The Jubilee Head Gold Sovereign 1887-1893
By David Iverson Edited by Steve Hill
LONDON 2015
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The Jubilee Head Gold Sovereign 1887-1893 A special Limited Edition Publication about these fascinating gold coins. By David Iverson Edited by Steve Hill
A.H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd. 399 Strand London WC2R 0LX Great Britain tel: +44 (0)20 7930 9808 fax: +44 (0)20 7930 9450 www.baldwin.co.uk
Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions 24 Maddox Street London W1S 1PP Great Britain tel: +44 (0)20 7495 9494 fax: +44 (0)20 7495 9499 www.dnfa.com Part of î “e Stanley Gibbons Group plc
Stanley Gibbons Ltd. 399 Strand London WC2R 0LX Great Britain tel: +44 (0)20 7836 8444 fax: +44 (0)20 7836 7342 www.stanleygibbons.com
Brochure Issued - September 2015
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Contents
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INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2
THE LEAD UP TO JUNE 1887 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3
ROYAL MINT LONDON 1887 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
4
SYDNEY BRANCH MINT 1887 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
5
MELBOURNE BRANCH MINT 1887 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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ROYAL MINT LONDON 1888 / 1889 / 1890 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
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SYDNEY BRANCH MINT 1888 / 1889 / 1890 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
8
MELBOURNE BRANCH MINT 1888 / 1889 / 1890 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
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THE CHANGE FROM SHORT TO LONG TAIL 1891 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
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SO CALLED ‘MEDIUM TAIL’ AND OTHER MINOR VARIATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
11
WILLIAM POPLETT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
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THE END OF THE JUBILEE HEAD SOVEREIGN 1893 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
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SIGNIFICANT PEOPLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
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BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
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TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL MARSH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
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APPENDIX OF MINTAGE FIGURES AND RARITY GUIDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
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INTRODUCTION The coinage of Queen Victoria that was to become known as the ‘Jubilee’ coinage was not originally intended to be so at all. The original idea to update the image of Queen Victoria on coins was first discussed as early as 1879*. Given that Queen Victoria had been on the throne for over forty years by this stage, it was not surprising that thought was being given to updating to a more age appropriate likeness for the silver and gold denominations. There had only been an addition to the silver in the new Gothic style head for the Crowns and Florins from the 1840s, and a laureate “bun” style head for the bronze coinage denominations from 1860, the latter of which did not ultimately use the Jubilee bust.
Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834-1890) had been asked to prepare a new effigy of the Queen to be used on future silver and gold coins including Colonial gold. Boehm proceeded with this task extremely slowly for several years and made endless changes during the preparation of the new effigy. It was only as the work was continuing to proceed at an agonisingly slow pace leading up to the 50th anniversary of Queen Victoria succeeding to the throne in June 1887, that the decision was taken to introduce the new coinage to coincide with this “Golden Jubilee”. This study aims to identify the great variety in the currency Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns with relevant illustrations, and to allocate them each a “DISH” number (David Iverson and Steve Hill). This study will also quantify how many of each variety were struck where known, or our best estimation, resulting in an indication of the rarity of each in the final tabulation.
Joseph Edgar Boehm
This study concerns itself with gold Currency Sovereigns. It does not look at Proofs, Specimens, Trial pieces etc. These would deserve a whole separate investigation and this is not covered here. *A very full account of the process of the development of the Jubilee coinage including all known official trial pieces pre-1887 can be seen in “the British Numismatic Journal”, 1984, pages 274-288 produced by the British Numismatic Society, www.britnumsoc.org. “Edgar Boehm and the Jubilee Coinage” by G.P. Dyer and Mark Stocker. 3
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The Anchor Line SS Austral, Trial Trip from Glasgow. Illustration for The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News, 5 April 1884. Š Look and Learn. 4
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THE LEAD UP TO JUNE 1887 Whilst it had been decided that there was to be a new effigy of Queen Victoria on the coinage during 1887, in honour of the Golden Jubilee, things were still far from organised in the lead up to the occasion. An indication of the slow and uncertain progress of the new coinage, can be seen in this extract from a letter dated 7th October 1886, from Charles Fremantle, Deputy Master of the Royal Mint, to Robert Hunt, Deputy Master of the Sydney Mint.* *The National Archives, Kew. MINT 17/25
“No coins with the new effigy will be issued, so far as I know, until after the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty’s accession, i.e. 20th June 1887. You will therefore receive the ordinary obverse dies as your first instalment for 1887, and I shall hope to send you dies with the new head, if it is adopted & when it is completed so that you may start the issue of coins bearing it as soon as the Accession Day arrives”.
“I write to let you know that the new effigy for the coinage, and an alteration in the reverse of the Half Sovereign, have received the Queen’s approval, and that I hope to send you about six pairs of Sovereign dies, and perhaps a few pairs of Half Sovereign dies, in time to reach you by the beginning of June. When I send them I shall tell you officially that no coins with the new effigy are to be issued on any account before the Jubilee Day, the 21st June, as that will be our rule here”. Six pairs of Jubilee Head Sovereign dies (obverse and reverse) and six pairs for Half Sovereigns dated 1887, were finally packed and prepared for shipping at the Royal Mint to each of the Branch Mints at Sydney and Melbourne, on the 12th April 1887. They were listed as being shipped as a “box of dies” on 14th April on board the Orient Company’s ship S. S. Austral. There is a written record of the arrival of the S S Austral in Sydney Harbour on the 31st May 1887 burthen at 3,270 tons with 280 passengers and 169 crew.
Both Sydney and Melbourne Branch Mints had requested, and been sent Young Head Sovereign dies dated 1887. Both Branch Mints had Young Head obverses and two reverses, St. George and Shield. Young Head gold Sovereigns were minted and issued from the beginning of 1887 and dated as such at both Mints. The Royal Mint London did not issue Young Head gold Sovereigns dated 1887, or in the preceding date year of 1886. Things were clearly running very late with regard the Jubilee issue. The following is an extract from a letter dated 1st April 1887, again from Charles Fremantle to Robert Hunt.* *The National Archives, Kew. MINT 17/25
Memo of shipping on S S Austral.
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Royal Mint ledger listing the dies for Sydney.
Royal Mint ledger listing the dies for Melbourne.
There is a most interesting note written in the dies ledger for the issue of these dies. The same note is written for both the Sydney and the Melbourne dies.*
We have no doubt at all that these Sovereign dies were the ‘First Legend’ version with the crown further from the letter G: and with the tip of the cross on the crown encroaching into the border design of the coin.
*Original hand written dies ledger, held at the Royal Mint Museum
“There was no written order for the above dies, and as they were struck off & turned in a hurry they were turned by such men as we could get at the time. There was not time between the time they were finished & the date of sailing to send them to Mr Wyon for the usual inspection “. A further note states;*
“The J.E.B. was put onto each obv. die by Poplett”. *Please see section 11 ‘William Poplett’ for further information
6
What we will now see is how Sydney and Melbourne Branch Mints operated quite differently from each other from June 1887. In the case of the Sydney Branch Mint the mintage figures for 1887 dated Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns that have been quoted until now are clearly inaccurate and grossly overstated. In the case of the Melbourne Branch Mint the figure proves to be correct.
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ROYAL MINT LONDON 1887 There is something very distinctive about the London 1887 dated Jubilee Head gold Sovereign from the Royal Mint. Most people who handle gold Sovereigns on a regular basis will tell you that they can identify them very easily without having to look at the date. They have a more ‘yellow’ appearance than most other gold Sovereigns. This is because they have some silver added to the alloy used to make them. Normally 22 carat gold Sovereigns are made with an alloy of 91.67% gold and 8.33% copper. For the striking of the new Jubilee gold Sovereigns dated 1887 the Royal Mint in London decided that for technical reasons they should add an amount of silver to the alloy by reducing the amount of copper. The percentage of gold remained the same.
The reason for this decision appeared to be that there were concerns about ‘metal flow’ in striking gold coins with the dies of the new effigy of the Queen. By this, what is meant is that if the relief of the design is not technically correct then parts of the finished coin will not be sharply defined by the striking process, for example the effigy of the Queen, the lettering, and the date. There seemed to be particular concerns about the new effigy which concentrated a large amount of metal in the centre of the coin. Adding silver to the mix by reducing the copper would have had the effect of making the alloy softer and aiding ‘metal flow’. All of the Royal Mint in London’s 1887 dated gold Sovereigns were Jubilee Heads and the total output figure of 1,111,280 was produced in just ten days between the period of the 4th and the 28th of June 1887. All the Royal Mint London 1887 dated gold Sovereigns are ‘First Legend’ types.
First legend type
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As mentioned in the previous section, six obverse dies were sent to both Sydney and Melbourne Branch Mints in the middle of April 1887, each with the J.E.B. initials put onto each individual die. These were produced very quickly in a matter of days after the new effigy had received final approval, so they could be sent to the two Australian Branch Mints ready for gold Sovereign production to begin in time for the Golden Jubilee. Whilst there is no written proof it seems likely from the evidence of what has physically survived that no more than two hooked type J obverse dies were produced for use in London at the Royal Mint. As the Royal Mint were the originators of such dies they could be made instantly for use on demand in London when compared with Colonial Branch Mints physically thousands of miles and months of travel time away. However in practice demand for gold Sovereigns dictated that the more commonly encountered 1887 coins today, have the obverse struck from the dies with the J.E.B. initials having been put on the master die with the angled type J.
DISH.L1
Hooked J.
J.E.B. close together
Therefore to date, we have three distinct J.E.B. initials variations identified. The two rarest and earlier variations both have a hooked J in the J.E.B. initials as listed opposite. We have after much thought decided to leave four DISH numbers free (DISH L3, L4, L5, L6) at this point to allocate to other hooked J type obverses that may be separately identifiable should further variations ever physically turn up in commerce. The vast majority of 1887 dated Royal Mint London Sovereigns have the J in the J.E.B. initials with an angled straight bottom and it is often said to resemble an I, more than a J. Whilst the total number of gold Sovereigns issued by the Royal Mint London dated 1887 was 1,111,280, a much higher number were produced and then rejected for various reasons, as can be seen from the following figures from the annual report of the Royal Mint in London for 1887. A total of 141 Obverse Dies coupled with a total of 114 Reverse Dies resulting in 1,657,067 gold Sovereigns produced =12,998 per pair of dies on average.
DISH.L2
Hooked J.
J.E.B. wide apart
DISH.L7
Angled type J in J.E.B. initials
This means that 545,787 gold Sovereigns were rejected as substandard in one way or another which equates to 33% of the year’s production. This large reject figure could tentatively account to some extent, for other “missing� hooked type J die varieties still unidentified today (DISH L3-L6 inclusive). Given this information, we can see that the actual average number of gold Sovereigns issued per pair of dies, having been deemed to have been suitable for circulation, was 8,709. However, we can also see that more Obverse dies were used than Reverse dies. This would give us a figure of 7,881. Therefore, depending how we do the maths to try to determine an approximate number of gold Sovereigns produced from each die, or pair of dies, we arrive at a figure of between 0.71% and 0.78% of the 1887 output.
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The two (or possibly up to six) early dies with the hooked J type J.E.B. initials, probably being the first ones used, would quite likely have produced even less (Dish numbers L1 to L6 inclusive).
“Kindly ask Mr Saward to send me the Florin head for the Double Sovereign, as I am nearly out of work”.
Leonard Wyon, Non-resident Modeller and Engraver to the Royal Mint clearly had ongoing concerns about the technical aspects of striking the new Jubilee Head coinage. Apart from the above mentioned issue of adding silver to the alloy for gold Sovereign production, other changes were made.
Whilst this clearly related to the gold Double Sovereign it demonstrates that it was around this time that the changes were also made to the gold Sovereign and the time when the change was made from ‘First Legend’ dies to ‘Second Legend’ dies.
A letter from Leonard Wyon to R.A. Hill of the Operative Department at the Royal Mint, dated 16th June 1887* contains a request:
This ties in with all the other evidence now gathered about which gold Sovereigns were produced from which dies and when.
*The National Archives, Kew. MINT 23/26
Second Legend Type
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SYDNEY BRANCH MINT 1887 The Sydney Branch Mint evidently received the dies mentioned previously, that had been sent from London in April. The following is an extract from a letter dated 23rd June 1887, from Robert Hunt to Charles Fremantle* *The National Archives, Kew. MINT 17/42
“Our first delivery of new coin was held yesterday when we issued £43,000 in Sovereigns to the various banks in Sydney”. The Sydney Branch Mint did not seem to be at all concerned by the very small number of Jubilee Head Sovereign dies that they had (just six pairs). In fact when they sent a further order for dies to the Royal Mint London in June 1887, they requested 44 pairs of Sovereign dies, with the reverse dies to be dated 1888. As previously mentioned, the Sydney Branch Mint had requested, and been sent, Young Head dies dated 1887. They had a total of 76 individual Young Head Sovereign dies. This was made up as follows; Shield Obverse Shield Reverse St. George Obverse St. George Reverse
15 7 13 41
Total
76
The reason for the Sydney Branch Mint’s lack of concern over the very small number of Jubilee Head Sovereign dies they had and the fact the next ones they requested were to be dated 1888 becomes clear when we consider the following extract from a letter dated 17th November 1887, from Robert Hunt to Charles Fremantle* *The National Archives, Kew. MINT 17/42
“We are coining a small supply of half sovereigns and have used up all our jubilee dies so shall have to finish the coinage with the old ones”.
Now let us look at some statistics; The Sydney Branch Mint gold Sovereign mintage figures that have been universally quoted since 1887 for that calendar year are; Young Head Types Jubilee Head Types
1,000,000 1,002,000
Total
2,002,000
This has always been based on the assumption that from late June all gold Sovereign production at this Mint was of Jubilee Heads. We now have proof that this was not the case. In the Sydney Branch Mint Annual Report for 1887 it is stated that;
“The consumption of sovereign dies was at the rate of one pair per 62,000 pieces”. This 62,000 per die paring has to be seen as an average figure, with some dies producing more gold Sovereigns, others less and possibly in varying combination of obverse to reverse dies, meaning one obverse could have been coupled with more than one reverse die over time, or vice versa. With only six pairs of Jubilee Head Sovereign dies now known to have been received by the Sydney Branch Mint dated 1887, the maximum approximate total of Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns cannot be more than around 372,000. Significantly this is vastly less than the 1,002,000 gold Sovereigns previously published and widely quoted. There are additionally three possible reasons why even the 372,000 figure might be too high. There is to date, physical evidence that five of the previously mentioned six obverse dies were used coupled with the date 1887, and it is not certain that all six obverse dies were used. Of the six obverse dies initially shipped to the Sydney Branch Mint, not all were only used for the date 1887. At least two were utilised again for the date 1888. The following is a later extract from the letter of 17th November 1887, from Robert Hunt to Charles Fremantle.* *National Archives, Kew. MINT 17/42
“We have been much troubled with our bars which have lately been very unsound and the dumb pieces have occasionally reached 12% if it had not been for this our out-turn would have been much better”.
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We can see from this quote that up to 12% of gold Sovereign production presumably from some individual journeys (a journey meaning a session, usually a day or less, of production from one pair of coin dies) at the Sydney Branch Mint, were not up to standard (“dumb”) due to the fact that the alloy mixture coupled with the gold in the bars was not adequate. Going back to the 44 pairs of Sovereign dies requested in June, to be dated 1888, 12 pairs of dies were packed at the Royal Mint in London for dispatch to the Sydney Branch Mint on the 1st of November and 32 pairs of dies on the 15th November. We are now in no doubt that the 12 obverse dies packed on the 1st of November were first legend type dies and that the 32 obverse dies packed on 15th November were second legend type dies. This is very significant and we will look at this in more detail later in both the sections on Melbourne 1887 and Sydney 1888. So what we now know is that in 1887 at the Sydney branch mint no more than six Jubilee head obverse dies were used to produce gold Sovereigns all with hooked type J.
Now that we know that a maximum of six obverse Sovereign dies were used and that the average number of gold Sovereigns produced in the Sydney Branch Mint in 1887 per pair of dies was 62,000, we can solve a long unsolved mystery. The previously accepted mintage figure for the Sydney Branch Mint was slightly lower than the London Royal Mint and slightly higher than the Melbourne Branch Mint, as follows; Melbourne Sydney London
940,000 1,002,000 1,111,280
Given that the figures are now known to be (as close we can estimate); Melbourne Sydney London
940,000 372,000 1,111,280
The Sydney Branch Mint state in their annual report for 1887 that an average of 62,000 gold Sovereigns was produced per pair of dies. This average figure includes Young Head Shield and Young Head St. George types.
We can see why, as has always been the case, that a Sydney Branch Mint 1887 dated Jubilee Head gold Sovereign has always been so much harder to find in commerce than a Melbourne Branch Mint gold Sovereign dated 1887 or a London gold Sovereign dated 1887.
So there was an approximate figure of A maximum of 372,000 Sydney Branch Mint Jubilee head gold Sovereigns produced dated 1887. not 1,002,000 coins.
There has also long been confusion about the J.E.B. initials on the 1887 dated Sydney Branch Mint Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns.
This approximate mintage figure of 372,000 was produced using just six pairs of Sovereign dies where the J.E.B. initials had been put onto each obverse die individually with the hooked type J. This no doubt represents a maximum figure as the contemporary report shows that in some journeys (a day’s work for a pair of dies) the “dumb” rate of unsound pieces in production was as high as 12%. To date for the date 1887 we have physically identified five of the six dies as illustrated overleaf; There is of course the possibility that the sixth die was not used for some unknown reason.
Whilst we cannot be clear exactly how many were produced from each of the six obverse dies, or even if all six dies was actually used for 1887, what we have now determined is that; All 1887 dated Sydney Branch Mint Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns are very rare. They previously seemed to be rarer than mintage figures would suggest and we now know why. Hooked J type J.E.B. initials were put individually onto each of six obverse Sovereign dies. No more than approximately 62,000 gold Sovereigns of each individual hooked J type J.E.B. obverse die were produced.
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DISH.S1 J.E.B. in an arc The stops particularly accenturate this
DISH.S2 J.E.B. wide spaced Straight level J.E.B. initials
DISH.S3 Closer J.E.B. initials on narrow truncation
DISH.S6 Yet to be identified DISH number left open for this coin
DISH.S4 Closer J.E.B. initials on wide truncation 12
DISH.S5 J.E.B. initials in a slight arc The E sits lower than the J and the B
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MELBOURNE BRANCH MINT 1887 The Melbourne Branch Mint also received the six pairs of Jubilee Head dies sent from London in April 1887. It is stated in the Melbourne Branch Mint annual report for 1887;
“On the 21st June the issue of the ‘Jubilee’ coinage was commenced, and has continued uninterruptedly since”.
No doubt this second question was asked as the publication “Royal Sovereign 1489-1989” edited by G. P. Dyer reveals that a Chinese General, Wong Yung Ho visited the Melbourne Branch Mint in 1887 and confirmed the shield reverse design gold Sovereign was preferred in commerce in the Far East. This was the trade gold coin of choice, as the St George reverse gold Sovereigns depicted the dragon, the Chinese national symbol, in too humiliating a position for Far Eastern eyes to bear. The answer from the Royal Mint in London however, was very clear*
Almost immediately, the Melbourne Branch Mint reacted totally differently to the Sydney Branch Mint in having received the same allocation of just six pairs of Jubilee Head Sovereign dies. On 24th June 1887 the Melbourne Branch Mint sent a telegram to the Royal Mint London as follows;
“more new dies wanted”. Twelve pairs of Sovereign dies (twelve obverse and twelve 1887 dated reverse), along with some Half-Sovereign dies were packed and prepared for shipping on the 29th June 1887. They were shipped on the 1st July 1887. There is a note in the dies ledger* *Original hand written dies ledger, held at the Royal Mint Museum
“These dies were turned by various men. The time being very short the dies were not sent to Mr Wyon”. These dies, we believe, are clearly once again ‘First Legend’ type, but this time with the J.E.B. initials having been put on the master die and with the angled type J. There are several significant points to this set of twelve pairs of Sovereign dies. If they were ready for sending to the Melbourne Branch Mint by 29th June 1887, they were produced before Leonard Wyon made the changes to the obverse dies to the second legend type, where the crown was moved closer to the G: of D: G:, and the tip of the cross on the crown was lowered so it did not encroach into the edging of the coin. We have no doubt that as well as these twelve pairs of Sovereign dies for the Melbourne Branch Mint, twelve pairs were also ready for the Sydney Branch Mint when they requested them. The Sydney Branch Mint, however, did not request any more Jubilee Head Sovereign dies dated 1887 and were therefore sent these twelve obverse dies coupled with twelve 1888 dated reverse dies as their first instalment of a larger order, in November 1887. The Melbourne Branch Mint was clearly still concerned about the die situation as there is also correspondence from them asking the Royal Mint in London.* *The National Archives, Kew. Mint 21/15
“is it optional to strike coins of the old as well as the new design”? and
“whether the Melbourne Mint might issue sovereigns with the shield reverse”?
*The National Archives, Kew. Mint 17/110
“In future no Sovereigns can be coined except those of the new design, and the Master of the Mint has no power to authorise the striking of Sovereigns combining the new effigy with the ‘shield’ reverse”. On the 1st November 1887, 36 Sovereign dies were packed ready for shipping to the Melbourne Branch Mint as follows; 20 Obverse 12 Reverse dated 1888 4 Reverse dated 1887 These obverse dies were, we have no doubt, “Second Legend” type dies. All the above information is clearly confirmed and supported by the Melbourne Branch Mint 1887 dated gold Sovereigns that physically survive today in their relative numbers. Six First Legend obverse dies, all with individual J.E.B. initials with hooked type J. Twelve First Legend obverse dies, all having the same J.E.B. initials with an angled J. Four Second Legend obverse dies. The Melbourne Branch Mint annual report for 1887 states that the average number of gold Sovereigns struck per pair of dies was 44,641 pieces. Multiplying 44,641 by 22 (the number of obverse dies listed above) = 982,102 pieces. Given that the 44,641 is an average mintage figure for 1887, including Young Head Shield and Young Head St. George, it is remarkably close to the Jubilee Head mintage figure that has always been quoted as 940,000. This is coupled with the fact, as mentioned earlier, that the Melbourne Branch Mint stated that since 21st June Jubilee Head coinage was produced “uninterruptedly”. We can therefore break down the 940,000 gold Sovereign production figure, to within a slight margin of error, as follows; 256,362 512,724 170,908
First Legend type struck with six obverse dies with individual hooked J type J.E.B. initials. First Legend type struck with twelve obverse dies all with the angled J type J.E.B initials. Second Legend type struck with four obverse dies all with the angled J type J.E.B initials. 13
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As with the Sydney Branch Mint coins dated 1887, we know that six initial obverse dies were produced for gold Sovereigns, each with the J.E.B. initials being put onto each die individually. We are assuming all six obverse dies with the hooked J type J.E.B. initials were used, but to date have physically identified only four of the six. We identify the known variations so far identified to date with approximate mintage figures;
DISH.M1 First Legend J.E.B. higher spaced 42,727
DISH.M5
First Legend
DISH.M7 14
DISH.M2 First Legend J.E.B higher close 42,727
J.E.B. spread hooked J
First Legend
42,727 DISH number left open
Angled J, J.E.B
512,724
DISH.M3 First Legend J.E.B. lower spaced 42,727
DISH.M6
First Legend
DISH.M8
J.E.B. spread hooked J
DISH.M4 First Legend J.E.B. lower close 42,727
42,727 DISH number left open
Second Legend Angled J, J.E.B.
170,908
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ROYAL MINT LONDON 1888 1889 1890 1888
DISH L8
First Legend variety
DISH L9
Second Legend variety
The vast majority of gold sovereigns produced dated 1888 are ‘Second Legend’ types. It is clear that by 1888 all production was supposed to be made using the new ‘Second Legend’ dies. No doubt a few ‘First Legend’ dies had been held in reserve and one or two were used dated 1888, either inadvertently, or to avoid wasting otherwise good dies. We would estimate that the proportion of ‘First Legend’ gold Sovereigns to ‘Second Legend’ gold Sovereigns for the Royal Mint London dated 1888 to be a fraction of 1%.
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1889
1890
DISH L10 First Legend variety physically unconfirmed at publication but numbered herewith
DISH L12
DISH L11
First Legend variety
Second Legend variety DISH L13
There is a bit of a myth about the ‘First Legend’ dated 1889 London Mint gold Sovereign. Most dealers and collectors say it does not exist. The occasional person will claim to have seen one but can never produce one. To date it remains elusive and unconfirmed!
Second Legend variety
Once again, as in 1888, there are a very small number of ‘First Legend’ gold Sovereigns dated 1890 for the London Royal Mint. Again, one can only assume that a very small number of gold Sovereigns were produced using an old obverse die that had been kept and used inadvertently. This could have been in error, or because current dies were becoming worn. As an estimate we would suggest that there are possibly a similar number of 1890 dated London Mint ‘First Legend’ gold Sovereigns as 1888 dated London. However the percentage of 1890 dated production would be lower as far more London Mint gold Sovereigns were produced dated 1890 than dated 1888.
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SYDNEY BRANCH MINT 1888 1889 1890 1888
DISH S7
First Legend variety hooked J type reuse of 1887 obverse die
DISH S9
DISH S8
First Legend variety angled J type
DISH S10
Second Legend variety angled J type
First Legend variety hooked J type reuse of 1887 obverse die – see QM130*
17
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As we saw in section four about the Sydney Branch Mint 1887, twelve ‘First Legend’ obverse Sovereign dies were packed at the Royal Mint in London for dispatch to the Sydney Branch Mint on 1st November 1887. The twelve reverse Sovereign dies sent with them were dated 1888.
However, the proportion of 1888 dated ‘First Legend’ gold Sovereigns surviving in commerce today compared to ‘Second Legend’ is far less than 20%. My estimation is more likely around 3%-5%.
Just two weeks later 32 ‘Second Legend’ obverse Sovereign dies and 32 Reverse Sovereign dies dated 1888 were also sent.
In addition to this small proportion of 1888 dated ‘First Legend’ gold Sovereigns with the angled type J, there are an even smaller number of 1888 dated Sydney Branch Mint gold Sovereigns produced from some of the original six obverse dies with the hooked type J used for all of the 1887 Sydney Branch Mint gold Sovereigns (DISH S7 and S8). This must equate to less than 1%.
All these 44 obverse Sovereign dies had the standard angled type J that had been put onto the master die. So we can see that at the beginning of 1888 the Sydney Branch Mint had 44 obverse dies at their disposal. In April 1888, the Sydney Branch Mint requested further dies and were sent fifteen obverse dies and fifteen 1888 dated reverse dies in July 1888.
Two different dies have been identified so far; DISH S7
1888 Sydney first legend hooked type J with wider spread J.E.B. initials. This first variety of these gold Sovereigns exists in very small numbers.
DISH S8
1888 Sydney first legend hooked type J with close narrow J.E.B. initials
There were 2,187,000 gold Sovereigns produced by the Sydney Branch Mint in 1888. The annual report for 1888 states that 65,000 gold Sovereigns were produced per pair of dies, which means that not all the obverse Sovereign dies were needed for 1888. Given how many 1888 ‘Second Legend’ gold Sovereigns are seen as compared with ‘First Legend’ types, my view is that the ‘Second Legend’ dies were generally used in preference to the ‘First Legend’ dies. The proportion of obverse Sovereign dies available dated 1888 were; 12 ‘First Legend’ 47 ‘Second Legend’ —-
20.34% 79.66% ————-
59
100.00%
18
This second variety, exists currently with only one example positively identified. It was in the “Quartermaster Collection” auction in Australia a few years ago (QM130).The same coin then turned up in the “George” Collection in UK auction in 2014.
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1889
DISH S11
DISH S12
First Legend variety
Second Legend variety
1890
DISH S13
DISH S14
First Legend variety
Second Legend variety
There are a small number of 1889 dated Sydney Branch Mint ‘First Legend’ gold sovereigns around. We would suggest they exist in slightly lower numbers than dated 1888.
The trend continues in that there are a very small number of 1890 dated Sydney Branch Mint ‘First Legend’ gold Sovereigns.
All the known examples of these gold Sovereigns are the angled J type J.E.B. initials.
Again we would suggest less than those dated 1889 and considerably less than those dated 1888. As previously with the date 1889, all known examples dated 1890 are the angled J type J.E.B.
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MELBOURNE BRANCH MINT 1888 1889 1890 1888 As we have now seen, the Melbourne Branch Mint produced far more Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns than the Sydney Branch Mint dated 1887 and therefore used up more dies. Therefore, unlike the Sydney Branch Mint, the Melbourne Branch Mint had used up the batch of ‘First Legend’ obverse Sovereign dies with the hooked type J sent to them in June 1887 to produce only 1887 dated Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns. For the date 1888, the Melbourne Branch Mint had received the following Sovereign dies; Sovereign dies sent 1st November 1887 20 Obverse 12 Reverse dated 1888
DISH M9
First Legend variety
Sovereign dies sent 15th November 1887 35 Obverse 53 Reverse dated 1888 Sovereign dies sent 17th July 1888 15 Obverse Sovereign dies sent 14th August 1888 31 Obverse 20 Reverse dated 1888 Sovereign dies sent 23rd October 1888 40 Obverse From this we can see that the Melbourne Branch Mint in 1888 had a large number of obverse Sovereign dies at their disposal, all of which were ‘Second Legend’ type. The Melbourne Branch Mint was also the only one of the three mints that had in fact started to use ‘Second Legend’ Sovereign dies during the 1887 date run.
DISH M10
20
Second Legend variety
What is apparent is that Melbourne produced a very small number of gold Sovereigns dated 1888 using one or more ‘First Legend’ type dies with the angled type J. One can only assume that there was deemed to be some usage left in the die, (or dies). However the Melbourne Branch Mint dated 1888 ‘First Legend’ gold Sovereigns are very rare, far more so than the Sydney Branch Mint dated 1888 ‘First Legend’ types. We would put their existence at less than 1% of the output for the date 1888.
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1889
1890
DISH M13 First Legend variety Physically unconfirmed at this time but numbered in sequence.
DISH M11
First Legend variety
DISH M14 DISH M12
Second Legend variety
Second Legend variety
Unfortunately die records for the date 1889 and the years immediately beyond are no longer available, but total figures of gold coinage are given for each Mint in the annual reports. However, it is clear that the Melbourne Branch Mint reverted to using old ‘First Legend’ Sovereign dies with slightly more existing today dated 1889 than dated 1888. Whether this was because existing obverse die stocks were getting low during the date 1889, or the older dies were used unwittingly we cannot be sure. The numbers of ‘First Legend’ types are still very low compared to ‘Second Legend’, but certainly more than those dated 1888. We would put the figure at about 2% of the year’s output.
The existence, or not, of the 1890 dated Melbourne Branch Mint ‘First Legend’ gold Sovereigns is rather like the 1889 dated London Mint ‘First Legend’ type. It is claimed to exist by some and not by others, but if it does prove to exist it is extremely rare.
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THE CHANGE FROM SHORT TAIL TO LONG TAIL For most gold Sovereigns dated 1891 there was a change on the reverse. The tail on the horse of Saint George was lengthened, trailing nearer to the ground line. The change, however, as with other changes we have seen with Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns was not executed clearly or uniformly. The vast majority of the Royal Mint at London and the Melbourne Branch Mint 1891 dated gold Sovereigns were produced using the new ‘Long Tail’ dies, but a very small proportion at both these Mints have the older ‘Short Tail’. The Sydney Branch Mint appears to have produced all their 1891 dated gold Sovereigns with the new ‘Long Tail’ dies only. As stated previously, sadly the die records for the later years of the Jubilee Head gold Sovereign production no longer exist so we cannot see what dies were produced and when. What is clear is that in the case of both the Royal Mint at London and the Melbourne Branch Mint for the date 1891 date the ‘Short Tail’ gold Sovereigns are vastly outnumbered by the ‘Long Tail’ version. We would estimate that less than 0.5% of the output for each mint were ‘Short Tail’ design.
DISH L14
22
1891
London Royal Mint short tail
DISH L15
1891
London Royal Mint long tail
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DISH S15
DISH M15
1891
Melbourne Branch Mint short tail
1891
Sydney Branch Mint
DISH M16
1891
Melbourne Branch Mint long tail
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SO-CALLED ‘MEDIUM TAIL’ AND OTHER MINOR VARIATIONS There has been some talk in recent years of a tail variation on Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns between the ‘Long Tail’ and the ‘Short Tail’ that has become known as the ‘Medium Tail’. Whilst these do exist and can be seen for the dates of 1891-1893 inclusive, we do not feel they can be categorised as a specific die variation. The difference in appearance is more to do with the development of very slight wear in the master die or punch, resulting in a loss of definition. In addition, the slightest wear on a coin can give the appearance that the extreme ends of hairs on the tail are absent. A similar situation occurs with earlier Young Head gold Sovereigns (see the comments about these by Steve Hill in the Bentley Collection Catalogue). Bentley Catalogue, page 340. Steve Hill, July 2013, published by Baldwin’s.
“A so-called intermediate tail variety has become apparent. However from further study this cataloguer has determined that the medium tail should more correctly be termed a variation on the long tail specifically”. There are other very small variations that occur during the Jubilee Head gold Sovereign series. These include; The position of the J.E.B. initials on the truncation of ‘Second Legend’ gold Sovereigns. The size of the B.P. initials in the exergue on the reverse. The partial absence of full stops on the B.P. initials. The number of claws on the dragon’s front legs on the reverse. The lower claw of the lower front leg being more detached. A slight difference in the arrangement of the mane hair on St George’s horse. A variation in the number or length of the strands in the plume of St George’s helmet. All of these variations tend to be specific to a particular year or mint and in my opinion are not of enough significance to categorise with DISH numbers. Therefore for the gold Sovereigns dated either 1892 or 1893 categorised below are only of the long tail variety, of which the minor sub-varieties listed above are more likely the result of die wear.
DISH L16
24
1892
London Royal Mint
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DISH S16
DISH M17
1892
1892
Sydney Branch Mint
Melbourne Branch Mint
DISH S17
DISH M18
1893
1893
Sydney Branch Mint
Melbourne Branch Mint
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WILLIAM POPLETT To date, the name William Poplett has not been known, but he is, in fact, significant in the story of the Jubilee Head gold Sovereign (and gold Half Sovereign). What has been discovered, as part of the research for this publication, is that the very first Jubilee Head Sovereign dies were produced without J.E.B. initials. They were then punched onto each individual die by William Poplett, a Royal Mint employee identified in the Royal Mint memorandums featured in this booklet. We know that he put individual J.E.B. initials onto six obverse dies for the Sydney Branch Mint and six for the Melbourne Branch Mint. We know that he also worked on two different early hooked J type J.E.B. gold Sovereign varieties for the Royal Mint, London. These Sovereign dies were produced in a great rush, with not even time to call in non-resident Engraver to the Mint, Mr Leonard Wyon to approve them personally. There was just a matter of a few days between the final approval for the new design being granted, the dies being produced and those for the Sydney Branch Mint and the Melbourne Branch Mint being packed ready to be shipped to Australia in time for the Jubilee celebrations. There was clearly not time for full normal procedure to be followed. The original model of the design by Boehm would not have had the J.E.B. initials upon it and it may have been more efficient and easier for Poplett to add the initials to each individual die.
THE END OF THE JUBILEE HEAD GOLD SOVEREIGN The Jubilee coinage was introduced with great fanfare and high expectations. Sadly the new portrait of the Queen was not received well by the general public. A lot of the negative reaction seems to have been focused on the small crown on the Queen’s head (see Bentley Collection Special Edition page 291 for some contemporary comment on the design), and the fact that the reverse designs did not carry a denomination upon them. Once the negative reaction took hold it seemed to spread and, inevitably, further change in the coinage designs would not be long coming. Queen Victoria herself, who had originally insisted that Boehm be the one to design the image, had been most positive about it right up to the point the coins were issued. However, it is reported that a year or so after the event that the Queen wished a new design could be produced. One can only speculate if she had really changed her personal opinion on the image, or if perhaps the Queen recognised that she had the responsibility to ensure that the public had coins with an image that was popular. Either way the ‘Jubilee’ image was doomed. In 1891 the Royal Mint set up a committee to select a new design for the coinage, Boehm himself having died late in 1890. The Royal Mint at London issued their last Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns dated for 1892. The Sydney and Melbourne Branch Mints continued to issue Jubilee Head gold sovereigns for the first half of 1893 dated 1893. All three mints began issuing gold Sovereigns with the new obverse portrait by Thomas Brock during 1893. The Royal Proclamation was issued on the 30th January 1893, with the first gold Sovereigns being issued by the Royal mint in London in mid-February, followed by the two Branch Mints around the 1st of July at Melbourne and with ceremony at Sydney on the 1st July 1893. The Brock portrait has since become colloquially known as ‘Veiled Head’ or ‘Widow Head’ or more commonly ‘Old Head’ .
William Ewart Lockhart (1846-1900) Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee Service, Westminster Abbey, 21 June 1887 27
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SIGNIFICANT FIGURES IN RELATION TO ‘JUBILEE HEAD’ SOVEREIGNS QUEEN VICTORIA 1819-1901 Born 24th May 1819 at Kensington Palace London, Queen Victoria acceded to the throne 20th June 1837, with her Coronation on 28th June 1838 and later married Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg Gotha on 10th February 1840. Queen Victoria was widowed on 14th December 1861 having had four sons and five daughters. Queen Victoria died 22nd January 1901 at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and is buried at Frogmore, Windsor. JOSEPH EDGAR BOEHM (J.E.B.) 1834-1890 DESIGNED OBVERSE PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN Born 6th January 1834 in Vienna, Boehm appears on the 1881 UK Census as “Sculptor to the Queen” married with 4 children and 4 servants living at 78 Cornwall Gardens, Kensington. He became a baronet in 1889. He died on 12th December 1890 at his London house at 76 Fulham Road whilst with Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll. For further reading see “Royalist and Realist” by Mark Stocker. LEONARD CHARLES WYON 1826-1891 NON-RESIDENT MODELLER AND ENGRAVER TO ROYAL MINT 1851-1891 Born 23rd November 1826, Leonard Wyon was the son of Royal Mint Chief Engraver William Wyon and also as Engraver to the Goldsmith’s Company. His early years were spent living in the Royal Mint facility but from the 1861 to 1891 UK Census’ we find Leonard living at 54 Hamilton Terrace, Marylebone as an Engraver, with his wife and 4 children plus 5 servants. Leonard Charles Wyon died on Thursday 20th August 1891. For further reading see “The Diary of Leonard Wyon” by Philip Attwood. WILLIAM POPLETT 1848-1936 DIE SINKER AT ROYAL MINT The 1891 UK Census gives William Poplett as an Artificer at Royal Mint living at 44 Mount Pleasant Lane, Upper Clapton, London with his wife and daughter. He was responsible for stamping Boehm’s initials J.E.B. on the Jubilee dies. Born in Pimlico in 1848, his career began at the Mint as an artificer in the Die Department sometime in the financial year 1877-78 on £2 a week. A Mint record shows he earnt £136.10.0 for the financial year of 1895-96 and a final record shows he retired during 1909-10 with a final payment of £2.9.2 and a 15 Shilling bonus. Other census and marriage records we have found show he was married three times having been widowed twice and had at least 3 daughters and one step-daughter. He died in Hampstead, London in March 1936 age 87. 1783-1855 DESIGNED REVERSE of ST. GEORGE & DRAGON BENEDETTO PISTRUCCI (B.P.) The iconic reverse design of St George and dragon firstly for the Sovereign of George III and later for George IV was resurrected as the latter design for use in the reign of Queen Victoria from 1871 and is still used on Sovereigns today. Pistrucci was born in Rome on 29th May 1783 and died at Englefield Green, near Windsor on 16th September 1855. His grave is at Virginia Water in Surrey. For further reading see “Benedetto Pistrucci” by Michael A Marsh. CHARLES FREMANTLE 1834-1914 DEPUTY MASTER OF ROYAL MINT 1868-1894 Charles Fremantle was born on 11th September 1834, educated at Eton, and was directly responsible for the reintroduction of the St George and dragon reverse on the gold Sovereign in 1871. In that year the UK Census shows him living at 5 West Eaton Place with his wife and 6 servants. Knighted in 1890 Sir Charles retired in 1894 the longest serving Deputy Master of the modern era at the Royal Mint and has been quoted as “a very fine administrator” by Challis. By the 1911 UK census they are living at 4 Lower Sloan Street in Chelsea with 7 servants. Sir Charles Fremantle died in October 1914. Interestingly Fremantle wrote a contemporary article on the Jubilee Coinage for “Murrays Magazine” in June 1887 entitled “Our New Coins and Their Pedigree”. ROBERT HUNT 1830-1892 DEPUTY MASTER SYDNEY BRANCH MINT 1878-1892 Robert Hunt was born in London on 30th June 1830 and emigrated to Australia where he was employed as first clerk in the Bullion Office in the Sydney Mint in 1853 before operations even began. He moved to the then embryonic Melbourne Branch Mint in 1869 at its inception; moving back to the Sydney Mint as its Deputy Master in 1878. Robert Hunt was known for his intimate knowledge of the business and for his good and careful administration and he was awarded the CMG in 1885 and died in office on 27th September 1892. GEORGE ANDERSON 1819-1896 DEPUTY MASTER MELBOURNE BRANCH MINT 1885-1895 George Anderson was born in Fifeshire, Scotland in 1819 and was a Member of Parliament for Glasgow for some years until early 1885 when he was appointed Deputy Master of the Melbourne Branch Mint in Australia on 13th March 1885. An unusual appointment perhaps considering his age to move to the other side of the world when others would be considering retirement, he remained in office until April 1895 and died on the 4th November 1896. 28
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BIBLIOGRAPHY “Edgar Boehm and the Jubilee Coinage” - article by G.P. Dyer and Mark Stocker. Published in “the British Numismatic Journal”, 1984, pages 274-288 by the British Numismatic Society, www.britnumsoc.org Membership of this learned Society recommended. “The Bentley Collection Special Edition” by Steve Hill published by A. H. Baldwin and Sons Ltd, 2013 “The Gold Sovereign – Golden Jubilee Edition” by Michael A. Marsh, self-published, 2002. “Sovereigns of the British Empire” by J. J. Cullimore-Allen, published by Spink, 1965. “The Mint” by John Craig, published by Cambridge University Press, 1953. “The History of the Gold Sovereign” by Sir Geoffrey Duveen and H. G. Stride, published by Oxford University Press, 1962. “A New History of the Royal Mint” edited by C. E. Challis, published by Cambridge University Press, 1992. “Royal Sovereign 1489-1989” edited by G. P. Dyer, published by Royal Mint, 1989. “Benedetto Pistrucci - Principal Engraver and Chief Medallist of the Royal Mint, 1783-1855” by Michael A. Marsh, self-published, 1996. “Royalist and Realist, The Life and Work of Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm” by Mark Stocker, Garland Publishing, 1988. “Hard At Work, The Diary of Leonard Wyon 1853-1867” by Philip Attwood, BNS publication, 2014. “Insubstantial Pageant, Ceremony and Confusion at Queen Victoria’s Court” by Jeffrey L Lant, published by Hamish Hamilton 1979. “Edgar Boehm and the Jubilee Coinage” by G.P. Dyer and Mark Stocker, Journal of the British Numismatic Society 1984, www.britnumsoc.org. “1887 Jubile Head Coinage” by J L Lant, Journal of the British Numismatic Society 1973, www.britnumsoc.org. “Two-Pound Pieces of 1887” by G.P. Dyer and Richard M. Lubbock, I.A.P.N. Special Publication No.8, 1986. “English Silver Coinage since 1649” by P A Rayner, Seaby, 5th edition, 1992 “Quartermaster Collection” Auction by Monetarium (Australia) PTY LTD, 4th June 2009. “George Collection” Auction by St James Auctions No.25, 5th March 2014.
MICHAEL MARSH Author of “The Gold Sovereign” and “The Gold Half-Sovereign” It does not seem appropriate to produce significant new information about gold Sovereigns without mentioning Michael Marsh. There is no doubt that his research on pre-Victorian and Victorian Young Head gold Sovereigns was extremely thorough and detailed. What one gets a sense of, is that he had not got around to doing anything like the same amount of work on post-Young Head gold Sovereigns. All that he says with regard to Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns in his Golden Jubilee Edition 2002 of ‘The Gold Sovereign’ is as follows; “Since I received the most interesting Victorian ‘Jubilee’ sovereign from America I have managed to examine around 150 other examples, London, Melbourne and Sydney. My survey of these coins confirms that we now have a second bust within the Victorian ‘Jubilee’ series of currency sovereigns and that it began in the very first year of issue, 1887. Only twelve examples were of the first bust type. I feel many more sovereigns of both busts will need to be seen before one could consider their regrouping or rarity rating”. Interestingly, he produced his last published work, on gold Half-Sovereigns, in 2004 and that goes into very much more detail on Jubilee Head gold Half-Sovereigns than his 2002 gold Sovereign publication. We would like to believe that had he lived longer, or started detailed work on Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns earlier he would have produced something very much along the lines of this publication.
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APPENDIX MINTAGE FIGURES The mintage figures are taken from either “The Gold Sovereign” 2002 edition by Michael Marsh or “Royal Sovereign 1489-1989” edited by G. P. Dyer published 1989, with the exception of the 1887 Sydney Branch Mint figure which has been amended in the light of information discovered researching this publication and marked as such*. 1887 LONDON
MINTAGE FIGURES Date
Mint
Quantity
Percentage
1887 1887 1887 1888 1888 1888 1889 1889 1889 1890 1890 1890 1891 1891 1891 1892 1892 1892 1893 1893 TOTAL
LONDON SYDNEY MELBOURNE LONDON SYDNEY MELBOURNE LONDON SYDNEY MELBOURNE LONDON SYDNEY MELBOURNE LONDON SYDNEY MELBOURNE LONDON SYDNEY MELBOURNE SYDNEY MELBOURNE
1,111,280 372,000* 940,000 2,277,424 2,187,000 2,830,612 7,257,455 3,262,000 2,732,590 6,529,887 2,808,000 2,473,537 6,329,476 2,596,000 2,749,592 7,104,720 2,837,000 3,488,750 1,498,000 1,649,352 63,034,675
1.76% 0.59% 1.49% 3.61% 3.47% 4.49% 11.51% 5.18% 4.34% 10.36% 4.45% 3.92% 10.04% 4.12% 4.36% 11.27% 4.50% 5.54% 2.38% 2.62% 100%
TOTAL
Quantity 30,610,242 15,560,000 16,864,433 63,034,675
Percentage 48.56% 24.69% 26.75% 100%
BREAKDOWN BY YEAR FOR ALL MINTS Date 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 TOTAL 30
Quantity 2,423,280 7,295,036 13,252,045 11,811,424 11,675,068 13,430,470 3,147,352 63,034,675
Variety
Reference
Estimate
Percentage
Hooked J, J.E.B., close together Hooked J, J.E.B., wide apart Angled J, J.E.B. TOTAL
DISH L1 DISH L2 DISH L7
7,881 7,881 1,095,518 1,111,280
0.71% 0.71% 98.58% 100%
1887 SYDNEY BRANCH MINT We now know that Sydney Branch Mint had just six pairs of Jubilee Head dies. The J.E.B. was put on individually to each obverse die. The Sydney Branch Mint say 62,000 gold Sovereigns were produced from each pair of dies. This includes Young Head shields and Young Head St. George and is an average figure for the year. Therefore, even if all six obverse dies were used, a maximum of 372,000 or so gold sovereigns were produced. Of course, given that the 62,000 figure is an average, the number of examples of each J.E.B. variation could vary considerably. References DISH S1-S6 inclusive.
1887 MELBOURNE BRANCH MINT
BREAKDOWN BY MINT 1887-1893 Mint LONDON SYDNEY MELBOURNE
Estimated numbers broken down by J.E.B. variations known physically to date. L3 to L6 numbers left free in case other hooked J die varieties emerge in the future, but for now not included in estimation of figures.
Percentage 3.85% 11.57% 21.03% 18.74% 18.52% 21.30% 4.99% 100%
Estimated numbers broken down by J.E.B. variations known to date. Variety
Reference
Estimate
Percentage
First legend Hooked J, J.E.B., First legend Hooked J, J.E.B., First legend Hooked J, J.E.B., First legend Hooked J, J.E.B., First legend First legend First legend, angled J, J.E.B. Second legend, angled J, J.E.B. TOTAL
DISH M1 DISH M2 DISH M3 DISH M4 DISH M5 DISH M6 DISH M7 DISH M8
42,727 42,727 42,727 42,727 42,727 42,727 512,730 170,908 940,000
4.5% 4.5% 4.5% 4.5% 4.5% 4.5% 54.5% 18.5% 100%
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1888 LONDON ROYAL MINT
1889 MELBOURNE BRANCH MINT
Estimated number of First Legend gold Sovereigns compared to Second Legend gold Sovereigns
Estimated numbers of First Legend gold Sovereigns compared to Second Legend gold Sovereigns.
Variety First Legend Second Legend TOTAL
Variety First Legend Second Legend TOTAL
Reference DISH L8 DISH L9
Quantity 16,850 2,260,574 2,277,424
Percentage 0.75% 99.25% 100%
Reference DISH M11 DISH M12
Estimate 54,652 2,677,938 2,732,590
Percentage 2% 98% 100%
1890 LONDON ROYAL MINT
1888 SYDNEY BRANCH MINT Estimated numbers of First Legend gold Sovereigns compared to Second Legend gold Sovereigns.
Estimated numbers of First Legend gold Sovereigns compared to Second Legend gold Sovereigns.
We would put the proportion at a maximum of 5%.
Variety First Legend Second Legend TOTAL
This would include the angled J type J.E.B. and a very much smaller proportion of different hooked J type J.E.B. Variety First Legend, angled J, J.E.B. First Legend, hooked J, J.E.B. Second Legend, angled J TOTAL
Reference DISH S9 DISH S7+S8 DISH S10
Estimate 87,480 21870 2,077,650 2,187,000
Percentage 4% 1% 95% 100
1888 MELBOURNE BRANCH MINT Estimated numbers of First Legend gold Sovereigns compared to Second Legend gold Sovereigns. Variety First Legend Second Legend TOTAL
Reference DISH M9 DISH M10
Estimate 28,306 2,802,306 2,830,612
Percentage 1% 99% 100%
1889 LONDON ROYAL MINT At date of publication no examples of any first legend 1889 London types are physically confirmed. A DISH number has been allocated in case an example is confirmed in the future. Variety First Legend Second Legend TOTAL
Reference DISH L10 DISH L11
Estimate 7,257,455 7,257,455
Percentage 0% 100% 100%
1889 SYDNEY BRANCH MINT Estimated numbers of First Legend gold Sovereigns compared to Second Legend gold Sovereigns. Variety First Legend Second Legend TOTAL
Reference DISH S11 DISH S12
Estimate 97,860 3,164,140 3,262,000
Percentage 3% 97% 100%
Reference DISH L12 DISH L13
Estimate 32,649 6,497,238 6,529,887
Percentage 0.5% 99.5% 100%
1890 SYDNEY BRANCH MINT Estimated numbers of First Legend gold Sovereigns compared to Second Legend gold Sovereigns. Variety First Legend Second Legend TOTAL
Reference DISH S13 DISH S14
Estimate 56,160 2,751,840 2,808,000
Percentage 2% 98% 100%
1890 MELBOURNE BRANCH MINT At date of publication no examples of any First Legend 1890 Melbourne types are physically confirmed. A DISH number has been allocated in case an example is confirmed in the future. Variety First Legend Second Legend TOTAL
Reference DISH M13 DISH M14
Estimate – 2,473,537 2,473,537
Percentage 0% 100% 100%
GOLD COINAGE DIES MADE FOR SYDNEY AND MELBOURNE BRANCH MINTS YEAR 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893
SYDNEY 50 188 95 100 130 124 50 72
MELBOURNE 190 208 96 160 106 140 74 80
These figures will account generally for gold Sovereign and Half Sovereign obverse and reverse dies totals within each year; however note the 1887 figure at Sydney will include Sydney marked Two Pound and Five Pound pieces 31
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Estimation of Rarity of Jubilee Head Sovereign Varieties by DISH Number
SYDNEY
Based on the combination of mintage figures and as to what has appeared physically in commerce to date. Ratings of rarity based on the system established in English Silver Coinage as follows:-
YEAR
DISH
MINTAGE
RARITY RATING
1887 1887 1887 1887 1887 1887 1888 1888 1888 1888 1889 1889 1890 1890 1891 1892 1893
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15 S16 S17
} } 372,000 } DIVIDED } BY 6 = }62,000 average } 21870 ? 87,480 2,077,650 97,860 3,164,140 56,160 2,751,840 2,596,000 2,837,000 1,498,000
R2 R2 R3 R4 R6 UNKNOWN R5 R7 R2 C2 R3 C2 R4 C2 C2 C2 C
YEAR
DISH
MINTAGE
RARITY RATING
1887 1887 1887 1887 1887 1887 1887 1887 1888 1888 1889 1889 1890 1890 1891 1891 1892 1893
M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9 M10 M11 M12 M13 M14 M15 M16 M17 M18
} } 256,362 } DIVIDED } BY 6 = }42,727 average } 512,730 170,908 28,306 2,802,306 54,652 2,677,938 ? 2,473,537 ? 2,749,592 3,488,750 1,649,352
R5 R4 R5 R4 UNKNOWN UNKNOWN S R R4 C2 R3 C2 UNKNOWN C2 R5 C2 C2 C
C3 = Extremely Common C2 = Very Common C = Common S = Scarce R = Rare R2 = Very Rare R3 = Extremely Rare R4 = 11-20 Examples estimated to survive R5 = 5-10 Examples estimated to survive R6 = 3 or 4 Examples known to survive at present. R7 = 1 or 2 Examples known to survive at present. Tabulation Varieties assumed to exist and given DISH numbers but have not yet physically been discovered are marked as “unknown”, and they can assumed to be R7 at this juncture.
LONDON
MELBOURNE
YEAR
DISH
MINTAGE
RARITY RATING
1887 1887 1887 1887 1888 1888 1889 1889 1890 1890 1891 1891 1892
L1 L2 L3-L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11 L12 L13 L14 L15 L16
7,881 7,881 ? 1,095,518 16,856 2,260,574 ? 7,257,455 32,649 6,497,238 ? 6,329,476 7,104,720
R5 R5 UNKNOWN C R5 C2 UNKNOWN C3 R4 C3 R5 C3 C3
Mintage figures where estimated and divided, and ratings of the rarity of individual varieties are the result of our research as of August 2015. These ratings and figures could change as time progresses as more individual survivors or hoards of gold Sovereigns come to light. 32
Acknowledgements I must first offer my very sincere thanks to Steve Hill at Baldwins as Editor of this publication. I first met Steve several years ago, having been told he was someone I should talk to. We have met many times since then and he has always been most supportive and encouraging at all stages of my quest to discover as much as possible about Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns. Steve introduced me to Graham Dyer, Senior Research Curator at the Royal Mint Museum. Graham very kindly invited me to The Royal Mint Museum where he was most welcoming and gave me full access to all the relevant archive materials that are stored there. Information included here is reproduced with his kind permission.
About the Author David Iverson is currently 58 years old. During a varied working life he had worked in a bank, before qualifying as a Social Worker and has done both Social and Care Work. He then did specialist finance work for various homeless and housing charities and for a few years worked on property renovation. A very keen passion apart from Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns is The Rolling Stones being a keen fan for some 40 years, and whist he cannot be exact about the number of times he has seen them play live, it is a considerable tally. Whilst the Rolling Stones have lasted much longer than the number of years Jubilee Head gold Sovereigns were in production, they will both reach their 130 year anniversary at about the same time! David says “I started buying a few Sovereigns about ten years ago, having bought a few of Queen Victoria. I then thought I would settle on one series. I decided the Jubilee Head Series would be the one. A short number of years, just three Mints, nice and simple… When I first noticed the two different head positions I enquired about this with a few dealers. The more people I asked, the more different answers I got and the more confusing the pictures seemed to become. Then the same thing happened when I noticed and started asking around about the J.E.B. initials. It was then I decided to do my own investigations and research. I have now been buying, collecting, asking and talking about these coins, for about seven years. So much so that on more than one occasion when at a coin auction or fair I have been called or referred to as “the Jubilee Head Man”.
A. H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd, London Founded in 1872, A. H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd set up their inhouse auction department ‘Baldwin’s Auctions’ in 1993 and have since expanded to hold regular auctions of all numismatic material in London, New York and Hong Kong. Baldwin’s have been based in central London for over 100 years and are the last remaining traditional coin dealers in London offering an old-fashioned personal service to help you build your collection with confidence. e Baldwin’s specialist team have worked as advisors and cataloguers of coins for many of the most prestigious auction houses in London and abroad for decades. Our extensive library, comprising thousands of reference books, allows us to research thoroughly all aspects of numismatics from Ancient times to the present day, with our main focus including English, European, Russian, Islamic, Indian, the Americas and Oriental coins, as well as commemorative medals, for auction and direct sale. Today our permanent staff of numismatists include: Edward Baldwin (European, Colonial, Oriental and Russian coins), Steve Hill (British coins), Graham Byfield (Indian and Islamic coins and Commemorative Medals), Paul Hill (Ancient coins), Seth Freeman (British Tokens and Banknotes), David Kirk (Military Medals), Caroline Holmes (Numismatic Books), and Julie Lecoindre (European and World coins). e merger of Baldwin’s with Noble Investments (UK) PLC in 2005, followed by the acquisition of Apex Philatelics Ltd. in early 2008 and of Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions in 2012, has seen the company expand to become a formidable market player offering a complete package for any collector of coins, stamps, fine art and collectables. In more recent times (2013), Baldwin’s has become a part of the Stanley Gibbons Group plc and is now a more powerful London Stock Exchange listed collectables retailer and ‘top 5’ UK auctioneer. Baldwin’s have been a member of the International Association of Professional Numismatists (IAPN) since 1969, and are also a founder member of the British Numismatic Trade Association (BNTA), the British Antique Dealer’s Association (BADA). Individuals on their staff are members of the American Numismatic Association (ANA), the Royal Numismatic Society (RNS) and the British Numismatic Society (BNS).
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