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Auction: 21005 - The Piccadilly List (Fixed Price, First Come First Served)
Lot: 23

BUY NOW: £85,000 | The Sensational Pattern Proof 1733 2-Guineas by Croker | PF61 CAM | George II (1727-1760), Pattern Proof Two-Guineas, 1733, by John Croker, GEORGIVS II DEI GRATIA, young laureate head left, rev. 33 • M • B • F • ET • H • REX • F • D • B • ET • L • D • S • R • I • A • T • ET • E • 17, crowned garnished shield with straight top, crown with rounded arches, eight strings to Irish harp, edge plain, 12h (W&R 69 [R5]; EGC 564 ~ Bull A/1; Spink 3667), some faint cabinet friction before face and the usual spots of die rust scattered through otherwise brilliant obverse fields, the reverse gorgeously cabinet toned, good extremely fine, extremely rare with only eight examples traced by this cataloguer, an essential addition for any Connoisseur of the 2-Guinea coinage, in NGC holder, graded PF61 CAMEO (Cert. #5880544-002)

Undoubtedly the star of our first 'Piccadilly list' for more than a Century - and the first undisputed pattern struck for the denomination and perhaps the finest design of the series thanks to the careful and considered hand of Hanoverian medallist John Croker.
The reason for pattern strikings in 1733 is not immediately clear, seemingly disconnected from the 1729 Proof emissions for the Five Guineas and Guinea or indeed the 1728 for the Half-Guinea. However 1733 marks the final recall of older hammered gold specie from as far back as the reign of James I from circulation. A number of merchants had petitioned the House of Commons and the King, who was forced to proclaim a recoinage in 1733. Some £800,000 in old ‘broad gold’ was ultimately consigned to the furnace, the bullion of which undoubtedly created this magnificent Proof - the artistry of should be considered in similar regard to the products of Thomas Simon, Benedetto Pistrucci and William Wyon.
Close inspection of the die sees the extensive refurbishment and resinking of letter forms, leaving the charateristic ghosting of letters seen above the laurel wreath and the floating bar of the A of GRATIA between the final hair curls. However what distances this seminal Proof striking apart from its later 1768, 1773 and 1773 'cousins' is its function as a model for the subsequent currency issue produced from 1734 to 1753. The popularity for the issues of Yeo and Tanner is plain to see in recent price realisations in the United States, however the collector is minded to remember the close relationship of the present offering to the numismatic history of Britain in comparison to the ultimate procrastinatory trials produced during the reign of George III.



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Estimate
£85,000

Starting price
£85000