LOT Heritage Rare Coin Galleries  /  2007 Jan New York World Coin Auction #425  / 

51723

Era of George III''s Regency: Proof "Phoenix Rising" go

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:6,875.00 USD Estimated At:27,500.00 - 32,500.00 USD
Era of George III''s Regency: Proof Phoenix Rising go
<B>Era of George III's Regency: Proof "Phoenix Rising" gold token "10/6", or Half-Guinea, 1812.</B></I> Dalton-37. Only three types of gold tokens from this era of the Napoleonic Wars are known to exist, one other sharing this coin's design of a Phoenix bird rising from the flames. Struck for Younge, Wilsons & Younge, of Sheffield, England, during the worst moments of the war in France (but also during the Redcoats' siege of the capital city in the young United States). Rare in any grade, but Proofs are exceedingly rare (2 known?) and this gorgeous specimen is possibly the finest extant. Superb Choice Proof or Specimen with deeply mirrored surfaces, the design fully detailed, and exhibiting "perfect" old-gold color. A few tiny gold-metal flaws appear in the fields. In the ultimate state of preservation, this elusive Napoleonic-era emergency gold piece is of the utmost desirability; for it is blessed with an exquisite design that is unique among British gold coins, and is nearly the last of all the Half-Guineas--and the rarest. The consignor informs us that he acquired this coin in 1987 from a collector whose ancestors had purchased it in 1887. Thus, this is only the third appearance on the market for this coin in 120 years.<BR><I>Note: R. Dalton catalogued the various silver (and few gold) commercial tokens of the 19th century in his book "The Silver Token-Coinage Mainly Issued Between 1811 and 1812" published in 1922 by B.A Seaby, Ltd., London. Dalton knew of only 3 issues in gold, of the many hundreds of types described and illustrated in his reference. One was from the London suburb of Reading (Berkshire, D-1), of 40 Shillings value, featuring the head of King Alfred the Great (whose early history intertwined with that of Reading). A second piece (Herefordshire, D-1) shares its design with that of the present specimen, a skillfully engraved image of the mythical bird the phoenix, rising from the flames of its own destruction (a classic symbol of both stamina and forbearance, akin to the myth of Sisyphus), a coin of such rarity that the present cataloguer has never seen one. The final rarity among gold tokens, designated on its reverse as worth 10 Shillings & Sixpence ("10/6"), or Half a Guinea in 1812, came from Sheffield (Yorkshire, D-37), the major producing city of silver-plate in England. As well as connoting its classic symbolism, this design was surely obeisance to the firing-factories of this town, which for over a century never went cold and created many stunning works in the precious white metal, and appropriately a few in gold as well. As our photos show, this glorious and special Specimen is a grand testament to the artistry and the artists in silver and gold of this famous place.<BR>The cataloguer has never seen another Specimen strike of this token, although he knows of one's existence in one of the world's foremost British collections. This little coin ranks near the top of all British milled gold coins in terms of sheer rarity, and is a "link" between the gold Half Guinea and the coming Half Sovereign. Its importance in the British icon has never been acknowledged in print before.</B></I><BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coin/Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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