George III copper Pattern Guinea ND (1816) MS62 Brown NGC, cf. W&R-182 (R7; listed in gold), Farey-2045. An exceptional offering, this Pattern issue is listed in the Wilson & Rasmussen catalog as a potential "petition" piece struck by George Mills with the goal of obtaining the post of Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint. It features a short-haired bust of George III with "MILLS" engraved prominently along the truncation with a "C" below. Wilson & Rasmussen note that they were unable to verify the existence of the coin prior to publication and assigned it a rarity rating of "R7," denoting one or two pieces believed extant. We have been unable to locate any examples in gold (the primary requirement for listing in the Wilson & Rasmussen catalog) or any other pieces in copper, leaving us to wonder whether any were struck in gold at all. Perhaps this copper piece is one of only a couple survivors of this extremely rare trial.

HID09801242017

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