Victoria gold Proof Pattern "Shield" Sovereign 1871 PR65 Deep Cameo PCGS, KM-Unl., S-Unl., Marsh-Unl., W&R-314 var. (unlisted with plain edge). Plain edge. Simply a phenomenon that almost never occurs in as widely researched and studied a series as Victorian sovereigns--a pattern issue entirely unpublished in the standard literature. Remarkably undetected in the research of either Wilson and Rasmussen or Marsh, the present piece served as the first thoroughly documented example as part of the Bentley collection, and is now known to be one of only two that have appeared on the market (the other in Baldwin's September 2015 Auction 96, Lot 3577), making it a clear contender to also be the ex Murdoch (lot 506), Nobleman specimen (lot 269 [part]). 1871 marked the first year that Pistrucci's St. George and the Dragon reverse was reintroduced as a reverse type on British coinage, where it would continued to be struck alongside the shield reverse of earlier years until 1874. The date also saw the introduction of die numbers on the shield type. Clearly produced before either of these events as a Proof of Record, the offering appears entirely enviable as a testament to the highest standards the Mint could achieve, lavishly detailed across each and every element of the design with a heavily mirrored finish. Ex. Bentley Collection (Baldwin's Auction 73, May 2012, Lot 252) [cover lot]; Sotheby's (October 1995, Lot 821)

HID09801242017

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