Great Britain: Victoria Proof Halfcrown 1853,...

Description

Victoria Proof Halfcrown 1853, S3888, PR65 NGC, Young Head, reeded edge, Gem Proof, sparkling mirror fields with a delicate cameo, the surfaces blessed by beautiful, original, old-time iridescent silvery golden gray toning, evenly distributed on the obverse, while the reverse shows patches of brighter blue in the shield and on the periphery, enhancing the same shade of gold as seen on the obverse. Appears similar to the proof sixpence and shilling in this collection but it came from an entirely different proof set. Delightfully original with superior eye appeal, and very rare as such. Mintage figures of the mysterious proof sets of 1853 remain unknown, as does their reason for being, as explained in another lot, but an educated guess would be perhaps 100 minted of each denomination. Some sets were housed, back in 1853, in a fairly large heart-shaped purple plush case (the cataloguer has seen just one example of this case), which begs the question: were these sets made by the Royal Mint for use by the royal family, perhaps as gifts to each other at Christmas? No one knows for sure. The coins are certainly regal in appearance. Victoriana at its best!
From the Exeter College Collection

Metal: Silver
Diameter: 32.30mm
Weight: 14.138g
ASW: 0.4204oz

More information about Great Britain Coins. See also: Great Britain World Coin Nationality.

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