Numismatic Guaranty Company (NGC) is honored to have certified a magnificent group of coins that mark the historic transition of British coinage from Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles III. Stack’s Bowers Galleries in has partnered with The Royal Mint in London to offer the last 500 coins struck with the queen’s portrait and the first 500 struck with the king’s portrait in six series: the Gold Sovereign, the Silver £2 Britannia and the Gold tenth-, quarter-, half- and 1-ounce Britannias.
The coins are being offered in Stack’s Bowers’ August 2023 Global Showcase Auction Session F – The Royal Succession Series of Sovereign & Britannia Gold & Silver Bullion Coins. Bidding is already underway for the sale of the NGC-certified coins, which concludes on August 21, 2023.
To highlight their important pedigree, every coin in the sale is encapsulated with a special NGC label that features the logo of the Royal Mint, which was founded over 1,100 years ago to strike coinage for England and today is the world’s leading export mint. Coins with the highest significance are encapsulated with NGC certification labels that bear the autograph of a prestigious official connected to the coins: Graeme Smith, The Queen’s Assay Master from 2013 to 2022; Paul Morgan, The King’s Assay Master; or Anne Jessopp, the CEO of the Royal Mint.
Among the top lots in the Royal Succession sale are the very last 1-ounce Gold Britannia with the Queen Elizabeth II portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 and encapsulated with a Graeme Smith Signature Label (lot 117), and the very first 1-ounce Gold Britannia with the King Charles III portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 and encapsulated with a Paul Morgan Signature Label (lot 118).
“This auction holds real significance, capturing a moment in time, and allows astute investors the opportunity to possess a tangible piece of British history,” said Nick Bowkett, Head of Bullion Sales at The Royal Mint. “We anticipate the auction will be popular with investors across the world.”
Other top highlights include the very last Silver £2 Britannia with the Queen Elizabeth II portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 and encapsulated with a Graeme Smith Signature Label (lot 109), and the very first Silver £2 Britannia with the King Charles III portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 and encapsulated with a Paul Morgan Signature Label (lot 110).
The auction is reminiscent of a Stack’s Bowers sale in September 2022 that involved coins from the 2021 transition of the reverse designs of the American Silver Eagles and American Gold Eagles. NGC certified hundreds of coins in that sale, including the first Gold Eagle with the T-2 design, which was graded NGC MS 70 and realized a record $100,000. The first Silver Eagle with the T-2 design was graded NGC MS 70 and realized $80,000 USD.
“NGC is proud to have been chosen to expertly certify coins for both of these extraordinary auctions,” said Andy Salzberg, Executive Vice President of the Certified Collectibles Group, of which NGC is part. “The attractive NGC certification labels not only assure collectors that the coins are authentic and accurately graded but also easily communicate their historical significance.”
The first 120 lots in the Royal Succession auction are individual NGC-certified coins attributed as either one of the last 10 or first 10 of their particular series. The top highlights are expected to be the very last and very first coins struck. In addition to the four previously mentioned, they include:
- The very last 2022 Gold Sovereign with the queen’s portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 DPL and encapsulated with a Graeme Smith Signature Label (lot 119)
- The very first 2022 Gold Sovereign with the king’s portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 DPL and encapsulated with a Paul Morgan Signature Label (lot 120)
- The very last 2023 Gold 1/2 Ounce Britannia with the queen’s portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 and encapsulated with a Graeme Smith Signature Label (lot 115)
- The very first 2023 Gold 1/2 Ounce Britannia with the king’s portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 and encapsulated with a Paul Morgan Signature Label (lot 116)
- The very last 2023 Gold 1/4 Ounce Britannia with the queen’s portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 and encapsulated with a Graeme Smith Signature Label (lot 113)
- The very first 2023 Gold 1/4 Ounce Britannia with the king’s portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 and encapsulated with a Paul Morgan Signature Label (lot 114)
- The very last 2023 Gold 1/10 Ounce Britannia with the queen’s portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 and encapsulated with a Graeme Smith Signature Label (lot 111)
- The very first 2023 Gold 1/10 Ounce Britannia with the king’s portrait, which is graded NGC MS 70 and encapsulated with a Paul Morgan Signature Label (lot 112)
The Royal Succession coins certified by NGC that represent the 11th and 11th-to-last-struck through the 50th and 50th-to-last-struck are offered in three different sets: a two-coin Sovereign set that features one coin with the queen and king portrait; a five-coin set that features the silver and gold Britannias with the queen portrait; and a five-coin set that features the silver and gold Britannias with the queen portrait. The remaining lots are 12-coin sets that feature sequentially paired coins from all six series.
