Reading, James Berkeley Monck, 40 Shillings, 1812, in gold, bust of King Alfred left, rev. value, 10.34g/12h (D 1). Extremely fine and virtually as struck, an exceptionally attractive example and very rare as such (£2,000-2,500)

Approximately 200 struck. Illustrated on the front cover.

John Berkeley Monck (1768-1834), educated at Eton, studied law at the Middle Temple and settled at Coley Park, Reading, in 1796. A philanthropist and reformer, Monck was left a £100,000 fortune on the death of his father in 1809. In determining to do something about the state of the precious metal coinage in circulation, Monck had 70oz. of standard gold coined into 40 shilling pieces by Edward Thomason’s Birmingham manufactory sometime in early 1812. Monck’s plans for a second issue, the gold for which he advertised to buy in the Reading Mercury on 13 April 1812, were abandoned after an intervention by the Prime Minister, Spencer Percival, who himself was assassinated on 12 May 1812 while leaving the chamber of the House of Commons. Monck unsuccessfully contested one of the borough seats for Reading in the general election of November 1812; he was later elected MP for Reading in 1820 and again in 1826