News from Spink

Coin Newsletter July 2007

The June auction was definitely a game of two halves. The morning session included English, Scottish and Irish coins, and we were very pleased with the strong prices, but in the present climate we were not expecting anything less. The afternoon session was dominated by the MacKenzie collection of Ottoman coins and medals and here we were in less familiar territory. The astonishing success of this part of the sale took us all by surprise. Here is a fairly small but clearly very robust market with new collectors keen and very able to bid strongly for pieces they covet.

All the choice hammered Crowns collected by Dr Riccardo Ferrari over the last twenty years found new homes. The prices were strong as should be expected at a time when the supply of choice hammered coins is not keeping pace with demand. This was the best and most importantoffering of English Crowns for over a year. The collection started well with lot 39, the Edward VI 1551, realising £6,080, and continued strong through the Scottish and Irish crown size coins, lot 107, the Ormond Crown, selling for £1,920. The highest price in the hammered Crowns was achieved by lot 45, the James I third coinage Crown m.m. trefoil over lis which realized £8,725. The Wilson collection of Scottish and the Ava Louise collection of Irish also produced satisfactory results much in line with expectations, proving once again that even after the wide selection of Scottish and Irish coins offered in several recent sales the market is still hungry for good hammered material.

The Ottoman collection in the afternoon however was the ‘surprise hit’. Many collectors and dealers who knew Kenneth MacKenzie shared their experiences and memories with us during the weeks leading up to the auction, and had nothing but good things to say about him. Everyone wished us well with the sale for his sake, but no one predicted the level of interest. Most surprising were the medals, which all sold above expectations and some soared to multiples of the estimates. A collection like this may not appear for another generation.

To view the prices realized for this sale please click here.

The August Numismatic Circular is going to the press next week. An unusual feature of this month’s edition will be an interesting selection of commemorative medals, tickets and passes as well as silver tokens, most of them from an old collection and not seen on the market for two or three generations. Members of the coin department will be attending the York Coin Show, 19-21 July, and also the A.N.A. Convention which this year takes place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 8-12 August.

The attention of the auction department now turns to our sale during Coinex week. Several collections have been consigned, but a few major highlights will inevitably dominate the pre-sale reports and provide the headlines.

Details of some of these are already published on our news pages.

-- For details of the superb Petition Crown by Thomas Simon from the Glenister collection of English coins please click here.

-- For details of the recently discovered and unique Hong Kong 1868 silver proof set please click here.

-- For details of another ‘discovery’, the Carnegie New South Wales Fifteen Pence of 1813 please click here

-- For details of an impressive selection of Russian gold medals, please click here

-- For details of the collection of drawings, drawing instruments, wax models, pattern coins and medals from the Wyon Family, please click here

-- For details of the extremely rare and magnificent gold 10-Doppiam 1641 of Genoa, please click here

 In addition to the above the sale includes the following:

Two extremely rare and extremely fine 8-Reales dated 1780 from Bogota, est. £18,000-25,000

As well as a good run of English hammered and milled gold coins, there will be a collection of 19th and 20th century English pattern and proof coins and proof sets including:

PROOF SETS

George IV 1826 (11 coins)

Victoria, 1839 ‘Una and the Lion’ (15 coins)

Victoria 1887 (11 coins)

Victoria 1893 silver (6 coins)

Edward VII 1902 (10 coins, Penny missing)

George V 1911 (11 coins)

Elizabeth II 1980 gold proof set (4 coins)

Elizabeht II 1982 gold proof set (4 coins)

Elizabeth II 1989 gold proof set (4 coins)

PATTERN AND PROOF COINS

George III gold pattern Two-Pounds 1820

George IV Five-Pounds 1826

George IV proof Crown 1821

William IV proof Two-Pounds 1831

William IV proof Sovereign 1831

William IV proof Crown 1831

Victoria gold pattern Five-Pounds 1839 ‘Una and the Lion’

Victoria silver pattern Five-Pounds 1839 ‘Una and the Lion’

Victoria proof silver pattern Penny 1841

Victoria proof Gothic Crown 1847 undecimo

Victoria proof Gothic Crown 1847 undecimo

Victoria proof Gothic Crown 1847 plain edge

Victoria proof Two-Pounds 1887

Victoria proof Five-Pounds 1893

Edward VII mate proof Five-Pounds 1902

George V proof Crown 1927

George VI proof Five-Pounds 1937

The catalogue will be going to press at the end of the month. For further details please contact William MacKay on 020 7563 4048 or by email wmackay@spink.com

About Spink

Spink is the world’s leading auctioneer of coins, stamps, medals and banknotes.  Since its foundation in 1666, the Spink name has become synonymous with tradition, experience and integrity. Holders of three royal warrants and numerous records for prices achieved at auction, Spink offers an unparalleled range of services to collectors worldwide.

Public Enquiries:  020 7563 4000 – www.spink.com or info@spink.com

Images:  Spink Press Office on 020 7563 4009