A phenomenal collection of more than 500 rare English coins certified by NGC is being offered this month by SINCONA. The auction includes gold rarities spanning 600 years of history, including an example of the beloved “Una and the Lion,” a coin issued to celebrate the young Queen Victoria. Bidding is already underway for SINCONA Auction 72: SINCONA British Collection Part 1, scheduled for November 21.
The Una and the Lion, which is graded NGC PF 63 Ultra Cameo, is being offered as part of a 15-coin Great Britain 1839 Proof Set. Widely regarded as the most beautiful British coin, its obverse shows the young queen while the reverse shows her as the character of Lady Una guiding a lion in a scene inspired by Edmund Spenser’s epic poem “The Faerie Queene.” The lot has a starting price of CHF 250,000 (about $275,000).
The coins in the auction were issued under more than two dozen monarchs, from Edward III in the mid-1300s to the current ruler, Queen Elizabeth II. To celebrate these special coins, NGC encapsulated them with a special label that combines the British flag and the Matterhorn, a Swiss mountain that represents the highest level of achievement.
“NGC is proud to have certified the SINCONA British Collection, the breadth of which is stunning,” said Ben Wengel, NGC Senior Finalizer of World Coins. “Not only do these coins tell the history of England, but they show the ascendant journey of numismatics itself from the Middle Ages to modern times.”
Read more at ngccoin.com.