NGC-certified Una and the Lion Realizes More than $900,000 in MDC Monaco Sale

An elite, high-grade coin from Great Britain was among 10 rarities certified by Numismatic Guaranty Company® (NGC®) that each realized six-figure prices at the MDC Monaco Auction 15 on October 24, 2024.

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The top lot was the Great Britain 1839 Una and the Lion 5 Sovereign graded NGC PF 66★ Ultra Cameo (lot 1773), which realized €840,000 (about $907,000). The obverse features a bust of Queen Victoria by Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint William Wyon — who also designed and sculpted the coin’s more famous reverse with Queen Victoria as Lady Una, a character from Edmund Spenser’s 1590 poem “The Faerie Queene.” The coin’s design is generally considered to be the most beautiful in English numismatics, and this is the finest example in the NGC Census.

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Another spectacular result was a France 1855 Essai Gold 100 Francs graded NGC PF 65 Cameo (lot 1240), which realized €540,000 (about $583,000). Featuring Emperor Napoleon III, this coin was struck near the beginning of his imperial reign, which saw economic growth and the transformation of Paris but ended in military defeat during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.

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Also impressive was an Italy 1610 Guastalla 10 Doppie graded NGC MS 61 and pedigreed to the Paramount Collection (lot 1872), which realized €504,000 (about $545,000). Only four examples are known, including three in private collections. The coin shows Ferrante II Gonzaga, who ruled Guastalla in the early 1600s. Guastalla is located at the crossroads of major trade routes in northern Italy, about halfway between Venice and Genoa.

Other NGC-certified coins in this auction include:

• a France 1640A Draped Bust 10 Louis d’Or graded NGC AU Details (lot 761), which realized €300,000 (about $324,000)
• a Netherlands 1688 Gold 28 Stuivers graded NGC MS 62 (lot 2014), which realized €180,000 (about $194,000)
• a Switzerland Alliance with France 1777-dated Gold Medal graded NGC UNC Details (lot 912), which realized €144,000 (about $156,000)
• a Roman Empire, Constantine I (A.D. 307-337) Gold Medallion graded NGC Ancients Ch AU★, 5/5 Strike and 3/5 Surface (lot 186), which realized €120,000 (about $130,000)
• a Western Roman Empire AD 467-472 A. Euphemia Gold Solidus graded NGC Ancients MS★, 3/5 Strike and 5/5 Surface (lot 209), which realized €108,000 (about $116,000)
• an England (1584-86) Sovereign graded NGC MS 62 (lot 1738), which realized €102,000 (about $110,000)
• a France 1853 Essai Gold 5 Francs graded NGC PF 61 Cameo and pedigreed to the Paramount Collection (lot 1248), which realized €96,000 (about $104,000)
• a Belgium 1853 Royal Wedding Gold 100 Francs - Hyphen Between Dates graded NGC SP 65 Ultra Cameo (lot 464), which realized €90,000 (about $97,000)
• a Great Britain 1845 Plain Edge Crown graded NGC PF 64 (lot 1776), which realized €72,000 (about $78,000)
• a Roman Empire, Vitellius (A.D. 69) Gold Aureus graded NGC Ancients XF, 5/5 Strike and 3/5 Surface with Fine Style (lot 139), which realized €60,000 (about $65,000)
• a Belgium 1911 Gold Pattern 100 Francs graded NGC MS 60 (lot 473), which realized $60,000 (about $65,000)

Prices realized include a buyer’s premium. The € symbol indicates Euros, and the $ symbol indicates US Dollars.