1864 Victoria Shield Sovereign NGC AU58 – Die Number 3, Ex Bentley Collection
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Grade tells you the surface. Provenance tells you the story. This 1864 shield sovereign carries both: certified NGC AU58 with genuine mint lustre remaining, struck from a reverse die individually numbered "3" as part of the Royal Mint's short-lived quality-control experiment, and previously housed in the Bentley Collection — one of the most important assemblages of British sovereigns ever formed.
Great Britain, London Mint
Struck at the Royal Mint in London, this sovereign carries no branch mint mark. The obverse shows the Young Head portrait of Queen Victoria by William Wyon; the reverse is the crowned shield design by Jean Baptiste Merlen, struck throughout the London, Sydney and Melbourne mints from 1838 to 1887.
Die Number 3
Following a run of quality-control failures in 1861 and 1862, the Royal Mint began stamping a small number beneath the tied bow on the reverse die of shield sovereigns from 1863, allowing individual dies to be tracked and faulty batches identified. The practice was abandoned by 1874 once it became clear the numbers were of more use to counterfeiters than to the Mint. Die number 3 for 1864 is a confirmed, catalogued variety — part of the die series painstakingly researched and recorded by Michael Marsh and, later, the very collection this coin comes from.
Ex Bentley Collection
This coin was formerly part of the Bentley Collection, assembled over 34 years from 1978 to 2012 and widely regarded as one of the finest and most complete collections of British milled sovereigns ever formed — including a near-complete run of Victorian die number varieties. The collection was dispersed at auction by A.H. Baldwin & Sons, and pieces carrying its provenance are sought after by collectors for the pedigree alone, independent of grade.
Grade & Condition
NGC AU58 — About Uncirculated, retaining strong original lustre with only light friction on the highest points. A 160-year-old sovereign of this quality, with this pedigree, was never going to be chasing a modern top-pop slot — its value lies in the history and the paper trail behind it, not a registry ranking.
Specifications
| Grade | NGC AU58 |
| Mint | London (no mint mark) |
| Monarch/Portrait | Victoria, Young Head |
| Reverse | Shield (Merlen), Die Number 3 |
| Provenance | Ex Bentley Collection |
| Diameter | 22.05mm |
| Weight | 7.98g |
| Fineness | 22 carat (.9167) |
| Gold content | 0.2354 troy oz |
Tax Status
As UK legal tender, this sovereign is 100% VAT-free and exempt from Capital Gains Tax under HMRC manual CG78308.
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Delivery Information
We offer free insured delivery across the UK on all orders. Every coin is carefully inspected, securely packaged, and sent using Royal Mail Special Delivery - a fully tracked, next-day service that requires a signature on receipt.
All parcels are shipped discreetly and fully insured for peace of mind.
We currently do not ship internationally. Orders can only be delivered to the UK address provided at checkout, and we’re unable to send to PO Box addresses.
We aim to dispatch all orders within one business day of receiving cleared payment. Once your order has been dispatched, you’ll receive tracking details so you can monitor its progress.
Returns Policy
For non-bullion items (such as proof coins, graded coins or accessories), we’re happy to accept returns within 14 days of receipt if you feel your coin is not as described and provided the item is returned in its original condition, please contact us and we’ll be glad to help.
If an item is returned for reasons other than being not as described, return postage will be the responsibility of the buyer.
Important Notes
- All returns must be pre-authorised by our customer service team.
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Yes. Every NGC-certified coin has a unique certification number visible on the slab label. You can verify the grade, coin details and population data at NGCcoin.uk using the cert number shown.
The NGC census records how many examples of each coin have been graded at each level. A Top Pop coin means no other example has achieved a higher grade — making it the finest certified specimen in existence for that issue.
Yes. If you have existing graded sovereigns you'd like to trade towards a purchase, contact us for a bespoke cost-to-change valuation.