| Sovereign Rarities Ltd > Auction 15 | Auction date: 19 November 2024 |
| Lot number: 12 Price realized: 550 GBP (Approx. 697 USD / 658 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: From the Marquis of Bute Collection | William Wake (1657-1737), Archbishop of Canterbury. William Wake (1657-1737), Archbishop of Canterbury, silver medal, 1725, by Jean Dassier, from his series of Protestant Reformers, bust right, GUILIELMUS WAKE ARCH. CANT., rev. ILLUSTRIUM VI-RORUM QUI VERÆ RELIGIONI CHRISTIANÆ BONISQUE LETTERIS etc., 42mm, 39.84g (Eimer 500; MI ii 462/73; Eisler [1] 190, 1). Good extremely fine with rich cabinet tone. Provenance: Bought A H Baldwin & Sons Ltd, private purchase, September 2015 Ex Marquis of Bute Collection, Sotheby's, 2 July 1951, lot 200 (part) The Highcliff Collection of 18th, 19th & 20th Century Commemorative Medals Starting price: 500 GBP |  |
Match 1:
| Spink > Auction 24186 | Auction date: 25 September 2024 |
| Lot number: 142 Price realized: 130 GBP (Approx. 174 USD / 156 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Various Medals (4) including: Papal States, Paul III, Restitution, AE Restrike Medal, 1664, by Girolamo Paladino, PAVLVS III PONT MAX AN XV, bust right, wearing tonsure and mantum, · MDIL · below, triskeles stops, rev. AVITÆ FARNES IORVM STIRPIS, coat-of-arms with crossed keys and filleted tiara above, triskeles stops, plain edge, 45 mm, 45.19g, (Modesti 373; Lincoln 439), large die flaws across the obverse, making for an intriguing blundered portrait, brown surfaces, toned, reverse particularly pleasing, very fine; also Archbishop Sancroft and the Seven Bishops, AR Cast and Chased medal, 1688, by J. Smeltzing, * GVIL X SANCROFT . ARCHIEPISC . CANTVAR . 1688 ., clerically robed bust right, rev. seven medallions each containing the bust of one of the seven Bishops, stars in fields, 49 mm, 24.38g, (MI i, 622/37; Eimer 288b), some light hairlining in the fields, toned, very fine; and Capture of Sardinia and Minorca, AE Medal, 1708, by John Croker, ANNA o D : G : MAG : BRI : FRA : ET o HIB : REG :, draped bust left, rev. SARDINIA : ET o BALEARIS MINOR o CAPTAE, Victory standing on a conch floating in the sea; on either side, beyond, are two islands, MDCCVIII o in exergue, edge plain, 40mm, 23.81g, 12h (Eimer 434; MI ii 329/157; MH 1919, 146), wear to the higher points and some small bruises in the fields, otherwise near very fine; also Anne Memorial, AE Medal, 1714, by Jean Dassier, ANNA D. G. M. BR. FR. ET HIB. REGINA., bust left, rev. Fame reveals a medallion of Prince George on an obelisk, decorated with military trophies, inscribed NATA 6. FEBR. 1665. CORONAT. 23. APR. 1702. MORT. I. AVG. 1714., plain edge, 41 mm, 33.37 g, (Eimer 462; MI II, 417/292; EIS (1) 264/32), struck in 1731, from Dassier's series of English kings and queens, mottled toning with some beginnings of verdigris, otherwise very fine (4). Provenance, The Orrysdale Collection of Dr John Frissell Crellin MRCS MHK (1816-1886), , William Sancroft was the 79th Archbishop of Canterbury, and was one of seven Bishops imprisoned in 1688 for seditious libel against King James II. Estimate: £200 - £300 |  |
Match 2:
| Sovereign Rarities Ltd > Auction 17 | Auction date: 13 March 2025 |
| Lot number: 4 Price realized: To Be Posted | |
| Lot description: Offa, King of Mercia (757-796), silver Penny, light coinage (c.780-792), London, moneyer Ealhmund, undraped bare head bust right extending to bottom of coin wearing pendent with chain with horned shoulders, beaded circles and legend surrounding, +.O.F:FA:R:.EX.+., rev. moneyer name in two lines with flourish, serpent torque surrounding, ALH / MuN /.~., weight 1.28g (BMC 7; Chick 37k this coin; Blunt 42; SCBI 21:953 Yorkshire; SCBI 67:559 Lyon; N.318; S.905). Dark tone, well struck in good metal, slight porosity to cheek, extremely fine and very rare so well preserved.With the second longest reign in Mercian history at 39 years, Offa was arguably the most powerful ruler of the early Anglo-Saxon period dominating Southern England and claiming as much as to be King of the English, and later known as Offa the Great. Surprisingly little is known for such a long reign, but this perhaps suggests times of peace, stability and control over his nobles. If the genealogies are correct, he was cousin of King Aethelbald and descended from Eowa, the brother and co-ruler of Penda. Offa's Father was Thingfrith who was the son of Eanwulf. Offa seized power on the murderous death of Aethelbald in 757 overthrowing the usurper Beonred. The records remain quiet for the first twenty years of the reign at a time when a new style coinage emerges clearly influenced by the latest models on the continent, and it is thought Offa even brought Italian engravers based on style and artistic form. An art that was lost not long after and such life-like portraits not being seen again until the Renaissance in the Tudor period hundreds of years later. Some Mercian borders remained vulnerable, and the Welsh recorded a victory at Hereford in 760 which ultimately led to the construction of Offa's dyke from the River Wye to Flintshire. The dyke skilfully using the topography of the land as a physical barrier and as an Anglo-Welsh border was no doubt well patrolled. Offa also effectively dealt with Kent eventually defeating King Sigered in 764 and installing two rulers to counter each other, Heahbert and Ecgbert. Though upon the death of Heahbert in 776, Ecgbert revolted with Offa suffering a rare defeat at Otford, but eventually regaining control on Ecgbert's death circa 784, installing Eahlmund as a client King. Offa also had fraught relations with the Archbishopric of Canterbury and Jaenberht in the 780s leading to Offa setting up for one term only the Archbishopric of Lichfield in Mercia with the blessing of Pope Hadrian and Bishop Hygeboerht installed, Offa managed to block opposition to the Pope from Canterbury. Aethelheard the successor to Jaenberht at Canterbury was on much improved terms with Offa and after the death of Offa the Arch-bishopric of Lichfield lapsed. The Archbishop of Lichfield had presided over a coronation in 787 for Offa's son Ecgfrith as joint co-ruler of Mercia and unprecedented crowning within a Father's lifetime but also this secured succession. Offa also had military successes against Cynewulf of Wessex in 779 at Bensington, and after Offa's eventual dominance of Kent around 785, Wessex and Cynewulf's successor Beohrtric became much more dependent on the Mercian King and even married his daughter Eadburh. Offa's other daughter Aelfleda married King Aethelred Moll of Northumbria. There is also an account if true that in 794 Offa executed the visiting King Aethelberht of East Anglia at Sutton Walls near Hereford apparently upon the wishes of Queen Cynefryth, suppressing the King-ship of the area. Offa was good at self-promotion upon his coinage and was the most powerful ruler in England and seen as a counterpart to Charlemagne. He introduced a gold mancus in an Arabic dinar style that proudly displayed his name in English and remains as a unique coin in the British Museum. His silver coinage showed innovative layouts and designs and the portrait coins showed very life-like portraits as well as a coinage for his wife Cynefryth who was the first English Queen to be depicted upon a coin. Offa died on 26th July 796 in his sixties and ironically his co-ruling son Ecgfrith died just months later in the same year at which point the dynasty collapse. The obverse legend translates as "Offa King" and the reverse with moneyer name "Ealhmund". Provenance: Found at Turnpike Drive, Warden Hills, Luton with inquest on 26th August 1973. Ex Spink Numismatic Circular, December 1973, item 9873 as sold. Ex Spink Numismatic Circular, March 1975, item 2002 for £3,500. Ex G. W. Trow Collection, Classical Numismatic Group, Triton XXIII, 14th January 2020, lot 1272. Starting price: 10000 GBP |  |
Match 3:
| Spink > Auction 24006 | Auction date: 9 January 2025 |
| Lot number: 87 Price realized: 4,000 GBP (Approx. 4,936 USD / 4,793 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: Henry I 'Beauclerc' (1100-1135), 'Profile/Cross Fleury' Type, Penny, struck c. 1102, after the "Treaty of the Forest of Hantone", Twynham [Christchurch], Ealdræd, HENRI REI, crowned bust left, holding trefoil-tipped sceptre, rev. + IELDRED ON TPN, cross fleury within beaded circle, 1.29g [19.91grns], 10h (Hawkins 254; W J Webster, Spink Numismatic Circular, October 1900, P.4211 ['Tynemouth, Northumberland'] = W J Andrew, 'The Numismatic History of the Reign of Henry I [NumChron, Series IV, Vol. I, 1901], p. 420* and Pl. VIII, no. 2 ['Tamworth'] = Murdoch 209* = Talbot-Ready 235* = Drabble 949* = Lockett 1049* = SCBI 20 [Mack] 1503 = EMC 1200.0697 same dies; Brooke [1932], refers; Challis [1992], p. 62 refers; North 858; BMC II; S.1263A), slight warping to the flan, otherwise toned, OF THE HIGHEST RARITY AND OF GREAT HISTORICAL INTEREST, the second recorded specimen, and first addition to the corpus since October 1900. Provenance, Found at Tarrant Hinton (Dorset), 28 September 2024, ~ Recorded with the British Museum (ref. PAS-HAMP-FE2272) ~, ~ Recorded with the Fitzwilliam Museum (ref. EMC 2024.0321) ~ , , Toponymy is a powerful tool in an exploration of the origins of place throughout Britain. The impact of the Roman 'castrum' in Lancaster, Manchester and indeed Chester is well appreciated, as too is the -by suffix in Northern England reflecting Norse settlement within the Danelaw, as much as -ham and -burh have been identified for the same amongst Anglo-Saxon society. In essence, the sense of place established in 'Dark Age' society is as influential on communities today as it was at their foundation, albeit the Town Elder has been replaced by a Parish, District or County Councillor - one wonders if they received the same level of 'pothole' complaints about the disintegration of surviving Roman infrastructure! , , Rare then is it for a place name to be changed at the whim of its Medieval landowner, scarcer still for that to play out in the numismatic record. On occasion the partition of Royal and Ecclesiastical land ownership was required for clarification of property rights, such as the distinction between Abbots Langley and Kings Langley (Herts), Bognor Regis (West Sussex) and more confusingly Kingsbury Episcopi (Somerset). Collectors may be mindful therefore of the signature for the Mint at Cambridge reflecting the neighbouring settlement of Grantchester, or for York reverting to its Latin name on the specie carried by those heroic English archers at the Battle of Crécy. , , Alfred, Twynham (OE Tweoxneam) however stands out in the provincial mint record for bearing upon its short-lived coinage the Old English place name of a town renamed by Ranulf Flambard, Chief Minister to William Rufus upon his founding a priory there in AD 1094. Sited on raised strip of land between the confluence of two rivers, the town served as a critical harbour between the continent and its gateway to the historic markets at Blandford Forum and Salisbury. Its strategic significance was identified by King Alfred, who sought to fortify it in the 9th Century (ASC, AD 901 refers). , , Domesday, At Domesday (Phillimore, Hants 1,28; and 17,1), the lands of Twynham had an estimated population of forty-seven households, rendering it among the top 20% of all settlements assessed across England for 1086. Divided into two landowners, the King and the Canons of Holy Trinity, the meadow land covered 169 acres, with the Royal partition valued at £10 per annum, and the Ecclesiastical at £8 per annum. Notably the Royal lands had significantly decreased in value since 1066, when Edward the Confessor had held them at £19, and indeed against the price for which William the Conqueror had acquired them, reflecting an increase in 'waste land' in the area after the Norman conquest. The community however still supported 21 villagers, 5 small holders, a slave and seven itinerants, all of whom furnished the 5-shilling mill with grain produced amongst the 16.5 local plough teams. , , New Forest, Royal lands enabled the Sovereign to fund his or her lifestyle, and by gift or forfeit, exert political pressure over his wider nobility. Twynham must have occupied a greater personal pleasure for the Norman Kings, not least because it was situated on the southern tip of the newly proclaimed Royal hunting parkland within the 'Nova Foresta'. Around its circumference stood the mint-towns of Salisbury, Shaftesbury, Southampton, Wareham, Winchester and Twynham. Whilst a mint at 'Newport' is recorded during the reign of Edward the Confessor, this is generally assumed to be Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire, rather than the present settlement of the same name on the Isle of Wight. Salisbury would cease early in Tealby coinage; Shaftesbury and Southampton at the terminus of Stephen's reign; and Wareham earlier during the tumult of the Anarchy. , , Christchurch, Twynham's emissions were spasmodic, and largely chart the documented influx of Royal or Ecclesiastical investment within the town. In accordance with the creation of the "New Forest" by Royal Proclamation in 1079, are known examples of the Conqueror's "Profile Right" issues of c. 1080-1083 (BMC 1848,0819.185; EMC 1993.0239) struck by an otherwise unrecorded moneyer Coleman. In 1094, Ranulf Flambard, Keeper of the Conqueror's Seal and Chief Justiciar of England during the reign of William II, initiated the construction of a Norman priory for the Holy Trinity as "Dean of Thiunam". A supposed miracle occurred when building materials were relocated 'overnight' to a new location, giving rise to the ultimate rededication as 'Christ Church'. A later Medieval mythology developed around the addition of a 'floating beam', said to have been installed by the biblical carpenter himself. A chief architect of the hated Rufine taxation of 1096, he was deposed from Office upon the suspicious death of the King whilst hunting in the New Forest at 'Thorougham' on 2 August 1100. , , Flambard, On 15 August 1100, the new Sovereign had Flambard imprisoned on charges of embezzlement and simony in the newly-furnished 'White Tower' in London - a particular twist of personal fortune - as it had been Flambard who had been instrumental in constructing its very curtain wall! He would infamously become the Tower of London's first prisoner, as well as first successful escapee! The Honour of Christchurch (Twynham) was also confiscated from him, initially in frank almoign for the sole benefit of a local clerk Gilbert de Dousgunels, but later re-granted to Richard de Redvers, one of Beauclerc's most trusted supporters (Cotton MS. refers) who installed it in the hands of another abusive clerk Peter de Oglandres. Oglandres was later investigated for misappropriating church funds, not least those allocated for completing the construction of Flambard's Priory. The 'party' clerk's corruption included the siphoning off convent income, as well as the 'entertainment of a common hall' (Ferrey & Wedlake Brayley refers). , , Corruption, One must wonder how our moneyer Ealdræd (OE 'old counsel') engaged with these seismic events. For it is just possible that the source of his coined silver was originally Flambard's Priory funds. What better way to cover the expenditure of that work, and Oglandres 'entertaining' for that matter, than to make use of a travelling moneyer, probably relocated from operations at Southwark or even Canterbury. Fifteen years later, Ealdræd would reappear working at Shaftesbury, having been replaced by Henri (BMC VII), and latterly Tovi (BMC XIV) at the infrequently-operating Twynham mint. , , The last Norman Invasion of England, The other possibility for the coining of Pennies in 1102 relates to the signing of the "Treaty of the Forest of Hantone". The accord was signed at Southampton in the Autumn of 1101 between the newly minted King Henry and his elder brother Duke Robert of Normandy. 'Curthose' as the latter came to be known, duly recognised his younger brother's otherwise lesser claim to the English throne; thereby bringing an anti-climax the last Norman Invasion of England. It is conceivable that a still-jittery King Henry sought to bolster the economies of his imperiled south coast, by bringing moneyers in from afar to appease his new subjects. In any case, one young nephew would remember this successful capture of the English crown when the opportunity presented itself once more in December 1135. The winds of Blois would begin to howl, sealing the untimely demise of a White Ship in the choppy waters of Barfleur, and the fate of its 17-year old crewman - "Adelin". , Estimate: 4000 - 5000 GBP |  |
Match 4:
| Sovereign Rarities Ltd > Auction 17 | Auction date: 13 March 2025 |
| Lot number: 15 Price realized: To Be Posted | |
| Lot description: Henry I (1100-35), silver Penny, profile / cross fleury type (c.1102), Chichester Mint, moneyer Brand, crowned bust facing left with sceptre extending to bottom of coin, legend and beaded borders surrounding, +HENRIIC, rev. cross fleury within beaded circle, legend and beaded border surrounding, +BRIIND ON CIC, weight 1.39g (BMC type II; N.858; S.1263A). Lightly toned, struck a little off-centre, good very fine and rare. The legends translate as "Henry " on obverse and "Brand of Chichester" on the reverse. North records only three moneyers working at Chichester for Henry I and nobody for type 2. Only activity is for type 4, possibly 6 and 7, and then 8 to 14 inclusive. The fourth son of William the Conqueror, the "fine scholar" Henry Beauclerc as he was known acceded to the throne of England on the death of his childless elder brother William Rufus, who died after a hunting accident in the New Forest on 2nd August 1100. Well educated Henry had been left landless when his Father died with the Kingdoms shared between the two eldest surviving brothers Robert and William, though he did purchase the county of Cotentin from his eldest brother Robert in western Normandy, but was later deposed from there in 1091, and subsequently, gradually rebuilt his power there with the help of elder brother William against Robert. Upon the death of William Rufus, and being present in the area at that time, he immediately became King promising to correct the less popular policies of his late brother. Henry married Matilda of Scotland with whom he had a son William Aethling and a daughter the Empress Matilda, as well as various other illegitimate children. His elder brother Robert invaded in 1101 disputing Henry's control, but this was settled by a pact recognising Henry as King of England. Henry later invaded Normandy in 1105 and 1106 defeating Robert eventually in the Battle of Tinchebray imprisoning his brother until his death on 3rd February 1134 in Cardiff Castle. Henry then controlled Normandy for which he was subsequently challenged by Robert's son William Clito who was supported by Fulk V of Anjou, Baldwin VII of Flanders and Louis VI of France, resulting in major rebellions within the Duchy from 1116-19. Eventually a peace settlement was agreed in 1120 after Henry's victory at the Battle of Bremule. Henry was an effective leader who drew his nobles and barons close whilst using the government justice and taxation systems to the best effect boosting the Royal Exchequer, along with Normandy and its own independent system. He also encouraged ecclesiastical reform playing a major role in selecting senior clergy, though he did have a serious earlier dispute with Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury in 1101 eventually resolved through a compromise in 1105. Unfortunately, Henry's son and heir apparent William drowned in the White Ship sinking disaster of 1120 and Henry entered a second marriage in the hope of another son, but the union with Adeliza of Louvain remained childless. He therefore declared Matilda his heir and married her to Geoffrey of Anjou in 1128 but the relationship between them all became strained with fighting along the Anjou border. Henry subsequently died on 1st December 1135 after a week of illness and despite his plan for succession it was Stephen of Blois his nephew that succeeded him which led to a Civil War. Situated 13 miles east of Portsmouth, Chichester is mentioned in the Burghal Hidage and was harried by the Danes in 895. The Bishopric seat was moved here from Selsey in 1075, and in 1114 "through culpable carelessness" the City including the minster were burnt. Minting activity first occurs under Aethelstan, then Edgar and then from Aethelred II to Stephen. The mint was later revived here in 1205 with one die for the Bishop and one for the King in the reign of John. Provenance: Ex Baldwin Auction 80, 5th May 2013, lot 2319. Starting price: 1300 GBP |  |
Match 5:
| Spink > Auction 24005 | Auction date: 26 September 2024 |
| Lot number: 488 Price realized: 21,000 GBP (Approx. 28,086 USD / 25,140 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | |
| Lot description: William IV (1830-1837), The Engraver's Own Preparatory Trial Striking for a Five-Pound Piece or so-called Pattern Crown, Undated [struck after 22 November 1830], in silver, struck from the Crown Obverse Die muled with a George IV 1829 Pattern Crown Reverse, by William Wyon and Jean Baptiste-Merlen after the bust by Sir Francis Chantrey (Sculptor-in-Ordinary), London, GULIELMUS IIII D: G: BRITANNIAR: REX F: D: bare head right, W.W. incuse on truncation, rev. BRITANNIARUM REX FID: DEF: crowned and garnished shield in bountifully-decorated mantle, edge plain, [Spink XRF: 99.99% Ag], 28.887g [445.79grns], 6h (MSCE, p. 96, Pattern 35a; Bergne 1282 = Brice = Montagu 1098 = SNC, June 1895, no. 24579 = Murdoch 450 = Renotière 213; L&S 8; ESC 276 [R6]; Hocking -, cf. 1927 [RMM ~ 'W WYON']; cf. M C S Rasmussen, 'An Unusual Group of William IV Pieces', Spink Numismatic Circular, December 1980, p. 443, no. 2), one of three known specimens prepared by William Wyon and Jean Baptiste-Merlen for 'Honest Jack' (Viscount Althorp) for presentation to His Majesty the King to garner Royal assent for the Williamite coinage subsequently achieved at St James's Palace on 13 April 1831; the obverse with matte fields and an *exceptionally subtle* repair by the Ns of BRITANNIAR (where previously dented), nevertheless the reverse residually brilliant, universally and handsomely cabinet toned, struck details thus extremely fine and better and previously adjudicated PF62 by NGC, OF THE HIGHEST RARITY, the sole example to be offered at public auction for OVER 50 YEARS and with an exemplary pedigree through the esteemed cabinets of the British Crown-collecting pioneer-connoisseurs of Lingford, Paget and Wakley having been sourced from Wyon's own cabinet wherein tentatively described as a "Pattern for a Five Pound Piece" and the very coin from which the entire William IV specie gained personal Royal assent. Provenance, St James's Auction 23, 4 February 2013, lot 239 - wherein graded NGC PF62 - £24,000, "Jacobs", Baldwin-Glendining, 4 October 1962, lot 190* - £240.0.0, H M Lingford, First Portion, Glendining, 24-26 November 1950, lot 539* - "Undated, a similar pattern, having W.W. incuse on truncation, and initials J.B.M. on ground under George and Dragon, a dent in front of face. Very fine and extremely rare" - £58.0.0, Capt. H E G Paget, Glendining, 25 September 1946, lot 463* - "very fine but dented, very rare" - £72.0.0 [Baldwin for Lingford], ~It is evident that careless handling of the coin prior to acquisition by Paget resulted in the unfortunate dent before the nose ~, 'Other Properties', Sotheby's, 22 April 1910, lot 135 - "brilliant and exceedingly rare" - £14.0.0 [Spink], Thomas Wakley, Sotheby's, 6 December 1909, lot 262 - "brilliant and exceedingly rare" - £17.10.0 [Weight], Leonard Charles Wyon, Modeller and Engraver of the Royal Mint (1851-1891), Sotheby's, 12 December 1901, lot 56 - "Pattern Crown or Five Pound Piece, excessively rare" - £26.0.0 [Spink for Wakley], ~ thence by descent to his son ~, William Wyon, Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint (1828-1851), his personal specimen , , Francis Legatt Chantrey RA was commissioned to sculpt a bust of William in 1829, whilst he was still Duke of Clarence. It would not be until accession to the throne on 26 June 1830, however, when Chantrey actually took up the project. The Sheffield Independent (24 July 1830) reported: "We have been favoured with a sight of this beautiful piece of portrait sculpture: which is not quite finished, but only waits the finishing strokes of the master's chisel at another sitting, to perfect the resemblance. The face possesses an intelligent expression, and great animation; and the features are chiselled with vigour and delicacy. The air and attitude are elegant, easy and dignified, and the effect is strikingly natural. It is a very faithful portrait, and a fine work of art; and is perhaps one of the most successful of Mr. Chantrey's busts of the Royal Family. The bust is relieved by a simple drapery only. One view of the profile exhibits a strong family likeness to George the Third. Mr. Chantrey is now employed on a medallion from the profile of this bust for the new coin of William the Fourth". The tabloids re-reported such news after the Trial of the Pyx on Friday 6 August 1830 (Staffordshire Advertiser, 14 August, refers), and even again as late as 9 December 1830, when it is further reported that: "His Majesty sat for an hour and a half to Chantrey for his bust, a model for a new coinage". ON 23 October, the story read "Mr. William Wyon, the chief-engraver of the mint, has been for some time past very closely occupied in the preparation of dies for the new coinage." (Kerry Evening Post, refers) , , However political events were to overtake proceedings of the day. Barely a month had passed, when on 22 November 1830, the King accepted the invitation of Charles, 2nd Earl Grey to lead a new Whig Government following the collapse of the Duke of Wellington's premiership. The appointment was noteworthy, not least because his elevation to any ministerial position had been singly outlawed under the previous King. Much like the souring of his Royal affection, Earl Grey famously took issue with the potability of the London water; requiring a special blend from Mr Stephen Twining - a formulation that still credits his name to this day. Grey's premiership is widely credited with paving the way for the modern British democratic system, with notable achievements including the Reform Act (1832) and the Slavery Abolition Act (1833). However his cabinet was equally noteworthy for its extremely aristocratic assemblage - all but one position being held by members of the House of Lords or hereditary peers. Worse yet was the multitude of minor positions granted to his own family; with critics lampooning him as tom cat catching the fish of the British state (and over £20,000 of public money for his family annually). , , Grey nevertheless maintained general popular support for his championing of "the bill, the whole bill, and nothing but the bill" after the subsequent General Election. His Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Spencer, Viscount Althorp would garner his own nickname: 'Honest Jack' for his incorruptible scruples. It was he who would receive one such example of this remarkable Pattern, alongside a uniface striking of the design proposals for an Halfcrown and Shilling. Intriguingly, the designs reflect the sentiment of the general readership of the Morning Herald (20 October 1830, refers): "Sir - As the first Parliament in the reign of our present Gracious King is about to assemble, I would suggest the propriety of discontinuing the use of the Latin language, which is unintelligible to many persons, in the titles of their acts, and the use of our own plain English instead. Also, in the event of a new coinage, I do not consider it would at all lessen the dignity of our King, if his coin conveyed his title and honours in words which his good subjects could read; on the contrary, every loyal subject would be proud to represent his King to the world as he really is, entirely British - A PLAIN TRADESMAN, Oct. 16. 1830." , , This remarkable group of trial strikings, bearing the sole 'Crown die' portrait of the King, at his own personal request, would formulate the basis of the entire specie coined from 1831 for the duration of his reign, and are only concurrent with a tiny handful of Pattern Gold Strikings of the Sovereign (W&R 260) produced in 1830. Estimate: £20000 - £26000 |  |
