1882 scarce 'no H' variety Queen Victoria bronze 'Bun Head' ...

Hammer

£900

1882 scarce 'no H' variety Queen Victoria bronze 'Bun Head' Penny, London mint, NGC graded. Obverse: type 11, left-facing laureate bust of Victoria with 'VICTORIA D: G: BRITT: REG: F: D:' around by Leonard Charles Wyon. Reverse: type N, seated Britannia with shield and trident, lighthouse and masted ship in the background, 'ONE PENNY' around and the date (1882) below, without the 'H'. Edge: plain. Weight: 9.45g. Diameter: 30.8mm. Mintage: unknown, very low. Grade: authenticated by NGC, graded VF DETAILS, ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE. Packaging: sealed in NGC holder.From 1874, the Royal Mint, experiencing high demand, outsourced the minting of some domestic copper coinage, including Pennies, Halfpennies and Farthings, to Heaton and Sons, a firm later known as the Birmingham Mint. In 1882, the Heaton mint produced 7,526,000 Pennies with a tiny 'H' below the date on the reverse. An unknown number of 1882-dated Pennies, this example included, were produced concurrently at the Royal Mint in London. The latter coins lack the 'H' mintmark.'No H' 1882 Pennies are a true rarity, graded R17 by Freeman in his definitive guide to British bronze coinage, suggesting 16-50 known examples. Four examples appeared in NGC's registry at the time of writing, including an example graded MS 64 BN that sold in 2021 for an astonishing £37,200, including premium.Modified 1882 Pennies without the 'H' are known with the letter artificially removed. This example has the benefit of being assessed and graded by NGC as a genuine example and is offered sealed in its holder with a standard brown label.