Queen anne pattern proof coinage

Lost Pattern Coinage Of Queen Anne

Pattern Proofs Queen Anne (1702 -1714) During her reign Queen Anne Issued no halfpennies, due to the copper shortage of 1706, but by the end of her reign pattern proofs were issued and privatley sold by the mint to lords and earls of the time. In 1712 the first pattern coin was minted, a farthing featuring the bust of Queen Anne and Britannia Reverse. The coin had a broad flan and needed to be re-done as it was a waste of valuable copper. Then in 1713 a new issue was made struck in brass there are only a few of these coins known worldwide. The coin itself is magnificent, with a toothed border and extraordinary bust, such a high quality coin for the times. This piece listed, 'P' in Peck). 6.21g.BMC 739 Medium flan. 2+C. Specific Gravity 8.801,excessively rare. These coins were little in number and very high in price, a document claims that The Earl Of Winchester paid 1 Guinea for one of the coins in 1713. Later in the year (1713) The production sped up as more brass was imported from scotland after the union in 1707. As the copper shortage stopped in early february 1714 there was a nice reserve of copper left over and the mint decided to create the pattern halfpenny. Moulds were made out of sheets of brass to test what the finished article would look like. They were then shown to the queen herself and amazed by what they had created she granted the use of copper and the means to continue producing the coins. There are only a few types known of the coin and different patterns were created by combining 2 separate molds together. for example the main type known is the Britannia Reverse and The Queen's Bust Obverse. The Britannia reverse was then again used and a rose/thistle design was created for the obverse. These types are the best known types for the coin. Later in the Year 1714 The queen died and mintage stopped for all coins. King George I came to the throne in 1714/5 and felt it upon him self to show the queen his gratitude by carrying on issuing the pattern coins and allowing them to be used along side his own. When the Mint went to retrieve the casts for the coins form the vault they found that the Britannia Casts for both the halfpenny and the farthing were both damaged and could not be used. Using their initiative they combined the Rose/Thistle Reverse And the bust Of Queen Anne together creating a new type of halfpenny design. On the side of these coins the letter "R" was applied standing for Regency of the new King. They were of reasonably high mintage until in 1717 the copper shortage returned and most of the Queen anne halfpenny designs were melted down and used in the dump issues of the George I Farthing's and Halfpennies. Today The coins are worth a large amount in a good grade. All the designs mentioned are listed in Peck 2nd EDition Ref; 5755 NF 8223.