Ancient, British and World Coins, Numismatic Books

Victoria (1837-1901), 1860, unsigned [probably by L.C. Lauer for ‘A. Weyl’], in copper, young head left, victoria d.g. britanniar reg. f. d., date below, rev. cruciform shields with roses, thistle and shamrock in angles, · united · kingdom · and · greater · britain ·, one penny below, edge plain, 12.19g/12h (F 874 [not in Sale]; BMC 2145; Glendining 15.xii.1993, 258 [perhaps Murdoch 675]; Adams 194, this coin). Tiny metal fault on neck, otherwise brilliant and most attractively toned, extremely rare (£600-800)

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Collection of Victorian Bronze Pennies formed by the Late Laurie Bamford.

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Collection

Provenance:
C. Adams Collection, Spink Auction 164, 23 July 2003, lot 194
SNC August 2004 (2167).

As Anthony Dowle pointed out in his introduction to the series of ‘Weyl’ patterns sold at Glendining’s in 1993, the portrait on this coin is from the same punch as was utilised for the German-made patterns of the Cape of Good Hope and Griqualand, dated 1889 and 1890 respectively. This would almost certainly suggest, as C.W. Peck postulated (BMC p.491), that the 1860-dated pieces, which share the same reverse die as the 1887-dated series, were produced some time in the late 1880s or early 1890s; perhaps even to the order of the religious publisher and piano manufacturer John Gloag Murdoch (1830-1902), a major buyer of English coins in the last decade of the 19th century and in whose collection most of the known pieces seem to have once been (Sotheby 15-19 March 1904). Leonard Forrer Sr recalled in 1948 that Murdoch ‘had extraordinary opportunities to add to his collection and he rarely missed securing a piece that he desired to possess’ (BNJ 2003, p.195); perhaps the ‘Weyl’ series fell into that category