Great Seal: An old silvered electrotype copy of an impression of George III’s first Great Seal, uniface, depicting the King enthroned and facing right, crowned, holding orb and sceptre and wearing Garter collar, with a lion at his feet and attended by Piety, Justice, Minerva, Hercules, Britannia and Plenty; crowned Royal arms above within Garter over cornucopia and palm spray, legend georgivs iii dei gratia magnæ britanniæ franciæ et hiberniæ rex fidei defensor around, diameter 142.5/143.5mm (cf. Wyon, The Great Seals of England, London, 1887, no. 159 and pl. XLVI), good very fine, loaded and leather-backed, with a removable suspension ring for wall display In use between 1764 and 1784, the matrices for George III’s first Great Seal and Counterseal were stolen, together with other items, from the Great Ormond Street home of the Lord Chancellor, Lord Thurlow, during the night of 23-24 March 1784. Conspiracy theories surrounding the theft were rife for a time but replacement Great Seal matrices, clearly dated 1784 to distinguish it from the first Seal, were quickly prepared. The fate of the original Seal remains a mystery.

Estimate: GBP 400 - 600