1965 Libya Millieme PCGS SP66 - Extremely Rare Kings Norton Proof
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:8242021 | Certification: PCGS |
eBay Template1965Libya Millieme
PCGS SP66
King's Norton Mint Collection
Coin is in a PCGS slab.Picture isfrom PCGS Certificate Verification. Slab insert attributes the coin tothe Kings Norton Mint Collection.
Thisis one of severalrare King's Norton MintCollection coins I have listed this week. Mintage figures for thesespecimen/proof coins was not released, but typically there are lessthan 10 examples known, with ma...ny being only 3-5 examplesknown.
King's Norton MintCollectionHistory
Mostcoin collectors are familiarwith the activities of the British Royal Mint. They are usually lessaware of the important role in supplying the world with currency playedby the country’s second city and industrial heart, Birmingham. Ithas always been a place where private mints thrived. In the early daysthese tended to be secretive back street operations where to put itpolitely they produced coins of an unofficial nature. In effectBirmingham acted as the forging capital of the world. Later theseundoubted skills were put to more legitimate use with the formation ofprivate mints run by individuals of great integrity. This ability toinspire trust allowed them to attract commissions from their own andforeign Governments. Between 1790 and 1849 the Boulton family operatedthe Soho Mint. Immediately after its closure Ralph Heaton and his sonstook over the mantle of running a mint which later took the title ofthe Birmingham Mint. In 1860 James Watt & Co. established amintwhich coined on and off for the next twenty years. This firm was hardlynewcomers to the trade since they were formerly known as Boulton&Watt before they lost the right to use the Boulton name. For the pasttwo centuries these Birmingham firms have exported mints, mintingexpertise, coins and blanks. By this accomplishment they have succeededin making a substantial contribution to oiling the wheels of theworld’s commerce.
Just prior to the First World War a new company entered the fray, theKings Norton Metal Company. In 1912 they were awarded a contract tosupply the Royal Mint with bronze blanks, effectively breaking amonopoly previously held for many years by the Birmingham Mint. Acoinage order quickly followed and in 1914 they struck a coinage forBritish West Africa bearing a K mintmark for Kynoch, the place ofmanufacture. The future of the Company was bright as they joined theBirmingham Mint in the sharing of Royal Mint contracts. These coinswould bear the more familiar KN mintmark for Kings Norton. Mentionshould be made of a few exceptions to this rule. Although theBirmingham and Kings Norton Mint were rivals they were friendly rivalsand at times shared contracts. Taking the coins of Sarawak as anexample the Birmingham Mint dies were dispatched across the city andthe coins even though carrying the famous H mintmark were struck atKings Norton.
In 1926 the Kings Norton Metal Company became part of Imperial ChemicalIndustries (ICI) and in 1962 was reorganized as part of Imperial MetalIndustries Limited (IMI). Two years later a consortium was formed ofthe Royal Mint, Birmingham Mint and Kings Norton Mint to bid forcoining work. This partnership operated well for a number of yearsuntil difficult market conditions rendered it apart. With coinagecontracts difficult to find the three firms went their independentways. In 1992 this culminated in IMI making a hostile takeover of theMint Birmingham Ltd. In terms of minting capacity this was a reversetakeover with the smaller mint taking charge of the larger mint. As aresult of this change IMI closed their own minting facility.
Over the years between 1914 and 1991 the Kings Norton Mint struckcoinages for at least 89 countries ranging alphabetically from Algeriato Zimbabwe. In a geographical sense they exported coins to six of theseven continents only missing out on Antarctica. One suspects that herethey were deterred not so much by the icy wastes, since they countedIceland amongst their clients, but rather by the lack of population!
Like many mints in the world the Kings Norton Mint had a habit ofkeeping a few examples of each coinage they struck as part of theirrecords. In 2005, prior to the disposal of the IMI Archive Collection, I had the pleasure of being asked by IMI to arrange their collectionand to separate and value two specimens of each coin intended forBirmingham Museum & Art Gallery. For a week I was like theproverbial child in a sweet shop as I spent a fascinating timeensconced in a large IMI strong room discovering small packets of coinsin various cupboards and a large safe. I am pleased to report that atthe conclusion of these efforts the coins set aside for BirminghamMuseum & Art Gallery were very generously gifted to them eventhough they were valued at a considerable five figure sum. One canobtain an excellent overview of the content of the Archive Collectionby a study of the holding gifted to Birmingham Museum. It contains ahandful of different patterns and uniface trial pieces but the vastmajority of the coins are what I would describe as being currencyexamples in choice condition where it is obvious that special effortshad been made to include the initial pieces struck from new polisheddies. These pieces are worthy of the description of being calledSPECIMENS. I suspect that this term originated from a previous disposalof a collection belonging to the Birmingham Mint in 1974. These coinswere only marginally inferior to a full blown proof and were ofexceptional quality with tremendous eye appeal. They required a newterm to describe them and help explain why they attracted aconsiderable premium over a normal currency strike. So if you excusethe pun the word SPECIMEN was coined. These Birmingham and Kings NortonMint SPECIMENS illustrate how something as mundane and utilitarian as acoin can be transformed into an object of beauty.
David Vice
Numismatic Researcher
Termsof SaleShippingCosts & TermsPayment:PayPal payment is expectedwithin 7 days of auction closing. Unpaid Item Casesautomaticallyopen if payment is notreceived by the 8th day after auction closing. If youdonot have a PayPal account and wish to pay using another method, please contact me. I cannot accept credit cardpaymentsother than through PayPal.
Please do not email me after the auction has ended, asking that Icancel the sale because you: entered an incorrect bid amount; realizedthis is a duplicate; realized Icharge California sales tax;failed to read the shipping terms; stepped away from yourcomputer and your cat placed abid; etc. These requests will be ignored and I will let the eBay UnpaidItem system deal with you.
PartialRefunds:I do notgivepartial refunds. If you are not happy withanitem, feel free to return it. Asking fora partialrefund so you won't return an item is poor form andwill getyou blocked frommy auctions.
SlabScratches & Chips: Slabsare fragile and can scratch and chip easily. If a slab arriveschippedand it was not mentioned in the auction or visible in the picture, youmay return it for a refund, but I will nothave it reholdered foryou or offer you a discount to keep it.
US Buyers: $5.95whichincludes insurance. Additionallots ship free! Californiapurchases under $1, 500 are charged 9.5% salestax unless a resale certificate is provided.
InternationalShipments: Mostinternational shipments use theeBay Global Shipping Program. Consult the Shipping & Paymentssection for estimated costs.
Items notavailablefor shipment through the eBay Global Shipping Program willbe sent using Registered Mail ($36.95) for items up to$1000 andExpress Mail ($79.95) for items over $1000.
CustomsDuties:Buyers are responsible for any applicable customs fees, duties, import taxes, etc.
ShippingAddress: I onlyship to the address listed in the PayPal payment. Please do not ask meto ship to another address.
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PCGS SP66
King's Norton Mint Collection
Coin is in a PCGS slab.Picture isfrom PCGS Certificate Verification. Slab insert attributes the coin tothe Kings Norton Mint Collection.
Thisis one of severalrare King's Norton MintCollection coins I have listed this week. Mintage figures for thesespecimen/proof coins was not released, but typically there are lessthan 10 examples known, with ma...ny being only 3-5 examplesknown.
King's Norton MintCollectionHistory
Mostcoin collectors are familiarwith the activities of the British Royal Mint. They are usually lessaware of the important role in supplying the world with currency playedby the country’s second city and industrial heart, Birmingham. Ithas always been a place where private mints thrived. In the early daysthese tended to be secretive back street operations where to put itpolitely they produced coins of an unofficial nature. In effectBirmingham acted as the forging capital of the world. Later theseundoubted skills were put to more legitimate use with the formation ofprivate mints run by individuals of great integrity. This ability toinspire trust allowed them to attract commissions from their own andforeign Governments. Between 1790 and 1849 the Boulton family operatedthe Soho Mint. Immediately after its closure Ralph Heaton and his sonstook over the mantle of running a mint which later took the title ofthe Birmingham Mint. In 1860 James Watt & Co. established amintwhich coined on and off for the next twenty years. This firm was hardlynewcomers to the trade since they were formerly known as Boulton&Watt before they lost the right to use the Boulton name. For the pasttwo centuries these Birmingham firms have exported mints, mintingexpertise, coins and blanks. By this accomplishment they have succeededin making a substantial contribution to oiling the wheels of theworld’s commerce.
Just prior to the First World War a new company entered the fray, theKings Norton Metal Company. In 1912 they were awarded a contract tosupply the Royal Mint with bronze blanks, effectively breaking amonopoly previously held for many years by the Birmingham Mint. Acoinage order quickly followed and in 1914 they struck a coinage forBritish West Africa bearing a K mintmark for Kynoch, the place ofmanufacture. The future of the Company was bright as they joined theBirmingham Mint in the sharing of Royal Mint contracts. These coinswould bear the more familiar KN mintmark for Kings Norton. Mentionshould be made of a few exceptions to this rule. Although theBirmingham and Kings Norton Mint were rivals they were friendly rivalsand at times shared contracts. Taking the coins of Sarawak as anexample the Birmingham Mint dies were dispatched across the city andthe coins even though carrying the famous H mintmark were struck atKings Norton.
In 1926 the Kings Norton Metal Company became part of Imperial ChemicalIndustries (ICI) and in 1962 was reorganized as part of Imperial MetalIndustries Limited (IMI). Two years later a consortium was formed ofthe Royal Mint, Birmingham Mint and Kings Norton Mint to bid forcoining work. This partnership operated well for a number of yearsuntil difficult market conditions rendered it apart. With coinagecontracts difficult to find the three firms went their independentways. In 1992 this culminated in IMI making a hostile takeover of theMint Birmingham Ltd. In terms of minting capacity this was a reversetakeover with the smaller mint taking charge of the larger mint. As aresult of this change IMI closed their own minting facility.
Over the years between 1914 and 1991 the Kings Norton Mint struckcoinages for at least 89 countries ranging alphabetically from Algeriato Zimbabwe. In a geographical sense they exported coins to six of theseven continents only missing out on Antarctica. One suspects that herethey were deterred not so much by the icy wastes, since they countedIceland amongst their clients, but rather by the lack of population!
Like many mints in the world the Kings Norton Mint had a habit ofkeeping a few examples of each coinage they struck as part of theirrecords. In 2005, prior to the disposal of the IMI Archive Collection, I had the pleasure of being asked by IMI to arrange their collectionand to separate and value two specimens of each coin intended forBirmingham Museum & Art Gallery. For a week I was like theproverbial child in a sweet shop as I spent a fascinating timeensconced in a large IMI strong room discovering small packets of coinsin various cupboards and a large safe. I am pleased to report that atthe conclusion of these efforts the coins set aside for BirminghamMuseum & Art Gallery were very generously gifted to them eventhough they were valued at a considerable five figure sum. One canobtain an excellent overview of the content of the Archive Collectionby a study of the holding gifted to Birmingham Museum. It contains ahandful of different patterns and uniface trial pieces but the vastmajority of the coins are what I would describe as being currencyexamples in choice condition where it is obvious that special effortshad been made to include the initial pieces struck from new polisheddies. These pieces are worthy of the description of being calledSPECIMENS. I suspect that this term originated from a previous disposalof a collection belonging to the Birmingham Mint in 1974. These coinswere only marginally inferior to a full blown proof and were ofexceptional quality with tremendous eye appeal. They required a newterm to describe them and help explain why they attracted aconsiderable premium over a normal currency strike. So if you excusethe pun the word SPECIMEN was coined. These Birmingham and Kings NortonMint SPECIMENS illustrate how something as mundane and utilitarian as acoin can be transformed into an object of beauty.
David Vice
Numismatic Researcher
Termsof SaleShippingCosts & TermsPayment:PayPal payment is expectedwithin 7 days of auction closing. Unpaid Item Casesautomaticallyopen if payment is notreceived by the 8th day after auction closing. If youdonot have a PayPal account and wish to pay using another method, please contact me. I cannot accept credit cardpaymentsother than through PayPal.
Please do not email me after the auction has ended, asking that Icancel the sale because you: entered an incorrect bid amount; realizedthis is a duplicate; realized Icharge California sales tax;failed to read the shipping terms; stepped away from yourcomputer and your cat placed abid; etc. These requests will be ignored and I will let the eBay UnpaidItem system deal with you.
PartialRefunds:I do notgivepartial refunds. If you are not happy withanitem, feel free to return it. Asking fora partialrefund so you won't return an item is poor form andwill getyou blocked frommy auctions.
SlabScratches & Chips: Slabsare fragile and can scratch and chip easily. If a slab arriveschippedand it was not mentioned in the auction or visible in the picture, youmay return it for a refund, but I will nothave it reholdered foryou or offer you a discount to keep it.
US Buyers: $5.95whichincludes insurance. Additionallots ship free! Californiapurchases under $1, 500 are charged 9.5% salestax unless a resale certificate is provided.
InternationalShipments: Mostinternational shipments use theeBay Global Shipping Program. Consult the Shipping & Paymentssection for estimated costs.
Items notavailablefor shipment through the eBay Global Shipping Program willbe sent using Registered Mail ($36.95) for items up to$1000 andExpress Mail ($79.95) for items over $1000.
CustomsDuties:Buyers are responsible for any applicable customs fees, duties, import taxes, etc.
ShippingAddress: I onlyship to the address listed in the PayPal payment. Please do not ask meto ship to another address.
Powered by eBay Turbo Lister
The free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items.
