Sovereign Rarities Auction XIX Highlights: The Thorburn Collection and Exceptional Numismatic Rarities

Sovereign Rarities Auction XIX presented one of the most significant offerings of British numismatics in recent years, headlined by the remarkable Thorburn Collection. Built over decades with a focus on the complex and fascinating coinage of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee year, the collection brought together some of the finest and rarest 1887 patterns, proofs and trial pieces ever assembled.

Alongside these landmark Victorian rarities, the auction featured exceptional twentieth and twenty-first century Royal Mint issues, historic world gold coins and important proof Sovereigns, creating an auction that appealed to collectors across every area of British and world numismatics.

The Thorburn Collection: A Landmark Collection of 1887 Coinage

The defining feature of Auction XIX was undoubtedly The Thorburn Collection, a carefully curated collection dedicated to the experimental and proof coinage surrounding Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee of 1887.

The collection explored one of the most fascinating periods in Royal Mint history, when engravers and Mint officials produced numerous patterns, design trials and pre-production pieces before the introduction of the Jubilee coinage. Many of these coins survive in only a handful of examples, making them among the greatest rarities in British numismatics.

Victoria 1887 Pattern Five Pounds Leads the Collection

One of the collection's highlights was Lot 4, a magnificent 1887 Victoria Gold Pattern Five Pounds without the familiar B.P. initials in the exergue, graded NGC PF62 Cameo, which realised £36,000.

Modern research has shown these "no BP" coins to be important pre-production patterns, struck before the official Jubilee coinage entered production. Thought to have been produced in extremely limited numbers for presentation to Queen Victoria and senior government officials, they represent an important missing link in the development of Britain's modern Five Pound coinage.

Rare Pattern Two Pounds Complements the Five Pounds

Closely related was Lot 10, the matching 1887 Gold Pattern Two Pounds without the B.P. initials, graded NGC PF61 Ultra Cameo, which sold for £24,000.

Believed to be one of fewer than ten surviving examples, this remarkable pattern was chosen as the cover coin for the Thorburn Collection catalogue, underlining its importance within the collection and the wider study of Victorian pattern coinage.

One of the Rarest Victorian Proof Sovereigns

Another outstanding rarity appeared as Lot 18, an 1887 Young Head Proof Sovereign with Shield Reverse, graded NGC PF64 Cameo, achieving £40,000.

Unlike the more familiar Jubilee Head issues introduced later that year, these Young Head proof Sovereigns were never generally available to the public and today rank among the rarest proof Sovereigns of Queen Victoria's reign.

Extraordinary Pattern Sovereign Variations

The complexity of the Jubilee coinage was further demonstrated by Lot 28, a highly important 1887 Pattern Sovereign featuring the distinctive 14-pearl necklace portrait and an experimental reverse lacking the usual punctuation after the B.P. initials.

Graded NGC PF63 Ultra Cameo, this fascinating pattern realised £16,000. Only three examples of this particular die combination are believed to exist, making it one of the most significant experimental Sovereigns known.

Finest Known Double Florin

The Thorburn Collection extended beyond gold into spectacular silver proof coinage.

Lot 100, the 1887 Roman I Proof Double Florin, graded NGC PF68 Cameo, sold for £19,000. Not only is it regarded as the finest example the cataloguer had ever handled, it remains the highest graded specimen recorded by NGC, making it the benchmark example for this rare variety.

Rare Spink Gold Pattern Sixpence

Among the collection's most unusual pieces was Lot 166, an 1887 Spink Pattern Gold Sixpence, graded NGC PF66 Ultra Cameo, which realised £22,000.

Produced by Spink & Son and believed to be one of only seven gold examples, the coin illustrates the remarkable creativity of private pattern makers during the Victorian period and has long served as the reference illustration in standard numismatic publications.

Unique Weyl Pattern Gold Coins

Perhaps the most academically significant pieces within the Thorburn Collection were the remarkable Weyl Pattern Gold Coins.

Lot 184, a unique uniface Gold Pattern Penny, realised £36,000. Struck as a design trial for Adolph Weyl, the coin survives as the only known example and remains one of the great mysteries of Victorian pattern coinage.

Its companion, Lot 185, the 1887 Gold Pattern Halfpenny, sold for £17,000. Featuring an extraordinary reverse celebrating the British Empire, it is similarly one of the rarest privately produced Victorian pattern coins. Both pieces trace their provenance through the famous collections of John G. Murdoch and Evan Roberts, adding further historical importance.

Twentieth-Century Gold Continues to Impress

The sale also featured several exceptional twentieth-century British gold coins.

Lot 306, the famous 1935 George V Gold Proof Jubilee Crown, graded NGC PF64+ Ultra Cameo, realised £100,000.

One of only 25 examples released to the public, the coin was accompanied by its original Royal Mint ballot correspondence, documenting the successful application that secured the coin directly from the Mint in 1935. This remarkable provenance makes the piece one of the finest surviving examples of one of Britain's most famous twentieth-century gold coins.

Modern Royal Mint Rarities

Modern collectors were equally well served throughout Auction XIX.

Highlights included:

Lot 314 – the 2022 Platinum Jubilee Gold Piedfort Five Pounds, graded NGC PF70 Ultra Cameo, from a mintage of only 70 sets.

 

Lot 319 – the 2023 Charles III Matte Proof Five Pounds, one of only 25 struck, achieving £19,000.

 

• Lot 321 – the matching 2023 Charles III Matte Proof Sovereign, also limited to 25 examples.

 

Lot 356 – the 2025 Charles III Royal Coat of Arms Five Pounds, graded PF70 Ultra Cameo First Day of Issue, from a limited edition of just 60 pieces.

 

Lot 414 – the 2022 Charles III Memorial Piedfort Sovereign, commemorating Queen Elizabeth II.

 

Lot 419 – the 2023 Charles III Coronation Proof Sovereign.

 

Lot 423 – the 2025 Charles III Proof Sovereign, notable as the last red gold St George and the Dragon Sovereign, graded NGC PF70 Ultra Cameo.

 

Lot 449 – the 2022 Platinum Jubilee Gold Proof Two-Coin 50p Set, limited to just 70 presentations.

Historic World Gold

Auction XIX concluded with another important historic gold coin in Lot 487, a Spain Ferdinand and Isabella Gold Four-Excelentes, struck at Segovia between 1492 and 1506, which realised £11,000.

Issued during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs who sponsored Christopher Columbus' voyages, the coin combines outstanding historical significance with exceptional rarity, making it a fitting conclusion to an auction spanning over five centuries of numismatic history.

A Landmark Auction for British Numismatics

Sovereign Rarities Auction XIX demonstrated the enduring appeal of exceptional rarity, scholarly research and distinguished provenance. The Thorburn Collection provided collectors with an unprecedented opportunity to acquire some of the finest surviving examples of Victorian pattern coinage, while important issues from the reigns of George V, Elizabeth II and Charles III ensured that collectors across every period found exceptional opportunities.

From unique pattern pennies and experimental Jubilee Sovereigns to iconic proof gold and modern Royal Mint masterpieces, Auction XIX reinforced Sovereign Rarities' reputation for presenting museum-quality numismatic material that continues to define the upper end of the rare coin market.