1817 King George III silver Halfcrown coin with Benedetto Pi...

Hammer

£150

1817 King George III silver Halfcrown coin with Benedetto Pistrucci 'Bull Head' portrait (S 3788, ESC 616). Obverse: large laureate head of King George III facing right, known as the 'Bull Head'. Date below. Engraver: Benedetto Pistrucci. Legend: 'GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA'. Reverse: crowned ornate shield of royal arms, smaller shield in the centre, all within a garter inscribed 'HONI · SOIT · QUI · MAL · Y · PENSE ·'. Large crown on top, tiny St George below. Engraver: Thomas Wyon. Legend around: 'BRITANNIARUM REX FID: DEF:'. Mintage: 3,235,239. Composition: 925 silver. Weight: 14.12g. Diameter: 32mm.This silver coin features a short-lived portrait of King George III, used only on 1816 and some 1817-dated Haflcrowns.The obverse design is the work of Italian artist Benedetto Pistrucci and shows a thick-necked, bulbous bust of the elderly George wearing a wreath of laurel leaves. While it may have been an accurate portrayal of the obese King it was much derided by the British press. Similarly meaty portraits were used on a limited number of Shillings and Sixpences.Pistrucci blamed the poor reception on the Royal Mint's craftsmen who had engraved his portrait model for coinage. The experience prompted Pistrucci to learn the art of steel engraving for himself. He subsequently created the classic St George and the dragon motif, used on the reverse of the first modern gold Sovereigns and regarded as a triumph of coinage design.