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BI02703

Elizabeth II 1994 gold mule Two-Pounds PF70 ULTRA CAMEO

Elizabeth II (1952-), gold Proof striking of currency Double Sovereign, 1994, Bank of England 300th anniversary, error "mule" coin using the obverse from the gold Two Pound piece which does not carry a denomination, crowned bust right with earrings and necklace, RDM incuse on truncation, for designer Raphael David Maklouf, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, ELIZABETH II DEI. GRA. REG. F. D, rev. struck en medaille, designed by Leslie Durbin, corded oval panel at centre of Britannia seated right with shield, holding spear and olive spray, with beehive of industry, hatched exergue, crowned WM monogram above for William and Mary, date 1694 to left, date 1994 to right, italic Bank of England below, edge milled (S.K4A). Mint state as struck, with original box and certificate number 375, has been graded and slabbed by NGC as PF70 ultra cameo, the finest graded as of September 2017.

Only 1,000 of these gold strikings were issued by the Royal Mint in 1994 to celebrate the Bank of England's 300th anniversary having been founded in the reign of William and Mary (1688-94). It was only when customers received their freshly minted coins in 1994 that the mistake upon the coin was noticed in that the wrong obverse die had been used in error. Rather than the regular "Two Pounds" obverse with those denominational words under the bust being used, a number of examples had no denomination mentioned at all, the obverse being that used on the St George and dragon reverse Double Sovereigns. The Royal Mint having been made aware of the error pieces wrote to all customers who had ordered the coins asking them to return their error pieces for a free replacement with the correct obverse. It is not known how many of the 1,000 struck carried the error obverse, or how many customers took up the free offer to opt for replacement. Perhaps as many as half the issue were of the wrong obverse, but probably less and some were no doubt replaced with the error piece being melted down. We do not recall seeing a higher certificate number for an error coin than this offered herewith, and this cataloguer remembers when working at Spink and Son in 1994 supplying at least seven pieces to the public with the correct obverse, but never having seen the error coin as offered here.

This coin has been graded by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation in the USA with their finest top grade of PF70 Ultra Cameo, the only example of the mule error to be graded so high, there are four others all graded at the 69 level. A total of five graded so far as well as ten of the correct obverse of which none either have graded as high as the 70 level. PCGS have graded eight pieces all of the regular correct obverse as of September 2017 and only one has made the 70 level.

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