Unrecorded 1860 Gouby D*+d (Freeman 2*+D) – F10 variant (R18 ?)
Note: Newly discovered (and published on the Predecimal Coin Forum in 2016 by Terry Eagleton) variety, pairing an obverse D*/2*(my own descriptor) unrecorded by either Gouby or Freeman, with reverse Gouby d (Freeman D). This new obverse D* is a variation of obverse Gouby D (Freeman 2), differing principally from D in that it has 2 additional border teeth (145 as opposed to D’s 143) resulting in a slightly different positional relationship between the legend characters and the border teeth. The key differentiator in this relationship is that the A of VICTORIA points directly to a border tooth on D* whereas it points to a gap on D.
Obverse D* Obverse D
Other features common (but not unique) to this obverse include every colon dot having a small roughly circular obtrusion on the top and a weak area of striking below the thistle on the queen’s cape (both pictured below). These features are both present on all 7 specimens found to date.
Every example of this variety has reverse Freeman D* with the curved rockline to the left of the shield (see below). For more information on the 4 sub-variants of Freeman reverse D, see www.pennyvarieties.wordpress.com
This variety is currently rare in terms of recorded specimens due to its newness, with only a handful known, and may prove to be more common as it becomes more familiar to collectors.
Example 1
Held in a private collection (picture courtesy of Dr Jerry Davis)
Example 2
Held in a private collection (picture courtesy of Terry Eagleton)
Example 3
Sold in September 2013 by London Coins
Example 4
Sold in December 2014 by London Coins
Example 5
Sold in July 2016 by Lockdale’s
Example 6
Sold by Dix, Noonan & Webb in March 2020 as part of the Hiram Brown collection (part lot 373)
Example 7
Sold by Dix, Noonan & Webb in March 2020 as part of the Hiram Brown collection (part lot 373)
Example 8
Photographs courtesy of Ian Fall