News from Spink

Coin Newsletter August 2007

Greetings Cyberfriends,

Fun Fairs

June saw the coin fair season begin again with the London Coin Fair.  Many of you made your way round the fair despite the (lack of) air conditioning in the main room.  Luckily the Jasmine Suite where Spink are based on the first floor is always a lovely cool respite for the harried coin enthusiast, so make sure to visit us at the next London Fair in November.

We also braved adverse weather conditions to reach the York Fair at York Racecourse on 20th/21st June.  At the time of the January York Fair the country was beset by high winds, this time there was widespread flooding, we’re hoping a plague of locusts does not descend next January.  David, Paul & Megan represented Spink at this fair (with free entry) and we enjoyed seeing you there.

Our intrepid coin department is off again soon to the ANA at Milwaukee (http://www.money.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NumismaticEvents/WorldsFairofMoney/default.htm) on the 8th-12th August.  Paul, David and Max will fly across the pond to give our American collectors a chance to see some of our wares.  We’ve busily been preparing stock so watch out for some new stock and bargains.

A list of all the events we’ll be attending this year can be found here.

Auction News

June 27 Sale beats estimates

The June 27th sale returned another successful result with 86% of lots sold realising £480.1k, exceeding its high estimate comfortably. The Ferrari collection of English Crowns sold strongly with the quality and rarity of its lots attracting strong bidding, including a James I Crown which made £7,500 (estimated £4000-£4500). There were also strong results for the Ottoman medals in the scholarly collection formed by the late professor Kenneth McKenzie. Strong bidding from Turkey saw lot 636, two bronze medals, reach an astounding £7000. However the star item of the sale was an example of Australia’s first gold coin, the 1852, type 1, Adelaide Pound (estimated £25000-£30,000) which sold for £40,000.

Click here for prices realised.

Coinex Sale set to offer exceptional items

The next Spink coin auction takes place on September 27th and will feature some exceptionally fine and rare Ancient, British and Foreign coins along with some superlative Imperial Russian historical medals. The star of the day will undoubtedly be the Charles II 1663 petition crown from the Glenister collection (estimated £120,000-£150,000), in extremely fine condition and with a provenance going back to 1755. This collection also contains some other rare coins, including a Charles I 1630 silver Pattern Unite by Briot (estimate £8,000-£10,000), and some rare early milled gold. British coins from other properties include Sovereigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth I, along with an enigmatic Unite of James I which seems to have been made with a grained edge. Other rarities include a superb 1839 Una and Lion pattern Five Pound or Crown in silver (estimate £14,000-£18,000).

Foreign coins will be strongly represented in this sale with a rediscovered gold 10 Doppie of Genoa, 1642, (owned by the same noble family since the seventeenth century), which adds a third example of this rare coin. Another new discovery is an 1813 New South Wales ‘Dump’ fifteen pence (estimated £8000-£12000).

For those interested in Russian coins and medals, this sale contains a run of superb coins and medals in platinum, gold, silver and base metals, many of which are extremely rare. The most sensational lot though will be a unique 1868 Hong Kong proof set  (estimated £50,000-70,000), which has come from a family with long interests in the former British colony. This is only the second example of an 1868 Hong Kong Half-Dollar to be offered at auction.

With so much on offer, we are expecting exceptionally strong interest in this sale. Catalogues will be available in early September and can be reserved now, 0207 563 4080, or check our website to see the online version which will be available shortly.  A selection of items from the Coinex sale is currently on display to the public in our showroom.

The Numismatic Circular

Our August Circular is now with the publishers and should be out late next week (UK postal strike permitting).  It will include our usual selection of Ancient, Indian and Islamic, English Hammered, Milled Silver and Copper.  We also have a bonanza of silver tokens, tickets and passes and historical medals for the token and medallion collectors out there.

To subscribe to the circular email Elizabeth, our client services administrator on eallen@spink.com.

Website

We’ve recently changed the way our online shop works. If you run into any difficulties when making an online purchase phone Megan on 0207 5630 4043 who should be able to help.

These changes mean that from now on payments will be taken automatically as you buy your items.  Later in the year we’ll be expanding this service so you can even pay for auction lots online.

Tips on using the new online payments system:

• To avoid paying 2% credit card fees, use your debit card.  If using a Visa debit card, make sure you tick the ‘Visa Electron’ symbol both times during the payment process.  Also remember your Switch card will now be called Maestro.

• Every order now carries a postage charge so save money by ordering several items at once.  We cannot guarantee that we will be able to group all your items together in one package, but ordering them all together helps a lot.

Have a good month and remember to regularly check our website for new stock additions, catalogues and new ways to bid in our auctions online.  You are, of course, always welcome to visit our brand new showroom in our London premises which includes a gallery of coins and our other collectables.

To subscribe to email updates email mgooch@spink.com

Kind Regards,

Megan Gooch on behalf of the Coin Department

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