Thomas Simon’s Shout Out to the King, the Incredible 1663 Petition Crown 

Fourth Release in the Royal Mint’s Great Engravers Series

Here you have the fourth release in the Royal Mint series honoring The Great Engravers of the mint’s most iconic coin designs! Following the first three releases honoring Engraver William Wyon, the celebration continues with the 1663 Petition Crown featuring designs by former Royal Mint Chief Engraver, Thomas Simon. More than just a design, the story behind Simon’s designs is fascinating, especially considering it transpired more than 360 years ago.

A Stunning Design that Was a Miraculous Achievement

These 2-Pc. Proof Sets boast a skillfully remastered interpretation of both sides of Thomas Simon’s Petition Crown pattern coin, with the obverse and reverse on separate coins, each backed by the first definitive portrait of King Charles III by designer Martin Jennings. These gorgeous coins are highlighted by Simon’s creation of a two-line edge inscription of over 200 letters that was made before advancements in minting technology—his literal petition to the king. 

Even presently in 2023, more three-and-a-half centuries after Simon created his masterpiece, remastering the edge lettering is a significant minting challenge. But one that has been spectacularly achieved!

The Key to this Story Is Thomas Simon’s Amazing Skill

Serving under Charles I, Oliver Cromwell and Charles II during his time at The Royal Mint, Thomas Simon remains one of the finest engravers that Britain, indeed the world, has ever known. Producing intricate works on the small canvas of a coin, particularly during an era before powerful coining presses or advanced minting technology, Simon possessed superlative engraving skills and artistic talent.

At the age of 25, in 1643, he began working for the Royal Mint, first as an apprentice, then as an Assistant Engraver and finally as Chief Engraver. 

During this time, England experienced a number of significant events and changes, including the English Civil War, the execution of King Charles I, the Commonwealth and Protectorate periods, and finally the restoration of the monarchy under Charles II. As a result, from 1649 to 1660, the position of Chief Engraver at the Royal Mint was not filled.

In the wake of Charles II’s return from exile in 1660, Simon unsuccessfully appealed to him to get his Chief Engraver job back, but was denied because Thomas Rawlins, who had been granted the title of Chief Engraver under Charles I, was reinstated. Despite that, Simon continued to do most of the work typically attributed to the Chief Engraver, producing the Great Seals for Charles II.

In 1663, King Charles II instructed Simon and Dutch brothers John and Joseph Roettier to engrave a trial crown for his judgement. The King seemed to favor the brothers’ work, and it’s said there may have been some rivalry between them and Simon. For reasons that are not clear, Simon did not submit his trial design in time, and as a result, the Flemish engravers won the competition by default, and their design was used on coinage issued for circulation in 1662. 

That’s When the Spectacular Petition Crown Came to Be

In response to the decision of the King, Simon engraved his Petition Crown. His design is marveled for its two-line raised edge inscription, which bore Simon’s petition to the king aimed at letting it be known that his depiction of the king was truly the superior choice: ‘THOMAS SIMON MOST HVMBLY PRAYS YOVR MAJESTY TO COMPARE THIS HIS TRYALL PIECE WITH THE DVTCH AND IF MORE TRVLY DRAWN & EMBOSS’D MORE GRACE: FVLLY ORDER’D AND MORE ACCVRATELY ENGRAVEN TO RELEIVE HIM’

While Simon’s portrait on the Petition Crown was similar to the one created by the Roettier brothers, Simon’s interpretation is instilled with much finer workmanship, depicting the king with intricate detail, and in much higher relief. The reverse of the coin was slightly convex and the obverse concave to show the King as a stronger feature of the coin. Unfortunately, despite his efforts, Simon’s Petition Crown was not accepted. There are very few surviving examples known to exist today, potentially as few as 12.

The Extraordinary Designs

That’s what you have here for your collection as the Royal Mint honors Simon’s extraordinary engraving talent in this 2023 release—a 2-Pc. Set. The obverse of one of the coins features Simon’s interpretation of Charles II from the obverse of the original pattern coin, portraying the King with cascading hair in fine waves embellished with a laurel wreath. The obverse of the other coin is equally impressive, featuring the Quartered Arms—four crowned shields plus the Latin inscription “Exurgat Deus Dissipentur Inimici,” which translates to “Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered.” 

The obverse of both coins features the first definitive portrait of King Charles III by designer Martin Jennings, the first time the official coinage portrait of His Majesty The King appears on coins in The Great Engravers Collection. 

Exquisite Proof Finish Offers a Higher Degree of Quality, and Scarcity

Proofs like these are struck to a higher standard of beauty, quality, and craftsmanship than circulated and non-proof coins. Proof planchets (blanks) are specially treated, hand-polished, and cleaned to ensure high-quality strikes, then fed into presses fitted with specially polished dies, and struck at least twice—unlike regular coins which are struck only once. The extra strikes give proofs a glamorous shine and make intricate, razor-sharp details of the design pop against polished, mirror-like fields. While regular coins are struck on high-speed presses by the thousands, proofs are individually struck by highly skilled artisans focused on creating masterpieces. Collectors love proofs not only because they’re the best quality, but also because their mintages are typically low.

Struck in Gold and Silver

You have your choice of Crown Petition 2-Pc. Proof Sets struck in five ounces or two ounces of high-purity 99.99% gold, or in two ounces of 99.9% fine silver. Each of these coins is British legal tender—£500, £200 and £5 respectively. 

Certified Absolutely Perfect, with Special Designations

Collectors want the best of the best for their collections, and that’s what you have here. You can secure these Crown Petition Proofs certified by NGC as flawless Proof-70 (PF70) condition. Coins are graded on a 70-point scale, with a top 70 grade representing perfection, even under magnification. 

In addition to being flawless, your coins will arrive NGC-certified with a First Releases (FR) designation— which means each coin is among the earliest coins issued, and has been received for grading within 30 days of release from the mint. 

These gorgeous coins are sure to be standouts in your collection. Take a look for yourself to see why!

2023 Great Britain Five-Ounce Gold Petition Crown Proof 2-Pc. Set PF70 FR

• Each Five Ounces of 99.99% Gold
• £500 Great Britain Legal Tender
• Flawless PF70 Grade by NGC
• NGC-Certified as First Releases 
• Exclusive “First Releases” Tower Bridge Label
• Only 181 Authorized for Release Worldwide
• Limited Availability

2023 Great Britain Two-Ounce Gold Petition Crown Proof 2-Pc. Set PF70 FR

• Each Two Ounces of 99.99% Gold
• £200 Great Britain Legal Tender
• Flawless PF70 Grade by NGC
• NGC-Certified as First Releases 
• Exclusive “First Releases” Tower Bridge Label
• Only 406 Authorized for Release Worldwide
• Limited Availability

2023 Great Britain Two-Ounce Silver Petition Crown Proof 2-Pc. Set PF70 FR

• Each Two Ounces of 99.9% Silver
• £5 Great Britain Legal Tender
• Flawless PF70 Grade by NGC
• NGC-Certified as First Releases 
• Exclusive “First Releases” Tower Bridge Label
• Only 4,256 Authorized for Release Worldwide
• Limited Availability

Extremely Limited Availability

Authorized worldwide mintages for each of these Gold and Silver Petition Crown Proof Sets, the next release in the Royal Mint’s The Great Engravers Series, are very limited. Additionally, the Proofs here are perfect, with a First Releases designation, which narrows the populations even more.

Seriously—don’t wait on this or you will miss out. These exquisitely designed coins, in perfect condition with sought-after designations, will not be available for long—especially considering the limited mintages.