Extremely Rare Coins Worthy of a King's Speech Baldwin's, the UK based coin auctioneer, is offering an extremely rare 1937 George VI Matt Proof set of four gold coins in their upcoming London auction, due to be held in May.
hopeful that, the then unmarried, Edward would not have children and he would be succeeded by his younger brother Albert. A little over a year later Prince Albert, Duke of York would become the 29th King of England when Edward VIII abdicated the throne after a brief 325 day reign. Edward had an unorthodox approach to his role as King, attracting criticism from wider political circles for what was considered interference in political matters. His open relationship with American born Wallis Simpson, a divorcee who was in the process of divorcing for a second time, was deemed as morally unacceptable and led to his abdication on 10th December 1936. Edward and Wallis later married and became the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
In the wake of the royal scandal Price Albert reluctantly took the throne, taking the name George in honour of his father. George VI is now well know for his speech impediment, apparent in the early recordings of his public speeches, which has become the storyline for this years BAFTA and Oscar award winning film, The King’s Speech. The stammer plagued him in his role as a public speaker throughout the first ten years of his reign. He sought ongoing help from the Australian speech therapist, Lional Logue, and eventually overcame his affliction. King George and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, became a well loved Royal couple, famously refusing to leave the environ of Buckingham Palace during the Blitz, even when it was bombed.
Steve Hill, Director of British Coins comments:-
“This is a fantastic and unequivocal opportunity to acquire the rarest gold numismatic item of the reign of King George VI. There are no other proof British gold coins of George VI as rare as these. This set has not been offered at a UK auction in decades, and its significance to numismatists in the history of our Nation’s coinage is immeasurable”
Baldwin’s May auction will be held on the 3rd-4th May at the CIPFA Conference Centre in London.
For all enquires about the George VI set please contact Steve Hill or David Kirk at steve@baldwin.co.uk / david@baldwin.co.uk or on +44 (0)20 7930 6879.
For all press enquiries please contact Caroline Newton at carolinenewton@baldwin.co.uk or on +44 (0)20 7930 9808.
Notes to the Editor:
• Established in 1872 A. H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd has over 100 years experience in servicing the numismatic industry.
• Baldwin’s auction department was established in 1993 and has grown to hold between ten and twelve sales annually in London, New York and Hong Kong and specialise in all areas of Numismatics.
• Baldwin’s broadcast all of their main auctions over the internet and provide a live bidding service through www.the-saleroom.com/baldwins
