170, Lot: 304. Estimate $100. Sold for $121. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

HANOVER. George IV. 1820-1830. Æ Medal (35mm, 22.42 g). Coronation medal, 29 July 1821. Benedetto Pistrucci, sculptor. Laureate head left / Enthroned George being crowned by Victory, receiving three women, the personifications of England, Scotland and Ireland. Eimer 1146a. EF, mahogany patina.

Benedetto Pistrucci was one of the most talented gem engravers of the early 19th century. His skill attracted the attention of William Wellesley Pole, Master of the British mint, who hired him as assistant engraver in 1816 (as an Italian citizen, he could not hold the position of Chief Engraver). The temperamental and finicky artist engraved the dies for the famous St. George and the Dragon sovereign for George III and numerous other medals. However, his growing disputes with the other engravers employed by the Mint, especially the Wyons, lead to his demotion in 1823, after which he only produced a few medal designs, the most famous being the Waterloo medal, completed after 33 years of work.