A rare opportunity in coin collecting usually involves the auction or sale of a coin that is the only known variety. A one-of-one example of any type of coin can garner big attention from investors. Una And The Lion is perhaps the most significant coin to come out of the British Monarchy and Collectors Dashboard has followed sales of high-end examples that have been sold.

The Die Trial Pieces and Pattern Piece Auction by The Royal Mint will be held on March 6, 2022 at 2pm GMT. Images below by RoyalMint.com.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates high-end collectibles as an alternative asset class. This means collectibles are attracting the same capital that could have been invested into stocks or bonds. Many collectibles now cost thousands of dollars (or much more). Collectors with a passion to own a collectible for years frequently have to compete directly against investors whose only desire is to make a profit in the future.

According to The Royal Mint:

“Every coin we produce goes through an exacting process that involves trialling dies and the pieces produced with them to ensure our coins are of the highest quality. We are offering a selection of such trial pieces for sale at auction…”

Here are some of the rare pattern pieces including the high-end estimated Una and Lion pattern:

Lot 70 is a return to Una and the Lion, but perhaps not the same manner that true passionate coin collectors might think. Una And The Lion 2019 Gold Kilo High-Relief has a starting bid of 200,000 British Pounds which is $271,264.84 USD at the present time — and if they are right, it’s going to go much higher. The Mint’s estimate is 250,000 to 350,000 British Pounds, which is $339,081.05 to $474,713.48 USD.

Here is the Royal Mint’s description of the item:

Working entirely by hand, William Wyon RA created one of the world’s most beautiful and popular numismatic designs – Una and the Lion – in 1839. This piece comes from the very early stages of the trials process when an early pattern piece was created to test William Wyon’s iconic design on a significantly larger gold kilo coin. At this early stage of the process, the focus was checking the high relief would work on the larger coin. This special piece has the original date of 1839 in roman numerals and a Matt finish on the reverse, making it different to any other Una and the Lion piece ever produced. This is a true numismatic rarity and this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire a pattern piece of this kind directly from The Royal Mint. Usually, pattern pieces are melted down, which is why this is such an exciting and significant find.

The condition is as follows:

• Obverse, light scratch by F and H in legend, hairlines and other minor marks present.
• Reverse, almost imperceptible marks in front of Una’s face.

The auction resembles a garage sale of past commemorative coins:

• Lot 30: Gothic Crown Quartered Arms 2021 2oz Gold Proof Die Trial Piece with a starting bid of 10,000 GPB or $13,558.57 USD. The estimate is 10,000 GPB to 15,000 GPB or $13,558.57 USD to $20,337.86 USD.
• Lot 45: The Queen’s Beasts 2021 UK 1/4 oz Reverse Frosted Gold Proof Complete Set (10 pieces) Die Trial Piece Set with a starting bid of 7,000 GPB or $9,491.00 USD. The estimate is 7,000 GPB to 10,000 GPB or $9,491.00 USD to $13,559.37 USD.
• Lot 69: The Platinum Jubilee Of Her Majesty The Queen 2022 1oz Platinum Proof Die Trial Piece with a starting bid of 3,000 GPB or $4,066.20 USD. The estimate is 3,000 GPB to 4,000 GPB or $4,066.20 USD to $5,421.60 USD.
• Lot 68: The Platinum Jubilee Of Her Majesty The Queen 2022 50P Platinum Proof Die Trial Piece with a starting bid of 800.00 GPB or $1,084.80 USD. The estimate is 800.00 GPB to 1,000 GPB or $1,084.80 USD to $1,356.00 USD.

The majority of the 70 total lots give the impression of novelty collecting and the estimates reflect Lot 68 which we featured. What is undeniable is the opportunity to own a rare one-of-one Una And The Lion pattern coin. Many of these are usually destroyed after use according to The Royal Mint and here is a rare chance to collect it.

Another recent high-priced auction should highlight just how unique this auction is from the Royal Mint.