Great Britain: William IV gold Proof Pattern Crown 1831 Proof Details (Obverse Tooled) NGC,...

Description

Only the Third Example of this Cherished Rarity to Come to Auction in Recent Years

William IV gold Proof Pattern Crown 1831 Proof Details (Obverse Tooled) NGC, KM-PnA98, Fr-381 (Very Rare), S-3833, ESC-2463 (R5; prev. ESC-272), Schneider-Unl., L&S-2, W&R-270 (R5). Plain edge. By William Wyon after Chantrey, reverse by Jean-Baptiste Merlen. Struck to the exact weight of 5 Sovereigns (and thus often mistaken for a 5 Pounds), this elegant Pattern Crown type is widely heralded as one of the most iconic rarities in the field of British numismatics, a masterpiece struck from dies engraved by William Wyon at the height of his illustrious career, and one of a mere 6 to 10 known specimens. Interestingly, Linecar and Stone record six primary auction results for the type in their work, three belonging to the same specimen (ex. Douglas-Morris, Hamilton-Smith, Blake, Lady Duveen), as well as the Nobleman, Lingford (also ex. Wertheimer), and Montagu (also ex. Addington) specimens, to which we can add the ex. Murdoch, Copp specimen, the Thos H. Law piece, and an example recently sold by MDC Monaco in October 2020, none of which--with the exception of the Lingford piece, which we have not been able to examine--appear to be this coin, suggesting an extensive period off the market. While the present example exhibits minor tooling in the field by the lower left of the truncation, the remnants of which are only a faintly irregular indentation in the metal and an array of shallow hairlines visible under only certain angles, it nonetheless retains extreme desirability as an example of this celebrated issue. As a whole, the piece retains much eye appeal, boasting fully frosted devices and heavily mirrored fields that are permeated by only a few scattered and wispy hairlines.

From the Paramount Collection

Metal: Gold
Diameter: 38mm
AGW: 1.43oz

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

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