Previous Lot Next Lot

Auction: 21005 - The Piccadilly List (Fixed Price, First Come First Served)
Lot: 9

BUY NOW: £22,500 | Blondeau's Canon: The Tisbury 'Blessing Restored' 1651 Pattern Halfcrown | MS63 | *Top Pop* | Commonwealth (1649-1660), Pattern Halfcrown, 1651, by Peter Blondeau, Shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, IN • THE • THIRD • YEARE • OF • FREEDOME • BY • GODS • BLESSING • RESTORED • 1651 •, 15.19g, 33.5mm., m.m. sun (on obv. only) (Adams 275; Tisbury 810 this coin; ESC 62 [443] [R3]; North 2731; Spink -), the scarcer edge variety, with sumptuous cabinet golden and iridescent tone, a most handsome extremely fine, very rare, especially in this sterling grade, in NGC holder, graded MS63 (Cert. #2822098-001) [*Top Pop*]

Provenance
Tisbury, Part I, Spink 248, 25 September 2017, lot 810
Purchased Baldwin, 3 June 1986 - £1,400


One of two lettered edges featured on the trial patterns produced by Peter Blondeau with Thomas Simon's assistance in the competition against David Ramage for the design of the Commonwealth specie. The competition originated from the age old mistrust of Englishmen and Frenchmen for one another and Blondeau's introduction of superior equipment to the Royal Mint. Whilst milled coinage would not become regular issue for another decade, the impact of Blondeau's design not only pre-determined the design of the Commonwealth coinage, but also provides to history the earliest lettered edge coins in the British series. Ironically Simon's fabled artisanship would also prove his undoing following the Restoration, with inflammatory anti-Monarchist sentiment as the lettering inscribed here the reason for his subsequent failure under Charles II, most notably in his own competition with the Roettier brothers in 1662-63 that led to his Petition and Reddite Crowns. Of the two edge varieties, this is undoubtedly the more attractive for the Commonwealth historian, bearing the exact motto as displayed on the Great Seal of the Commonwealth produced by Simon in 1651.



This item is available for purchase at the published fixed price at www.spink.com. No Buyer's Premium or VAT is applicable. All offers will be processed within 2 working days, and successful purchases invoiced by email for payment within seven days.

Subject to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium. Not applicable to "Buy Now " offerings. For more information please view Terms and Conditions for Buyers.

Estimate
£22,500

Starting price
£22500