Proof Set 1831 (14 coins) comprising Gold Two Pounds 1831 Proof nFDC the obverse with minor contact marks and some hairlines to the fields, the edge with some minor abrasions, these only slightly visible when viewed from the faces of the coin, Gold Sovereign 1831 Proof nFDC with minor hairlines to the fields, a small spot by F:D: a small rim nick and a gentle edge bruise, bust and reverse design frosted, the fields reflective, Gold Half Sovereign 1831 Small size Proof nFDC the bust and reverse design with attractive frosting, the fields with very minor hairlines, reflective and lustrous, the only proof issue of the short-lived small size type, Crown 1831 Proof W.W on truncation FDC or near so with touches of blue and magenta tone, a most attractive and eye-catching example, exceedingly rare in this high grade, Halfcrown 1831 WW in script, Plain edge Proof (ESC 658, Bull 2477) nFDC obverse with minimal contact marks, the reverse with minimal hairlines, beautiful hues of gold, blue and magenta add to the excellent eye appeal, this type many times rarer than the 'WW in block' Proof coin, Shilling 1831 Plain Edge Proof nFDC with the odd minor contact mark, retaining lustrous fields, Sixpence 1831 Plain Edge Proof UNC/nFDC with even toning, with two gentle rim bruises, MaundyFourpence 1831 Proof UNC/nFDC the obverse with some thin scratches in the field, Maundy Threepence 1831 Proof UNC/nFDC with a contact mark on the obverse, Maundy Twopence 1831 Proof nFDC and nicely toned, Maundy Penny 1831 Proof FDC or very near so and colourfully toned, Penny 1831 Bronzed Proof, Die axis inverted, (Peck 1457) nFDC lacquered, the lacquering has started to come off the reverse in places, Halfpenny 1831 Bronzed Proof, Die axis inverted, (Peck 1463) a small spot by GULIELMUS FDC or very near so, Farthing 1831 Bronzed Proof, Die axis inverted (Peck 1468) NFDC with attractive soft tone, an extremely rare and desirable set, only around 150 are believed to have been minted, very seldom do these sets come to auction
Two Pounds 1831 Plain edge Proof, Marsh T20, S.3828, Obverse UNC with an old scratch on the portrait, and some thin scratches and hairlines in the fields, retaining much original lustre and brilliance. The reverse nFDC showcasing the glorious 'draped crown and shield' design, one of the finest to appear on any English coin. The Two Pounds from the 1831 was the highest denomination in the set and with only 225 examples believed to have been minted are greatly prized pieces
Crown 1831 Plain Edge Proof with W.W. incuse on truncation ESC 271, Bull 2462 nFDC deeply toned with flashes of gold, blue/green and magenta, a tiny, hardly noticeable edge nick on the reverse by ANNO mentioned for completeness, all William IV Crowns very rare and highly prized, one of the classic designs of the entire English milled series
Halfcrown 1831 Plain Edge Proof with WW in script ESC 658, Bull 2473 (Bull quotes old ESC 657 for this coin in error), UNC with some hairlines, retaining much original brilliance, in an LCGS holder and graded LCGS 82
Halfcrown 1831 Proof with W.W in block ESC 657, Bull 2473, S.3834A, 13.84 grammes, EF with some edge nicks, the obverse with some scuffs, the 1831 Halfcrowns of all types are very rare
Halfcrown 1831 Plain Edge Proof, WW in block, ESC 657, Bull 2473, Davies 320, dies 1A, obverse with small edge beads, retaining much original lustre and frosting, in an LCGS holder and graded LCGS 85, the joint finest known of 5 examples thus far recorded by the LCGS Population Report
Halfcrown 1831 Plain Edge Proof, WW in block, ESC 657, Bull 2473, Davies 320, dies 1A, obverse with small edge beads, 13.49 grammes, EF the obverse with some hairlines in the fields, possibly lightly cleaned in the past
Crown 1831 WW incuse on truncation Plain edge Proof, ESC 271, Bull 2462, die axis inverted, 27.34 grammes, nFDC with rich original gold and blue/green tone, a very rare and desirable type forming part of the Proof set of the year. All William IV Crowns are highly prized and this type is missing from many advanced Crown collections
Halfcrown 1831 Proof, WW in Block, ESC 657, Bull 2473, GEF with some darker toning before BRIT, the edge showing signs of filing in parts and weighs 13.66 grammes instead of 14.1 grammes
Crown 1834 ESC 275 the John Jay Pittman example (David Akers sale Numismatic Inc 6-8 August 1999 Lot 3864) choice FDC pleasing old grey tone with orange and gold hues in places, free of contact marks and hairlines a choice coin. Rated R5 by ESC 5 - 10 examples known, and in today's buoyant and international market a difficult piece to estimate. Heritage of Dallas sold a high grade example in 2011 which realised $69,000 (£44,000 at 2011 exchange rates, £56,000 at todays) but key date rarities in choice grades have surged forward since then. For example the sister coin to this the 1831 crown with a mintage 10 to 15 times greater than the 1834 would have realised £8000 - £10000 in 2011 or put another way the 1834 could expect to realise 4 - 5 times more than the 1831 in a like for like grade, but an 1831 Crown in MS65 just realised £61,000 hammer price in St James Coinex sale September 2016. As this piece is choice and has been graded 88 by LCGS one could predict an MS65 could be given if submitted to the US graders and could argue that a £200,000 - £300,000 price ticket would not be absurd. However we have estimated it more conservatively and will await the results of the bidding. All William IV crowns are rare and sought after by collectors ESC lists three varieties of the 1831 in silver these were made for inclusion in the 1831 Proof Sets which had a mintage of just 225, a gold example is known dated 1831, a trial strike in lead dated 1832 and rated R7 (one or two in existence) and the 1834. This is the first 1834 example we have offered and the only example graded by LCGS whilst we have previously offered 11 examples of the 1831 crown and LCGS have graded three 1831s. Our research has found no other 1834 crowns sold since 2011 and this Pittman example to our knowledge has not been offered at auction since 1999 so if you are interested in choice rarities of the sort offered globally once or twice a decade this is the lot for you.
Halfcrown 1831 WW in block, Plain Edge ProofESC 657 some small rim nicks at 6 o'clock on the reverse otherwise toned UNC attractively toned with much underlying brilliance
Halfcrown 1831 Plain edge Proof WW in script ESC 658 UNC with some light contact marks on the obverse, the reverse with a colourful underlying tone, retaining some original mint brilliance
Crown 1831 ESC 273 W.WYON on truncation rated R4 by ESC (11-20 examples believed to exist) with some hairlines and contact marks in the fields and some rub on the truncation otherwise nFDC
Halfcrown 1831 Plain edge Proof with WW in script, with upright die axis alignment, unrecorded by ESC, Davies or Spink however we note that Coincraft lists the piece as W4HC-025 and also Spink lists an 1831 Crown with a similar die axis alignment, FDC or very near so with a deep blue and green tone. Weight 13.74 grammes. Cataloguers note: Coincraft states that these pieces were possibly struck at a later date, indeed, close inspection of the coin shows that the rim is of a wider type and more akin to the later currency pieces 1834-1837 and also states that some of these weigh 'c.13 grammes', We note there was no example of this type in the Colin Adams Collection
Crown 1831 W.WYON on truncation, Plain edge ProofESC 273 UNC with very light cabinet friction, by far the rarer of the two silver types, slabbed and graded CGS 78, Ex-London Coins Auction A111 27/11/2005 Lot 885
Crown 1831 W.W. on truncation Plain Edge ProofESC 271 UNC, attractively toned with a couple of small edge bruises and nicks, the coin overall with much eye appeal, slabbed and graded by NGC somewhat conservatively at PF60
Crown 1831 W.W on truncation ProofESC 271 toned FDC and graded CGS 85 so the finest of three 1831 crowns so far recorded and a very choice grade for this early type
Crown 1831 W.W on truncation Plain edge ProofESC 271 UNC toned with underlying mint lustre and some light contact marks, all William IV Crowns highly sought after and missing from most Crown collections
Crown 1831 Plain Edge Proof, ww on truncation, Reverse Inverted, ESC 271, S.3833 GEF unevenly toned, the obverse fields displaying some light tooling, with some scratches to the edge, thus accounting for the slightly lighter weight of 25.85 grammes as against the stated 27.0 to 28.0 grammes of a mint state piece, nevertheless very rare and missing from the majority of Crown collections, Ex-Baldwins 7/11/2007 retailed for £7,750
Halfcrown 1831 Proof WW in Block the edge having been removed with traces of filing in parts, therefore weighs 13.66 grammes instead of 14.1 grammes GEF
Halfcrown 1831 WW in Block the rare currency issue with milled edge ESC 656 the coin weighs light at 13.3 grammes instead of 14.1 grammes due to the edge milling having been largely removed, though evidence of the milled edge remaining in a couple of places EF with surface porosity and hairlines the coin consistent with having possibly been in jewellery (Ex LCA 129 Lot 1454 realised £1,300)
Crown 1831 Proof, Plain Edge, ww on truncation, Silver, Coin Alignment, ESC 271, S3833 choice eye appeal with a rich tone but fields scuffed AU scarce in any grade and seldom offered
Halfcrown 1831 WW in Block an impaired Proof with milled edge ESC 657 the coin weighs light at 13.3 grammes instead of 14.1 grammes due to the edge milling having been largely removed, though evidence of the milled edge remaining in a couple of places EF with surface porosity and hairlines the coin consistent with having possibly been in jewellery.
Halfcrown 1831 WW in Block the rare currency issue with milled edge ESC 656 the coin weighs light at 13.3 grammes instead of 14.1 grammes due to the edge milling having been largely removed, though evidence of the milled edge remaining in a couple of places EF with surface porosity and hairlines the coin consistent with having possibly been in jewellery.
Halfcrown 1831 Plain Edge Proof with WW in Script ESC 658 nFDC lightly toning with a couple of nicks on the King's neck and some hairlines in the fields, more rarer than the WW in Block type
Halfcrown 1831 Plain Edge Proof with WW in block, as issued in the sets ESC 657 UNC with a couple of very small edge nicks and some hairlines in the fields
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