The COINEX Sale: Important British, Italian and World Coins

BRITISH COINS FROM OTHER PROPERTIES, Miscellaneous Trials and Proving Pieces, Royal Mint Trial Die, 1927, a cupro-nickel Trial, Britannia seated right, hand-striking a coin, britannia moneta, rev. star of David, date in centre, edge plain, 25mm, 10.60g/12h (cf. BDW 6, 1016). Very fine, obverse better, very rare (£100-150)

Provenance:
Glendining Auction, 24-5 March 1987, lot 861
Joanna Tansley Collection, DNW Auction 67, 28 September 2005, lot 464.

The Royal Mint uses a number of in-house stock dies, among them being the six-sided star of David with a date in the centre. The dates known are 1927, 1936, 1955 and 1957; all but the last are seldom met with. This piece is almost certainly connected with the preparations for the new British coinage of 1927