To recap our recent
Stack’s Bowers Galleries New York International Auction we will begin a series
of blog entries highlighting some of our outstanding results. The “Una and the Lion” Proof set brought a price realized above and
beyond what we expected, hammering at $320,000 and exceeding our high estimate
by $20,000. The final results affirm the desirable nature of this piece. We
expect that by now it is the centerpiece in the cabinet of the collector who
persevered to acquire it. Rightly considered one of the most spectacular
English coin designs to date, the Una and the Lion Pattern 5 Pound by itself would
warrant a feature here. This piece was not alone however; it was accompanied by
all denominations from the Farthing to the Sovereign, including the Maundy set.
The set has clearly been together since it was issued, likely stored in the
original box for much of that time as indicated by the nicely matched patinas.
Though the box is no longer present, the coins have been handled carefully over
the years. All the pieces are housed in slightly older generation NGC holders,
with serial numbers that further indicate the originality of this complete set.
All were clearly submitted for grading at the same time.
The powerhouse of this
group, the Una and the Lion 5 Pound, is known for its expressive and
wonderfully detailed reverse design by William Wyon, chief engraver of the
Royal Mint. His exceptional talent is evident with the stately Queen Victoria,
as Una, in full coronation regalia holding a globus cruciger and holding a
scepter horizontally over a massive lion. This scene alludes to the story of
the mythical Una, the young daughter of a knight. The story goes that while Una
was walking alone in the woods she was set upon by a ravenous lion. Instead of
devouring her as a hapless victim the lion was overcome by her beauty and
became her companion instead. The lion, a clear symbol of British strength, symbolized
that though the ascending monarch was a young woman, she should be taken
seriously.
While we are no longer
accepting consignments for our New York International Auction, we are accepting
consignments of world and ancient coins as well as world paper money for our
May 2017 Collector’s Choice Online Auction and August 2017 ANA Auction as well
as Chinese and other Asian coins and currency for our April 2017 Hong Kong
Showcase Auction. Time is running short, so if you are interested in consigning
your coins and paper currency (whether a whole collection or a single rarity)
be sure to contact one of our consignment directors.
