Coins, Tokens and Historical Medals

George III, Penny, 1797, edge named (Thomas Wilson. 12th Reg. Light Dragoons), impressed in Waterloo-style naming with stars to fill the gaps; various Penny undertypes (4), Masonic symbols, rev. J.E. November 26th 1801; thistle, Cummersdale Aug. 20th 99, rev. MS in field, smoke issuing from mast of ship; rev. only, £50,000 a Year to a German Whelp called Leopold, Flare UP John Bull; a pair of swans, rev. reversed s above shield [5]. Varied state; first worthy of further research £100-150

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Engraved Coins formed by the late Richard Law.

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Provenance: First bt in Birmingham June 1998; second bt R. Gladdle March 2010; fourth bt S.H. Monks July 2013; last bt S.H. Monks July 2011.

Thomas Wilson is not shown on the regimental medal roll for Waterloo, nor for the MGS medal roll, which might infer that his military service took place in the 1820s. The ‘German Whelp called Leopold’ was Queen Victoria’s uncle, Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1790-1865), who married Princess Charlotte in 1816. Following Charlotte’s death in 1817 Leopold continued to live in England until 1830 on an annuity of £50,000, which was not universally popular, as the sentiment expressed on the piece in this lot testifies. He became first king of the Belgians in 1831