DecimalPennyTrial 1961 Obverse: 'Gillick' bust of Elizabeth II right, + ELIZABETH . II . DEI . GRATIA . REGINA . F:D: as used on the Farthing 1954-1956, Reverse: E II R monogram ONE DECIMAL PENNY 1 CENT 1961 20mm diameter in bronze, 2.90 grammes, Freeman 793, (rated R19, 2-5 examples believed to exist,1985 edition plate XV), Peck 2530, KM#Pn139, EF with some spots and a trace of lustre, we note another example formed part of the Cheshire collection
25 Pence 1981 Royal Mint Trial piece, nine sided, Reverse: EXPERIMENTAL COIN 1981 on raised broad rim, around coat of arms ROYAL MINT on ribbon below, Obverse: ROYAL MINT TRIAL on broad raised rim around crowned orb, Lustrous UNC with minor contact marks, believed to be one of only a few in existence
Halfcrown 1920 Davies 1672N struck in a hard nickel type alloy and weighing 12.43 grammes. There are 1924 trial nickel shillings, with a very rare example struck metrically weighing 5 gr. The 1672N Halfcrown listed here may also be a Royal Mint trial, when a complete elimination of silver seemed feasible. There appears to be an interesting 'privy' mark, introduced by a thicker down stroke to the 'D' of 'Dei' with the top serif of this 'D' being double struck. The border bead above is also oversized (wider). This would be an odd occurrence for any counterfeiter, especially on top of striking perfectly die-cut, but lightweight coins in this hard metal, and having excellent milling. a similar example was listed in Auction A151 6/12/2015 (Lot 2687, weight 11.92 grammes, realised £120 hammer price), the description then stating that only 6 of these examples were then known to the vendor Near Fine/VG a highly unusual type, comes with Colin Adams collection ticket
PennyEdward VIItrial 1902 produced by the Kings Norton Metal Co. Birmingham. Obverse: Bust of the King, right, within a raised inner circle, no legend, Reverse: A border of triangular teeth KINGS NORTON METAL Co L.D 1902 An inner circle of linked concentric circles, within this a further ten small separate circles, and within this a further set of linked concentric circles and the KNM cypher. 10.14 grammes. UNC or near so the obverse weakly struck, as seems to be the case with many of this series of Kings Norton patterns, an extremely rare piece with possibly only a handful known
Crown 1821 Uniface trials or electrotypes for both sides of the coin, the reverse slightly convex, struck in silver; The reverse displays a small raised dot on the horse's breast, This ties in with ESC 262 (page 33 1992 edition) which states:- 'a small dot on the horse's body' which 'has not yet been removed' Rayner is referring to a plain edge coin minted the following year exhibiting the same characteristics as this piece. The reverse also missing the streamer, this also referred to in Linecar & Stone 6 on a copper trial (Page 57) where it is stated 'This would appear to be an artist's trial the check the erasion of the streamer' We also note some raised dots on the King's portrait, this would appear to be an intermediate pattern whose design was adopted, albeit with some changes, on the 1821-1822 Currency issues, Both sides NEF with matching dark grey tone, and both sides with full edge inscription as on the currency 1821 issue, an interesting insight into the progression on artists types 1820-1822. A coin of this description with the dot, but with full streamer and dated 1820 was present in the Forster, Marshall, Brice, Lingford, Clarke-Thornhill, Nobleman, Hamilton-Smith, Monagu and Murdochcollections
Pattern or TrialGeorge III One Florin 1871 (2) in nickel-brass (?) Obverse bearing the right facing portrait of George III within a beaded border GEORGIUS III D.G. BRITT. REX , the reverse with a crowned shield within an inner circle in a much later style, legend ONE FLORIN 1871 Plain edge (11.4 grammes) VF and milled edge (10.9 grammes) EF
One Pound 2015 12-sided Royal Mint Trial piece, Reverse with Crowned shield with decoration around, THE ROYAL MINT above and TRIAL PIECE below, EF with some contact marks
Two Pounds 1887 Pattern from Proof dies - a very rare trial piece struck from a unique Obv. die. The legend arrangement is similar to the standard proof dies, but the 'BRITT' is now at its highest known point above the crown and the 'R' and 'E' of 'Reg' do not touch as all other 1887 Two pounds. The crown supporter has 8 small pearls, not 7 larger ones as other proofs and currencies. This coin has a unique thin Obv. rim, with the bust now enlarged to accommodate this feature, whereas the Reverse still has the usual and inconsistent thick rim. An unpublished pattern struck from proof dies with only a few examples previously noted, NEF with contact marks
Crown-sized, unofficial Trial piece 1827 Henry Maudslay 38mm diameter in copper, Obverse: H.MAUDSLAY 1827 LONDON within continuous circles scrolled around his name and legend, Reverse: Scrolled designs (2) and wreath, milled edge. Note: Henry Maudslay was the founder of a precision engineering company which later went on the supply and repair machinery for the Royal Mint
Bank of England Dollar an undated uniface obverse trial Obverse K, as used on the patterns of 1811 exhibiting the a die flaw running from the rear of the truncation to the rim, and numerous die rust spots on and below the drapery and obverse rim, weight 34.2 grammes (527.78 grains) thus heavier than the thick flan coins described by the new ESC, but lighter than the 'very thick flan' listed pieces. Listed as Davis 39, and stated to be in copper, although has the appearance of a brass piece, interestingly Davis lists a standard Proof striking in brass (Davis 38), A/UNC with traces of lustre and a dark tone spot on the obverse rim
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 1920 Davies 1672N struck in a hard nickel type alloy and weighing 11.92 gr. There are 1924 trial nickel shillings, with a very rare example
struck metrically weighing 5 gr. The 1672N Halfcrown listed here may also
be a R.M. trial, when a complete elimination of silver seemed feasible. There
appears to be an interesting 'privy' mark, introduced by a thicker downstroke
to the 'D' of 'Dei' with the top and bottom serifs of this 'D' being double struck. The
border bead above compensates for this downstroke by being oversized. This would
be an odd occurrence for any counterfeiter, especially on top of striking perfectly
die-cut, but lightweight coins in this hard metal, and having excellent milling.
Only 6 of these examples are known to the vendor, NF/VG
Sovereign 1887 Jubilee Head Pattern, with the obverse displaying 14 Beads to Queen’s necklace rather than 13 on the standard currency and Proof coin.
J.E.B. initials fully on the truncation, on the standard Proof issue they encroach slightly into the field. On the 14 bead coin there is a smaller gap between the A in VICTORIA and the following D of D:G: .This obverse as Baldwin's Bentley sale 8/5/2013 Lot 1228. Reverse: The P of the B.P. initials is poorly rendered, appearing more like a triangle. There are also no stops in between.
The top line of the streamer on the helmet makes a smooth curve onto the next line down, whereas on the standard Proof it is distinctly separate.
The 7 of the date has an extra piece protruding from the right of the horizontal stroke.
The Reverse characteristics are similar to a reverse uniface Proof in the Royal Mint Museum, and had previously not been recorded before on a Proof or currency piece. UNC with prooflike fields, the design and legend heavily frosted. This reverse is as the Royal Mint uniface trial piece. Both obverse and reverse dies types are known, but until now, not on the same coin, and the existence of this piece links together the two previously known types. Comes with a comprehensive folder full of interesting data and research relating to this piece and the other pieces bearing the obverse and reverse die types and their developments and origins, along with many useful and important photographs. Also with authentication from Robert Matthews(ex Royal Mint and a recognised expert in authentication). Slabbed and graded CGS 75, a unique opportunity to acquire this important and unique piece
Guinea 1781 Pattern or Trial in copper with double reverse, after the original currency design by J.Tanner, Plain edge, reverse inverted, struck on a thick flan weighing 6.95 grammes, similar to Wilson and Rasmussen 96 but struck in copper, we note these two patterns also exhibit the recut last 1 in the date as the gold piece, UNC and excessively rare
Guinea 1781 Pattern or Trial in copper with double reverse, after the original currency design by J.Tanner, Plain edge, reverse inverted, struck on a thin flan weighing 4.01 grammes, similar to Wilson and Rasmussen 96 but struck in copper, we note these two patterns also exhibit the recut last 1 in the date as the gold piece, UNC and excessively rare
Pattern or TrialGeorge III One Florin 1871? Obverse bearing the right facing portrait of George III within a beaded border GEORGIUS III D.G. BRITT. REX , the reverse with a crowned shield within an inner circle in a much later style, legend ONE FLORIN 1871 GVF/NEF and better than the example sold in LCA 141 Lot 1907 which realised £220
PennyEdward VIIundatedtrial c.1902 produced by the Kings Norton Metal Co. Birmingham, on a thin flan weighing 8.43 grammes, Obverse: Bust of the King, right, within a raised inner circle, no legend, with a toothed border, Reverse: Toothed border, no legend, a design of 20 groups of four interlinked circles, within, four further groups of 25 interlinked circles, these groups interlinked with a further four separate circles within each ring, GVF, the obverse weakly struck, of extreme rarity, possibly the only known example, we note similar in style to the lots 383 and 384 in the J.Tansley Collection DNW 28/9/2005 (realised £460 and £800 hammer price respectively), these two pieces on flans of 10.12 grammes and 10.25 grammes
Pattern or TrialGeorge III One Florin 1871? Obverse bearing the right facing portrait of George III within a beaded border GEORGIUS III D.G. BRITT. REX , the reverse with a crowned shield within an inner circle in a much later style, legend ONE FLORIN 1871 NVF, a curious piece (Ex LCA 139 Lot 1513 realised £320)
Sovereign 1967 struck in brass 4.7 grams good milling and striking so presumed a Royal Mint strike die axis inverted, perhaps a trial piece or unofficial off metal striking AU a few scratches reverse, unusual and scarce
Two Pounds 1902 Matt proof Pattern or Trial having a more raised or detailed head. On a flat surface the coin distinctly rocks side to side unlike ordinary proofs which do not, and the even edge is broader and more satinised. The principal difference for this proof is having the 'rounded base 2' and 6.25mm wide date, this being the only example known to Peter Davies, as all other 1902 Two Pounds he has noted have the pointed base 2. Originally from a proof set which also included Lots 1262 and 1263 from London Coins Auction A124 these being the Halfcrown and Florin with similar raised head characteristics. Lightly toning FDC and Very Rare
Two Pounds 1887 ProofPattern or Trial utilising dies from the small B.P. currency issue. While the 1887 Proof issues use this special die sinking, the proof offered here appears to have been produced from the small B.P. currency dies. All new currency dies appear to have had Proof counterparts created, often with one or two struck for inspection, archive or presentation purposes. This piece has some unusual features, namely, the flan is about a 1/3 of a millimetre wider than usual allowing use of a bevelled or satinised edge. This broad, flat and even edge is always characteristic of 1887 Proofs. The milling, uniquely, is concave, mirror-like and less thick, unlike the standard small B.P. currency piece. This is the only such example known to Peter Davies and represents a extremely rare variety. Approaching EF with some surface marks
PatternCrownundated (1937) Uniface trial striking without a collar in pewter. Head of Edward VIII left. Large size portrait by Donald R Golder. DRG below bust. One of 3 similar obverse strikings in pewter. FDC
PatternCrown 1937 Uniface trial striking without a collar in pewter. St George slaying dragon after B Pistrucci. Date (1937) in exergue, word ‘MODEL? behind sword. One of 3 similar reverse strikings in pewter FDC
Two Pounds 1887??PATTERN from PROOF dies - a very rare trial piece struck from a unique Obv. die. The legend arrangement is similar to the standard proof dies, but?the 'Britt' is now at its highest?known point above the crown and the 'R' and 'E' of 'Reg' do not touch as all other 1887 two pounds. The crown supporter has 8 small pearls, not 7 larger ones as other proofs and currencies. This coin has a unique thin Obv. rim, with the bust?now?enlarged to?accommodate this feature, whereas the rev. still has the usual and?inconsistent thick rim. An unpublished pattern struck from proof dies with only?two other examples noted by the vendor.? Choice and virtually as struck
Halfcrown 1902 Obv 1 Rev A -- B.S.C. 1510M -- a trial or pattern having a more raised and detailed head, with the obv. not being matte as is the rev. - rare and as issued NFDC
Please browse the results of our past auctions using the navigation tools above.
Or browse our previous auctions using our text-based directory
Sell or auction your old coins
With London Coins selling your material could not be easier. We offer free appraisals, house visits, free collection of bulky material from your home, immediate cash offers and an auctioneering service.
If you have material to sell we offer a straightforward and easy to follow service which gives you the option of consigning your material to auction, or selling it to us direct for cash.
For further details please see our How To Sell Your Coins page and request our information pack.
Buy English Coins Single Coins and Small Lots
London Coins holds auctions every three months in Bracknell, Berkshire with a dedicated section for English Coins. This section covers all English milled issues offered as individual items or small groups, and in their raw state i.e. not graded and encapsulated by a third party graded company.
To receive the next London Coins auction catalogue join our mailing list.