Gold
Diameter: 22mm

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

View all of [The Regent Collection ]

View Certification Details from NGC