Press Release April 2005

SPINK TO SELL £1 MILLION COLLECTION OF IMPORTANT ENGLISH GOLD COINS

The Samuel King Collection of English Gold Coins
Thursday 5 May 2005

James I Rose Ryal
Estimate: £6,000-7,000

Charles II Five Guineas 1675 Elephant
Estimate: £10,000-15,000

Spink is delighted to announce the sale of the Samuel King Collection of English Gold Coins on Thursday 5 May. Featuring a comprehensive selection of exceptional gold coins dating from the reign of Edward III to the early 20th century, the collection will offer collectors an unrivalled opportunity to view and acquire some of the finest rarities in English coinage. The 217-lot sale is expected to fetch in excess of £1 million with individual estimates ranging from £400 to £50,000.

Jeremy Cheek, Spink Coin Department comments, “Spink is delighted to offer this magnificent collection for sale, which is one of the finest and most important collections of English gold coins to be offered for many years. The number of major rarities on sale at one time has not been seen for a very long time, and the consistent high quality is absolutely breathtaking.”

THE COLLECTION
The sale commences with 86 handsome hammered gold coins, including a complete run of the highly desirable Fine Sovereigns of the Tudor monarchs, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary and Elizabeth I. First coined by Henry VII (1485-1509), as a splendid renaissance gold coin, the Sovereign features the King seated on an ornate throne. Two examples of the Henry VII Sovereign will be offered, including the finest example to appear at auction for a decade (estimate: £20,000-25,000).

From the reign of Edward VI (1547-53) comes another great Sovereign rarity of which only a few examples survive to this day. This exquisite coin also has an impressive provenance, having once been in the British Museum – it carries an estimate of £30,000-40,000.

The collection is particularly rich in the coins of the Tudors. A lovely example of the George Noble of Henry VIII (1509-47) featuring the only known depiction of George and the Dragon on an English medieval coin, is sure to arouse interest amongst collectors. Originally offered in the famous J.D. Cuff sale of 1854, it is now expected to realise £10,000-12,000.

Another notable lot is the charming Ship Ryal of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) estimated at £10,000-12,000. It shows a realistic portrait of the Queen wearing a ruff and elaborate dress, standing in a Tudor warship. An artistic second coinage Spur-Ryal of James I (1603-25), boasting an equally elaborate design, carries the same estimate.

The coins of Charles I (1625-49) include no less than five of the very rare and imposing Triple-Unites struck at the King’s Oxford headquarters between 1642 and 1644, at the height of the English Civil War. Examples in the Samuel King Collection range in estimate from £8,000 to £15,000.

The highlight of the entire sale is the marvellous run of 60 Five Guinea pieces, dating from Charles II (1668) to George III (1773). No collector has ever completed the set of 49 possible Five Guinea dates. The Samuel King Collection boasts 41, one of the finest sets of all time. Estimates range from £4,000 to £50,000.

The most dramatic of the Five Guinea pieces to be offered by Spink is the Queen Anne Vigo of 1703. Sir Isaac Newton personally supervised the coining of bullion captured from the Spanish during the Battle of Vigo Bay in 1702 - 4,500lb of silver and 7lb 8oz of gold - hence the remarkable rarity of this piece and an estimate of £40,000-50,000. Another outstanding example is the George III Pattern Five Guineas of 1770. No currency Five Guineas were issued during this reign and the Patterns were only struck in the smallest of the quantities, probably less than ten of each date. Originally in the Strauss Collection, this coin is expected to fetch £35,000-40,000.

With the Re-Coinage of 1817, the Guinea denomination was replaced by the pound Sovereign, and there were plans to issue gold Five Pound coins. A mere twenty pattern Five Pound coins were struck before the death of George III in 1820. The Samuel King Collection contains not only one of these, but also a second, with a plain edge, of which the only comparable example is in the British Museum (estimate: £30,000-40,000).

Arguably one of the most beautiful designs on a British coin is the Queen Victoria “Una and the Lion” Five Pounds of 1839, designed by the Chief Engraver William Wyon RA. The Five Pound piece to be sold on 5 May is a particularly rare variety as it has a plain edge and carries the Latin word “DIRIGIT” on the reverse rather than the more usual “DIRIGE” (estimate: £15,000-20,000).

***

Auction: Thursday 5 May 2005 at 10.30am
Public Viewing: Tuesday 3 & Wednesday 4 May 10am - 5pm
Press Contacts: Emily Johnston
Images & Further Information: Spink Press Office on 020 7563 4009