Strong results from 29 March Coin Auction confirm continued market strength

The auction of Ancient, English and Foreign Coins and Commemorative Medals held at our Bloomsbury saleroom on 29 March made overall £580,000, with less than 2% unsold. Interest was especially strong in Russian and, as ever, in British coins.

Lot 228 - Peter the Great Gold Award Medal dated 1702, sold for £94,400

Lot 230 - Peter III gold 10-Roubles 1762, sold for £31,150

Lot 405 - Charles I Crown, Briot’s First Milled Issue, sold for £8,380

Amid strong bidding by phone, through Spink Live, and in the room, a number of rare and important Russian items stole the show. The extremely rare Peter the Great gold award medal dated 1702 made £94,400 (estimate £15000-25000), whilst a gold ten Roubles of the short reign of Peter III in 1762, realised £31,150 (estimate £4000-5000). Following the trend of recent years, British coins performed well, with strong bidding for quality hammered crowns. A Charles I Briot crown rose beyond its estimates to eventually sell for £8380 (est. £3500- £4500). Similarly a high quality example for a Charles I Group IV Tower under Parliament crown went for £5850 (estimate £2200-£2800). 

Lot 401 - Charles I Group IV Crown, sold for £5,850

 

27 June auction to feature British and Ottoman coins

 

Lot 45 - James I, third coinage Crown, est. £4,000-5,000

The next Spink coin auction on 27 June will be particulaty strong in British coins. The Dr. Riccardo Ferrari collection of British hammered and milled crowns is probably one of the finest collections of its sort to come on the market in recent years. It contains many coins with first class provenances and, on the hammered side, is especially strong in the crowns of James I and Charles I. The milled issues are represented with a fine run of Charles II, Anne and George I.

Lot 51 - Charles I Group III Crown, est. £4,000-4,500

 

Lot 64 - Charles II Crown 1662, est. £2,500-2,800

 

Lot 77 - Anne, Crown 1705, est.2,800-3,200

From Ireland we are pleased to present to Avà Louise collection of Irish coins. This is a most comprehensive collection covering the Irish coinage from c.995AD to the advent of the Euro. Among highlights are some unique examples including an Edward IV suns an roses/rose on cross penny of Drogheda, the only known example of a penny from this issue for a mint other than Dublin (estimate £3000-3500.) In addition we are proud to offer a very rare silver proof St Patrick’s farthing with the wonderful image of the saint driving out the vipers from Ireland (estimate £1800-£2500), and an example of the extremely rare 1943 florin.

Lot 286 - Ireland, Edward IV, Penny, Drogheda, unique, est. £3,000-3,500

From Scotland, the Robert Wilson collection of gold and silver coins offers some fine and rare examples from this fascinating coinage brought to an end exactly three hundred years ago. This collection is especially rich in the gold and silver coins of James V, Mary and James VI. Among the highlights are a fine run of Mary and James VI  Ryals and their fractions, however it is the gold which catches the attention with the 1540 James V ‘bonnet piece’ reminding us of this once proud independent kingdom (estimate £3500-4000).

Lot 329 - Ireland, St Patrick’s Coinage, Proof Farthing in silver, est. £1,800-2,500

Lot 140 - Scotland, James V, gold Ducat or Bonnet Piece, est. £3,500-4,000

The fourth collection in the auction is of something completely different- a broad ranging collection of Ottoman coins built up by one of the leading authorities of his generation in this area, the late Kenneth MacKenzie. The collection ranges over the entirety of the Ottoman world, being particularly rich in the hard-to-get smaller denominations and unusual items. Examples include output from over 30 lesser mints which are rarely encountered and are sure to be eagerly contested, as will such rarities as the Piastre of the short-lived ruler Mustafa IV (1807-8) and the 20-Piastres of Abdul Mejid struck in Egypt in 1839. For a full discussion of this interesting collection click here

Lot 545 - Ottoman Turkey, Mustafa IV, Piastre A.H.1222, est. £400-500

Among other highlights in foreign section of the sale is the 1852 First Issue Adelaide pound. Made at the time of the Australian ‘gold rush’, this issue is exceptionally rare as the dies broke after only a few coins had been struck. The problem can be seen on this coin in a flaw on the reverse. The coinage was later continued with new dies to a slightly different design, making this amongst the rarest and most sought after of Australian coins. An extremely attractive example of this rarity was sold by Spink in the first sale of the Jerry Remick collection, 18 October 2006. The price then was £29,999. The estimate on the example in the June sale is £25,000-30,000

Lot 586 - Ottoman Egypt, Abdul Mejid, 20-Piastres, A.H.1255, est. £500-600

Lot 680 - Australia, Adelaide Pound 1852, est.£25,000-30,000

The foreign section of the sale, ordered alphabetically, often ends with the United States, and this time we end the auction with a small flourish. A good very fine early Dollar of 1797 is estimated at £3500-4500, and a rare New York Excelsior copper token of 1787 is estimated at £5000-7000. This last piece is of great interest, for more information on the Excelsior Token click here

Lot 728 - U.S.A. Dollar, 1797, est. £3,500-4,500

Lot 727 - U.S.A., 1787 Excelsior Token, est. £5,000-7,000

The catalogue is available from the coin auction department. For further information please contact:

Richard Bishop…..020 7563 4053

Jeremy Cheek……020 7563 4054

William MacKay…020 7563 4091