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Auction: 24006 - British and World Coins
Lot: 378

(g) PCGS AU55 | Victoria (1837-1901), 'Ansell' Sovereign, 1859, second large bust left, with 'Ansell' ribbon to hair fillet, WW incuse on truncation, rev. crowned normal shield within wreath, edge milled, 7h (EGC II, 1132; MCE 520 [R2]; Bentley 426; Marsh 42A; S.3852E), some light hairlining before the portrait and die flawing, lustrous to the legends and handsomely so to the reverse, 'Ansell' ribbon pleasing struck, a nearing extremely fine example of this enigmatic and highly desirable scarcity of the Sovereign series, in PCGS holder, graded (Cert. #36332855)

Provenance

Tony Spink Coins Ltd, Lincolnshire, by private treaty, 3 July 2019 - £4650


https://www.pcgs.com/cert/36332855


In 1859, George Frederick Ansell, who served as head of the rolling room at the Royal Mint, experimented with a rejected shipment of gold coin alloy. The shipment had initially been refused by the Mint due to their strict quality standards for coin striking. Through his metallurgical experiments, Ansell developed a new alloy composition that proved more durable than the traditional sovereign design, with tests showing the coins couldn't be broken even when attacked with pliers.

The coins were minted with Queen Victoria's portrait and included a specific identifying feature - an extra band on the ribbon holding back Victoria's hair - to distinguish them from standard 1859 sovereigns produced from different dies. Despite being known as the 'brittle sovereign' due to the origins of its metal, the coin proved exceptionally strong. A total of 167,539 sovereigns were produced using Ansell's unique alloy composition. However, today they prove to be rare in commerce, especially in such desirable condition.

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Estimate
£5,000 to £6,000

Starting price
£4500