Victoria gold Proof "Jubilee Head - Plain Edge" Sovereign 1887-S Proof Details (Repaired) NGC, Sydney mint, KM10, cf. S-3868A (plain edge unlisted), Marsh-138G (R7). Dish S1. Pre-eminent authority on the Jubilee Sovereign series David Iverson shared an intriguing account regarding the 1887-S Proof coins in his essential "The Iverson Collection" catalog. According to Mr. Iverson's research, no proof dies were sent from the Royal Mint in London to the Sydney branch mint until September 1887, with their arrival not expected until November. However, the Sydney mint desired a few specially crafted coins to present to dignitaries at the launch of the new coins. To achieve this, one of the six currency die pairs received earlier by Sydney was "enhanced" to produce a superior finish for the initial strikes. An excerpt from the 1887 annual report of the Sydney branch mint confirms this: "The first delivery of sovereigns of the new design was made on the 22nd June. His Excellency the Governor and Lady Carrington were kind enough to attend at the mint, to strike the proof pieces, and to start the machinery for the new coinage." The Iverson collection included one example, ex. The Park House collection, of this "enhanced" type, and the coin at hand appears to be from the same die pairing, as does the "specimen-like" example in lot 696 of the Bentley collection mentioning a "blundered B in JEB". What sets the present selection apart from these two specimens is the plain edge. Again leaning on Mr. Iverson's scholar, "a few" plain edge examples were minted both for the half and the full 1887-S sovereign, with a pair appearing in a Jaggard's advertisement in 2000. The present cataloger finds it doubtful that the advertised coin would be the same as the piece seen here yet it is within the realm of possibility. However, the question remains if all the plain edge 1887-S coins were minted from true proof dies or were they struck also from the "enhanced" business strike dies. Observing the coin at hand it admits copious wisps entirely covering the lower-lying fields on both verses, and a limited number of marks from handling marring the brilliance. Notably, the plain edge remains glossy and intact. Certainly a piece that demands further research from a dedicated Sovereign specialist, and we expect to see heightened interest as this crosses the auction block. Privately purchased from Jaggard's in Sydney, Australia; accompanied by their flip. From the James D. Wolfensohn Collection of Australian Sovereigns HID09801242017 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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