October 2003 Coin Newsletter

By Steve Hill

This latest report comes to you at the start of the busy Coinex period. As time passes from September, travellers from foreign parts are already arriving in anticipation of what is on offer and in store for the whole Coinex period. There is something happening almost daily from the first weekend onwards, including of course the International banknote fair, followed by various auctions including our own on the 8th, another Commonwealth Institute show on the 9th then Coinex over the 10th-11th.

Momentum has been gained in late September as we attended a successful International Kensington Coin Fair. This show actually coincided with the OMSA Medal Fair in Covent Garden and Stampex 2003 in Islington, so London was a real coin / medal / stamp haven over the weekend of the 20th. It was inspiring to see how busy the coin room was in the Commonwealth Institute with collectors rushing to view everybody’s stock and with some good deals on hand as more unusual coins appear on the market after sometimes long absences. Some dealers remarked to me that it was a wonderful sight to see that confidence in the market has continued since our Slaney part one auction in May, and prices have been sustained for the top quality pieces.

We had a busy show and Jeremy Cheek together with Emily, Paul and I now look forward to the next of these annual events every September. Let’s hope the interest in the coin market continues at this level.

October’s weekends will be busy with the banknote fair on the 4th October at the TUC headquarters in Bloomsbury, followed by Coinex at the Marriott Hotel in Duke Street off Grosvenor Square on the 10th-11th. On the Friday the show opens to the public at 12.30pm, closing at 6.30pm, £5 admission though early birds who cannot wait for the official time can pay extra to come in earlier from 10.30am (£25 admission). Saturday is open from 9.30am until 4pm for £2 admission giving plenty of opportunity for everyone to explore the dealer’s stands.

We at Spink are hoping for a very special launch at the Coinex show this year. Since we took over the old Seaby publication, we have launched the new edition of the Standard Catalogue of British Coins in September each year in keeping with the Seaby tradition. This year we are holding the launch at the Coinex show so the very first opportunity collectors will have to view and purchase the new edition will actually be at the show. What more of an incentive could you wish to visit London with it's attractions and attend a fine coin fair now with the added bonus of being among the first to see our new 2004 publication. Most of the staff from Spink will be manning our table over the whole two days so please stop by and feel free to browse what we have on offer.

The following weekend of the 18th October there is the Paris coin fair – the 43rd Salon Numismatique which takes place Saturday only from 9am to 5pm (5 Euro admission) and will be held at the Palais Brongniart, Place De La Bourse. Spink will have a table and Jeremy Cheek, Paul Hill, Hadrien Rambach and I will be in attendance. This will be our first time at a Paris coin fair so we look forward to exporing the French marketplace and meeting with clients old and new who might not be able to make it to London.

The October Coinex auction catalogue has now been out for some time and the photography has already received much praise from subscribers. The Ancients have excellent definition in particular, and the excitement is building over the offering of foreign coins and especially for the Angels and touchpiece collection which do not come on the market very often at all. There is also a very unusual collection of Ottoman coin scales and balances on offer at the end of the sale.

The October Numismatic Circular will be issued in the first few days of October, listing some £200,000 of stock. Highlights will include on the front cover a very nice Sestertius of Hadrien in almost EF condition with a lovely patina at £3,300, as well as a Light Miliarense minted at Trier of the usurper Magnus Maximus, in good VF at £2,650.

Hadrian Sestertius

Magnus Maximus Miliarense

There are also some good ancient Greek coins listed, amongst them a Kamarina Tetradrachm in VF at £2,200 and a Double Daric from Babylon with an unusual reverse design at £2,850.

Kamarina Tetradrachm

Babylon Double Daric

There is also a very good list of Celtic coins which make a welcome return this issue, it being some time since we have been able to offer a nice group, the highlight being a nice gold stater of the Trinovantes Addedomaros in almost EF condition at £1,800.

Trinivantes Addedomaros Stater

There is a list this time of European Medieval coinage whose highlight is an extremely rare Denier Au Leopard of Edward III in Fine condition at £350 and ends with a Swinthilia Tremissis minted at Seville in EF condition at £450.

Edward III Denier Au Leopard

Swinthilia Tremissis Seville

The British hammered list consists of some 50 coins and starts with a nice Anglo Saxon Post Crondall, gold Thrymsa in VF condition at £2,500 and ends with a nice Charles I siege Shilling of Newark in good VF condition at £1,500. The siege coinage seems particularly popular at the moment so I am sure it will be snapped up quickly.

Post Crondall Thrymsa

Charles I Newark Shilling

There is a larger listing of milled silver this time which encompasses two good collections that we purchased of Shillings and Sixpences, with a nice run of Crowns included. All monarchs are represented well, with some nice Charles II Crowns to start, there is a superb 1686 first bust James II Crown which has been quite unusually double struck. This issue is always notoriously weakly struck on the bust. Because of the double strike this piece has very well doubled legends, but the bust is perfect with a wonderful toned portrait, the coin is almost EF and is available at £2,650. There is also a reasonable Queen Anne Vigo Crown at £2,000 which is of the same grade.

James II Crown 1686

Anne 1703 VIGO Crown

There is a fantastic shilling of Charles II with the plume below the bust and in the centre of the reverse, in good EF state of preservation this must be one of the finest pieces around, priced at £3,250.

Charles II Shilling plume both sides 1679

There is also a good run of Sixpences and some Maundy sets as well. There are a number of unusual patterns on this list including an unusual copper striking on a medal flan of the reverse from the Webb and Mills For Mudie undated crown muled with the reverse of the Dassier Oliver Cromwell medal.

George III Mule Pattern Crown with Cromwell reverse

There is an example of the extremely rare William IV 1832 lead pattern crown that has an inscribed edge.

William IV 1832 Crown in lead

There is also a very unusual Twelve Groats silver coin of 1914 struck for Reginald Huth which has been muled with the reverse of a Spanish fantasy coin, as listed in Krause’s Unusual World Coins.

George V Double Florin with Spain reverse

To finish with there is also an example of the extremely rare Victoria Pattern Halfcrown of 1890 at £2,500.
After this there is also a good list of 17th Century tokens of Yorkshire from the Norweb Collection as well as a selection of good Irish tokens, as well as a nice list of Medallions too.

Victoria Pattern Halfcrown 1890

As you can see there is a lot to look forward to this month, and if you cannot make it to see us at any of the shows or the office and you want to order your new 2004 book upon launch, you can always order it through this website.

Enjoy your coins during the month of October and we look forward to what the rest of the year will bring.



Stephen Hill
Associate Director
Coins