October 21st 2024.
There is a lot of buzz in the coin collecting world right now as collectors are on the hunt for a very rare British coin. This particular coin, a 1952 proof penny featuring King George VI, is causing quite a stir due to its extreme rarity and potential value. It is one of the last coins to be struck with the King's cipher before his untimely death in February of that year.
For those unfamiliar with coin collecting, a proof penny is an early sample of a coin that is typically of higher quality than those found in circulation. And this 1952 proof penny is even more special, as it could potentially be worth a whopping £200,000. In fact, one example recently sold for this huge sum at an auction.
Coin expert, the Coin Collecting Wizard, recently took to TikTok to shed some light on this intriguing piece. "This is a UK penny from 1952," they explained. "It is the rarest proof penny of the entire series of copper and bronze pennies." They went on to showcase another example of the coin from 1945, stating that it wasn't even known that these pennies existed until one appeared at an auction almost 30 years ago.
For reference, pre-decimal pennies are 31mm in size and are made of bronze. The 1952 proof penny can be identified by King George VI's profile on one side, featuring the Latin legend "GEORGIVS VI D: G: BR: OMN: REX FIDEI DEF." On the reverse, you will find Britannia seated with a heraldic shield and trident, along with the words "ONE PENNY 1952."
The Sovereign Rarities website has dubbed this coin as "the rarest proof penny of the entire series of copper and bronze pennies," and it was not even known to exist until it showed up at an auction a staggering 45 years after it was struck. When the first 1952 proof penny went to auction in 1997, it sold for £23,468, which would be equivalent to almost £45,000 in today's money.
Interestingly, specialized reference books did not even list a 1952 penny as either a proof or currency coin, leading many to believe that "no pennies dated 1952 were struck." But as Sovereign Rarities explains, "The British Numismatic world was astonished to see this coin appear at auction on October 13, 1997." It was listed as lot 67 with a brief description and a footnote stating that there was no currency issue of this date.
It's no wonder that the 1952 proof penny remains a unique piece, as King George VI's death early in the year resulted in only smaller denominations of currency coins being struck for circulation. The larger denominations were omitted in anticipation of a new reign and a new coinage for Queen Elizabeth II. The only mass-produced currency coins from 1952 are the rare Sixpence, brass Threepence, Halfpenny, and Farthing. Now that's what we call a rare find!
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
