A selection of
choice Ancient & Hammered
coins for sale
through HistoryInCoins.com
Updated 6th July 2020
(Please check the ACTUAL listings pages which, unlike this, are kept bang
up to date):
WJC-5744: 1642 Charles 1st
“Declaration” Full Crown. Shrewsbury provincial Civil War mint.
Initial mark Pellets. With ground line.
Good provenance (see
here) – tickets included. £3,250 VF price in 2013 Spink. Problem-free coin with strong
provenance. £2,450
WJC-6550: 1644 Charles 1st
“Declaration” Shilling. Oxford provincial mint date in
script. Spink 2975A. A nice grade, seldom seen
denomination in this Declaration issue.
£825
WCom-5686: 1658 Oliver Cromwell
Milled Silver Halfcrown. Rare Dutch copy, late 1600’s to very early
1700’s, cast from the Simon dies. The
coin is unusual in two aspects: Firstly,
the amount of wear indicates the coin was passed into circulation. These Dutch copies were intended to supply
collectors with Cromwell coins rather than be used as currency. Very few coins were available at this time
due to the unpopularity of Cromwell after the Restoration. It is recorded that of the small number of
coins that were not recalled by the mint, many were deliberately defaced. Interestingly, I have never seen such a
defaced Cromwell coin, in the same way that I have never seen a contemporary
counterfeit Henry 1st penny (BMC 6-14),
although the mint at the time obviously thought it was a problem because they
officially cut every coin leaving the mint to show the public the coin was silver. Being cast after the Protectorate, the
Cromwell halfcrown would not have circulated in the
UK so presumably passed into European circulation, being just a lump of silver
in that market place. Secondly, and more
interestingly, this coin is 11.98 grams.
It is also a smaller flan by a mm or so. As a cast silver coin, it is difficult to
understand how you could create a smaller, lighter coin from the original. The nature of casting
dictates like for like. Double
shillings or Florins were issued in this later Dutch / Tanner period. Although they are recorded as being double
thickness shillings, it is extremely interesting to note that the weight of
these florins was 12g, exactly the same weight as this coin. Further research required on this intriguing
coin. £1,125
WCom-6900: 1654 Commonwealth Hammered
Silver Crown. Initial
mark Sun, 29.14 grams, 43mm. Spink 3214. A very
large coin with several old tickets etc – see here. The 1654 (rated R3) is similar in rarity to
1651 and 1652, with 1649 being slightly rarer still. The two common dates that invariably turn up,
1653 (rated N) and 1656 (rated R) have many more extant examples compared to
1654. Inverted A for V in VS (GOD IS
WITH VS) which although ESC do list known varieties (ie
the 56 has three listed), it is not recorded.
Obviously Spink don’t list it either.
A pleasant circulated, problem-free rarer date
Commonwealth crown. £2,650
WCom-6496: 1654 Commonwealth Hammered
Silver Halfcrown.
High grade and good weight (14.51) so more an irregular flan than
excessive clipping, although there has been a degree of clipping as 15g was the
standard. An
interesting coin in that the obverse is an earlier 1653 die and the 5 in the
reverse date looks to be over a 4, although this is definitely not a modified
1649 die. Of the many variations
of 1654 halfcrowns listed on Sun&Anchor,
this appears to be a new, unlisted variety.
£1,295
WJC-6796: 1642 Earl of Essex (Robert
Devereux) Military Reward Silver-Gilt Medal. Designed by Tomas Rawlins. The reverse shows BOTH Houses of Parliament
and the King speaking. Robert Devereux
(1591 – 1646) was the third Earl of Essex and was Oliver Cromwell’s
Parliamentary General. After a long but
undistinguished military career fighting for the Protestant cause in Holland
and Germany,
the Earl of Essex was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Parliamentary army
under Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War. These badges were
issued in gold and silver and given as rewards for commendable action by
various ranks in his army. Though the army was fighting against the king, he is
still represented on these medals for Essex hedged his
bets somewhat by swearing to promote the Protestant religion, the security of
the king and freedom of parliament. He thus found himself in a difficult
position regarding treason but squared his action in that he was fighting, not
against the king but against the king’s ‘papist and malicious advisors’, so
effectively for the king! A very similar
medal with virtually no original gilding remaining is currently on sale
(October 2019) at £4,500 by a leading London
dealer (see here). That same link shows you the Medallic Illustration entry (M.I.296(i)/114). It is rare
for so much gilding to be present, as it is for BOTH rings to be intact. I have illustrated the medal on different
backgrounds and under different lighting conditions. Rare and choice. £2,475
WMH-6427: Edward I Medieval Hammered
Silver GROAT. Struck
very early on during the New Coinage which commenced 1279. Bust with larger oval face with bushy hair,
thick curved drapery with rosette in centre, quatrefoil in three lines
surrounding bust, flowers in spandrels, obv. triple pellet stops, mm. cross pattée,
rev. with pellet barred N and colon stops :DNS HIBN' EDVX AQVT', 4.99g,
(S.1379E, N.1006, Fox 4). Never gilt or mounted ,
slight edge chip and only about fair but very rare. Ruding says that
during the reign of Edward I, William de Turnmire, of
Marseilles was appointed to the
office of Master of the Mint in England,
under an agreement dated Thursday the Feast of the Conception of the Blessed
Mary, in the eighth year of Edward's reign (i.e. 8 December 1279). Amongst other things it was agreed that
Master William should make great Sterling
('grossus sterlingus') to
the value of four lesser sterling. This
new denomination proved unpopular with an almost complete recall sometime after
the date of the class 3g coinage. Ex Beauchamp Coins, ex AMR, ex Yorkshire collection. Sold
with these tickets. On-line provenance here. An excessively rare coin (Jon Mann, the
acclaimed numismatic researcher, ex of Spink, stated on his ticket that there
were only 59 recorded groats for Edward 1st by Dr Martin Allen) with
the bulk being either gilt or mounted or both.
This coin is neither…and neither does it come with the usual £10,000
price tag! £2,950
WMH-6579: Edward III Hammered Silver
Halfpenny. Third Florin coinage, 1344-51. The very rare Reading
mint - escallop in 4th reverse quarter. Reading Mint, issued by the Abbot of Reading,
facing crowned bust with shoulders, beaded circles and legend surrounding
without stops, +EDWARDVS REX A. The
right of Reading Abbey to have a mint and moneyer had originally been
established in the reign of Henry I, but it subsequently lapsed. However, in
1338 the right was revived by Edward III and the mint struck some of the later
star-marked halfpennies. Half Pence
rated as Extremely Rare by Lord Stewartby. The third coinage halfpennies are thought to
be reused dies from the only other Reading
mint – the second coinage. A very rare coin.
£245
WMH-6716: Henry VI
Restored Hammered Silver Groat. London mint, hENRICV DI GRA REX ANGL FRANC,
clear initial mark, Restoration Cross. Spink
2082. Henry VI was no longer king in 1461 when Edward IV took
over. However, for a very short period of only seven months, right
in the middle of Edward IV’s reign (October 1470 to April 1471), Henry VI was
very briefly reinstated or restored to the throne. Extra (camera phone) image here. An extremely rare coin. £425
WMH-6940: Richard III Hammered
Silver Penny. An
exceptional portrait for issue.
1483-85, York mint. T and upright Key at neck - Spink 2168. Struck under Archbishop
Rotherham of York. The coin may at
first glance appear to be clipped. It is
not. Lord Stewartby
(English Coins 1180 – 1551 by Spink, 2009) states: “The flow of ill-struck
and often illegible pence from the northern episcopal
mints continued unabated. (Archbishop)
Thomas Rotherham of York
was arrested by Richard in June 1483, but soon released.” The production of short flan, underweight
coins (ie face value one penny but actual silver
content some way below that) would obviously be financially lucrative for the
person doing it. Archbishop Rotherham
would appear to have got away with just that as the practice continued
throughout Richard’s very short reign. A high grade coin with an excellent portrait of the rather
unsavoury Richard III, whose body was recently discovered in a Leicestershire
car park. Rare. £785
WMH-6476: William 1st
Hammered Norman Penny. Wallingford (Oxford) mint:
+SPARTBRAND.ON.P, Sword type (B.M.C. 6, circa 1077-80). Spink 1255. There are x89 William 1st Wallingford coins
listed on the EMC & SCBI database with only three being BMC 6 and non of
those Swartbrand.
This is a hugely rare type-mint combination being unrecorded on EMC
& SCBI. £1,395
WMH-6389: William 1st
Hammered Norman Penny. Sandwich
mint: +IELFHEH.ON.SAND, Profile right type (B.M.C. 7). Spink 1256 (listed £3,000 for type and
moneyer in 2017). The rarest of the
William 1st types and from a rare mint town – there are only two
examples of this type and moneyer listed on the EMC and SCBI databases with one
of those being a fragment and the other not as good as this coin. Ex Lord Stewartby,
ex Spink. Excessively
rare and choice. £2,495
WMH-6880: William 1st
Hammered Norman Penny. Lincoln
mint: +VLF ON LINCINEI (Ulf of Lincoln).
Profile right type (B.M.C. 7). Spink 1256. Only three other recorded examples, none of
which are a die match to this coin.
1.43g. The
rarest of all the William 1st types.
£1,395
WMH-5913: William 1st
Hammered Norman Penny. Salisbury
mint: +GODPINE.ON.SIERI, PAXS type (B.M.C. 8). Beautifully toned and from a rare Norman
mint town. There has been some
speculation of late as to whether these BMC 8 issues are actually from the
reign of William II with one auction house now actually listing BMC 8 coins as
William II. £960
WMH-6123: William 1st
Hammered Norman Penny. Salisbury
mint: +OSBERN.ON.SIERI, PAXS type (B.M.C. 8). Beautifully toned and from a rare Norman
mint town. There has been some
speculation of late as to whether these BMC 8 issues are actually from the
reign of William II with one auction house now actually listing BMC 8 coins as
William II. £950
WMH-5721: William “Rufus” II
Hammered Silver Norman Penny. B.M.C.
2 – cross in quatrefoil type, 1089-92.
+FOLCIERDE-ON-ÐE. Folcard of Thetford
(East Anglia). Spink
1259. Struck on
a slightly wavy flan otherwise problem-free. An apparently unrecorded
die for this very rare “key monarch” Norman penny. £2,450
WMH-6308: Henry 1st
Hammered Silver Norman Penny. B.M.C.
4 – cross & piles issue of 1105 only.
Aelfwine of London. Some
ligation to reverse legend (N-E and O-L). A very early Henry 1st issue,
pre-dating the official test cut practice.
A high grade, well struck example in a notoriously badly struck
issue. £1,755
WMH-5799: Henry 1st
Hammered Silver Norman Penny. B.M.C.
6 – pointed bust with stars. Full
frontal crowned bust of Henry 1st, vertical sceptre to king’s right,
three large stars to king’s left. GODRIC of Lincoln. This is an
exceptionally rare issue, being struck in AD 1107 only. Whilst B.M.C. VIII is probably harder to
source, B.M.C. 6 coins are priced higher in Spink (B.M.C. VI have the highest
valuation for any Henry 1st penny).
There are only two B.M.C. VI Lincoln coins listed on the EMC database,
one of which is this coin (reference 2013.0242,
found Market Rasen).
A very rare coin. £2,195
WMH-6322: Henry 1st
Hammered Silver Norman Penny. B.M.C. 7, quatrefoil with piles type.
Moneyer: Godwine
of Wallingford. Spink 1268. Whilst Godwine is recorded as being a moneyer at the mint, Godwine is NOT known for type 7. This coin effectively re-writes the reference
books. The official test cut at 5 o’clock is as expected. Type 7 coins are rare coins, as are Wallingford mint coins.
A unique coin.
£2,195
WMH-6956: Unique Stephen Norman
Penny – Tutbury Castle, family seat of Robert de Ferrers, second Earl of Derby. Unique Tutbury mint
coin. Obverse: [STEPH]ANVSX, crude crowned bust right holding sceptre. Reverse: WALCMI.[INVS]
TVT, voided short cross with annulet in centre, martlets
in angles, reminiscent of the Edward Confessor Saxon Sovereign / Eagles B.M.C.9
coin. Struck in the summer of 1141 when
Stephen was held in captivity, at a time when royal control had all but broken
down and chaos (anarchy) prevailed,especially
amongst the King’s supporters. Spink 1298 var and Mack 175 var. Listed as a Southern Variant in Spink and not
an East Midland’s variant – Derby is in the East Midlands and Tutbury Castle is a short distance south east of Derby in East Staffordshire.
Mack (the definitive work on Stephen coinage) states that “…all
known coins are from the same die pairing” with the reverse having the
legend: +WALCHELINVS DERBI. There were
three coins and a cut half of this type found in Ashby-de-la-Zouch in 1788 and
one other found in London at a similar although unspecified date. The obverse and reverse of this coin are definitely not a die pair to the other 4 ½ extant
“DERBI” examples. This is a unique coin,
from the hitherto unrecorded mint of Tutbury. Walkelin, the
moneyer at both Derby and Tutbury,
was a family name of the de Ferrers and so it is
likely that the family itself struck this coinage. The dies were local, in their crudity and
workmanship, and were cut by the local seal cutter (see BNJ, v, p.439 and Carlyon-Britton sale catalogue note under lot 1482). There is obviously no research as to why the
family changed the mint town on the coins from Derby to Tutbury
(or vice versa) – Tutbury Castle was in the hands of
the Earls of Derby throughout this period – as this is the first and only
example of a Tutbury coin known. There is only a single coin of this type
listed on the E.M.C database, it being this exact same coin. This coin made the news some 10 years ago
when it was found as a “£10K coin find”, which is remarkable in itself but
possibly more so that I can actually remember it making the news, even though I
can’t remember what I did last week, never mind what happened ten years
ago! 0.97g / 90 degree die
rotation. Ex DNW auction 2014 and ex
another auction (see later entry here). The coin is described as VF in that
entry. There are surface cracks around 6 o’clock which are only apparent under a loop,
or the all-revealing camera / lighting setup that I employ for
photography. There is a Castle Rising
Watford type Stephen penny doing the rounds of dealers at the moment for
£4,000+. It is not as clear on the
legends, not as good a bust, is a rare mint but there are well into double
figures of that mint known, and is a just Watford type. I think that puts this coin into context
rather nicely, especially as any discount you may have been awarded previously
will be valid on this coin. £8,850
WMH-5808: Henry IV Hammered Silver
Penny - Choice. York mint, heavy coinage (1399 – 1412). Typical round chin &
broad face. Relatively few
examples exist and most of those are either creased, weekly struck, clipped,
worn or some combination of all of those things. This coin has the initial mark (Cross Pattee), a full reignal name and
an excellent portrait. It is interesting
to note that all the commonly used reference books have the obverse legend on
this York issue incorrect. This is perhaps not surprising as these coins
are rare in any grade but exceptionally rare to have legends remaining. An ecclesiastical issue struck under
Archbishop Scrope of York
in around 1405. VF for
issue which Spink rate at £1,500 in their 2017 edition (S.1722). Rare coin and the key
monarch for collectors. Sold with a collector’s / dealer’s ticket. £1,275
WMH-6668: Henry IV Hammered Silver
HALF Groat. London, light coinage (1412-13 only). Annulet (filled die) to
left of crown, pellet to right, slipped trefoil on breast – Spink 1730. Comes with an old Seaby
coin envelope and an equally old ticket. Potter III/4, dies
2/2. Very little coinage was produced
during this period due to a severe shortage of silver bullion in the UK with
the bulk of that heading to the Continent (and thus the melting pot) where the
price of silver was more than it was in the UK at that time – think taking £10
notes from the UK and exchanging them for the equivalent of £15 each on the
Continent. Henry IV pennies rarely turn
up, groats once in a blue moon (and then they are usually Henry IV / Henry V
mules listed under Henry V in Spink as the obverses are Henry V), halfgroats
virtually never. Along with Richard III
halfgroats, the Henry IV halfgroat is probably one of the rarest mainstream
coins you’ll come across. In the July
2019 Marvin Lessen DNW sale, a heavy issue Henry IV halfgroat went for £6,000 –
see here. The coin for sale here is somewhat cheaper
than the Marvin Lessen coin!! £1,895
WSax-6442: Coenwulf
Middle Saxon Kings of Mercia Hammered Silver Penny. Portrait penny, Canterbury with DVDA as the moneyer.
Group II, Spink 915. BMC 26, circa 815-23.
Excellent grade with small edge chips at 7 o’clock. Ex Mack, Lockett and Spink.
See tickets here. In 1975 this coin was sold as part of the
Mack collection by Glendinnings (see here). The estimate was £900 - £1,000 (£5,032.46 in
today’s money – accurate as of Sept 2017).
Rare and with excellent pedigree. £2,595
WSax-6334: Cnut
Late Saxon Hammered Silver Penny. B.M.C. XVI - Short cross type (1029-35/6), “+BLACAMAN O SNO”. Spink 1159. Nottingham mint. An extremely
rare mint coin. Ex Cnut hoard of 1993, ex Sharp
collection, ex Baldwins, ex Spink, ex Lord Stewartby collection. Sold with
three tickets (two
shown here). Dr John Sharp
(1644-1714), Archbishop of York from 1691 was an enthusiastic collector and
student of coins and medals; his interest seems to have begun around 1687 when,
as Rector of St Giles in the Fields, he ‘found it a good divertisement
in the evening’. In contrast to nearly all his numismatic forbears and
contemporaries who were interested in Ancient Greece and Rome, Sharp selected the coinages of the British Isles and, to a lesser extent, the Colonies and
Continental Europe, as his chosen fields. He wrote his ‘Observations on the
Coinage of England with a letter to Mr [Ralph] Thoresby’
in 1698-99, which was to circulate amongst numismatists in manuscript form for
nearly a century before being finally printed in 1785. Subsequent owners of the Sharp collection
evidently added to the collection. The historical sequence of ownership of the
collection runs as follows:
(i) Dr John Sharp (1644-1714), Archbishop of York;
(ii) John Sharp
(1674-1726), eldest son of the Archbishop, of Grafton Park, Northamptonshire;
(iii) Dr Thomas
Sharp (1693-1758), his brother, who was Archdeacon of Northumberland and Prebendary of Durham;
(iv) His son Dr
John Sharp (1723-1792), Vicar of Hartburn, Perpetual
Curate of Bamburgh, who succeeded his father as
Archdeacon of Northumberland and who oversaw extensive restoration of the
largely-ruined Bamburgh Castle;
(v) His daughter
Anne Jemima Sharp (1762-1816), who bequeathed it in her
will to her uncle Granville Sharp (1735-1813), the prominent Anti-Slavery
campaigner. In the event Granville died before his niece, so that on her death
in 1819 it passed to her first cousin, another great-granddaughter of the
Archbishop:
(vi) Catherine
Sharp (1770-1843) of Clare Hall, near Barnet, whose husband Rev. Andrew Boult took the name Sharp on marriage;
(vii) Her nephew
Thomas Barwick Lloyd-Baker (1807-86), the social
reformer and ornithologist who was also a direct descendant of the Archbishop
through his maternal grandfather William Sharp (1729-1810), George III’s surgeon; thence by descent.
During the 1960s
and 1970s material from the celebrated Archbishop Sharp Collection was sold
through the agency of dealers A.H. Baldwin & Sons, and Owen Parsons of Gloucester. There were auctions of Continental Coins
(Sotheby & Co., 14 March 1966) and the particularly important English Coins
and Medals Charles I – Anne (and Colonial Coins) held by Glendining
& Co., 5 October 1977. The cataloguer of the latter sale drew
attention to the distinctive toning found on many of the Archbishop Sharp
silver coins, a feature which applies equally to the piece offered here. Some
of these have been studied and occasionally referenced in the past. This coin £1,995
WSC-6929: James Francis Edward Stuart
/ James III of Scotland Silver Touch Piece.
See the excellent “The Sovereign Remedy” by Noel Woolf
(ISBN 0 901603 01 5) for everything you need to know about touchpieces
and the Kings & Queens that personally handed them
out. The would-be James III of England
or James VIII of Scotland
was in exile in Italy
immediately following his second unsuccessful invasion of Scotland
in 1715. It was while in exile in the
Palazzo del Re, Rome (courtesy of
the pope) that he had these silver touch pieces made for both his English and
Scottish supporters. This example is
very much an Italian commission due to the IAC.III obverse legend, as opposed
to the French commissioned English IAC 3 and Scottish IAC 8 reverse
legends. James gave them out in very
tiny quantities during special Touching Ceremonies where, because he was in
direct contact with God, he had the power to cure Scofula
(TB). Or so he believed. This one is from a collection dating back to
the 1880's – see tickets. This image here, from an auction
just last year, illustrates
just how rare these Scottish pieces are (and how bad the auction
house was at estimating value!) - they were produced
in such tiny quantities and very few survived.
Guaranteed to have been personally touched by James
when he gave this out to a Scrofula sufferer at one of the ceremonies. This is a piece of Scottish and English (but
mainly Scottish!!) history. £1,475
WSC-6460: David II Medieval Scottish
Hammered Silver Penny. Second
coinage, 1351-57. VILLA
ABERDON – the very rare Aberdeen provincial mint. Spink 5121 where the 2015 price guide lists this coin at £900. I am unaware of any Aberdeen
pennies coming up for sale in recent or even non recent times. A great rarity. £745
WSC-6949: Scottish
James IV Hammered Silver Twelve Penny Groat. A high grade example of
this scarce Light Coinage issue of 1496 - 1413. QR (quartus)
at the end of the obverse legend and two stars by the neck. Edinburgh mint. Old ticket here. Spink 5341. Full flan, no double
striking, high grade and choice.
£1,850
WSC-6948: 1553 Mary “Queen of Scots”
Hammered Silver **TYPE 1** Testoon. A single year issue, circulating at four shillings with 0.916
fineness of silver. The Type II
successor of 1555 had, bizarrely, only 0.725 fineness of silver and yet circulated
at five shillings. Spink
5401. This an
excessively rare coin with little more than a handful known. It is the rarest Scottish Testoon, bar none,
and if you take out the 1553 type 1 Half Testoon (a pattern so not strictly
currency) and 1565 Ryal (unique?), it is the rarest of all Scottish silver
coins. The portrait of young Mary is
outstanding, inspired from a painting by the French artist Francois Clouet who, perhaps progressively for the time (although
perhaps not so surprising bearing in mind their nationality), was also known as
Janet. It is interesting to note that
this Type 1 Testoon was never counterstamped under James VI even though all the
others were, including the portrait left Testoons. Listed at £4,500 and £12,500 in the now very
out of date Spink 2015 Scottish & Irish price guide and virtually
guaranteed to be listed at a fair bit more when the 2020/2021 book comes
out. This is a coin that seldom comes up
for sale on the open market. £3,895
WTH-6325: Edward VI Hammered Silver
Portrait Halfgroat. First issue of 1547-49.
Spink 2459.
Rare in this grade - £1,350 in VF and this is about that grade for
issue. Ex Spink. £1,185
WTH-6947: 1597 **RAREST DATE** Elizabeth
1st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence. Sixth issue, initial mark
Key. Spink
2578B. 1597 as a date represents
a frequency of <0.04% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st
coins and <0.03% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins. 1597 is the rarest of all forty two dates,
bar none. To put this into context,
there is only a single 1597 sixpence recorded with PAS, even though they have
nearly 3,000 sixpences recorded. To put
the rarity into further context, 1598, the year after this coin (another rare
year – in fact the second rarest year in the entire series) has a total of x5
different dies recorded. 1588 has only a
single die recorded. Many people think
1588 (year of the armada) is the rarest date.
In fact, 1588 is only the 4th rarest date. This coin is ex Walter Wilkinson (an
outstanding researcher, a wonderful gentleman; one I was fortunate enough to
have some correspondence with before his sad passing, and a man had over the
years put together one of the finest known Elizabeth 1st coin
collections), ex Mark Senior. The ticket
is also marked ex Shuttlewood but thanks to the
research and considerable knowledge of Richard Mooney, this is somewhat
spurious. Shuttlewood
was continually upgrading his collection right up to his death. His 1597 sixpence (lot 420b) was not as good
as this one (the lower half of the bust, and an equivalent area on the reverse,
are rather flat struck) and it is thus inconceivable that the better Wilkinson
coin passed through Shuttlewood’s hands. See old tickets here. This coin is in the top three of best known
examples and I wouldn’t be surprised if Walter Wilkinson was being modest when
he said that, such was the nature of the man.
I have seen two other 1597 coin in all the time I’ve been involved with
coins (trust me; it’s been a long time!) – one was
utterly horrible; the other barely a grade better but I was still extremely grateful
to be allowed to buy it. This coin is in
a totally different league – I’m still finding it hard to accept that I have in
my hands a coin of such great rarity but in such good grade!! Richard Mooney also pointed out to me that
the famous Alfred Bole collection of sixpences that DNW sold in 5 sales from
2010-11 didn’t contain a 1597 sixpence. The Auctioneers' Note in the sale stated: “The
Bole collection of sixpences is arguably the best and most complete that has
ever been put together by a private collector. Rich in pieces of extreme rarity
and replete with variants from every reign and period, it reflects what can
still be achieved with single-minded determination and a wide circle of dealing
contacts.” I think that speaks
volumes for just how rare the 1597 sixpence is!
An extremely important coin, not just for the reign of
Elizabeth 1st but in Tudor coinage in general. £1,250
WTH-6420: Henry VIII Hammered Silver
Groat, Rare Irish Titles. Second
issue, Laker bust D. Initial mark lis. This is
the rarer IRISH TITLE: Spink 2338. An unrecorded variety.
Ex Platt, 1969 (his ticket), ex Spink
1978 (see detailed
article), ex Clarendon collection.
There is a multitude of old tickets sold with this coin, some of which
are imaged here. A desirable coin. £995
WTH-5902: 1554 Philip & Mary
Facing Busts Hammered Silver Shilling.
Full titles, Spink 2500. No creasing, full flan and very nice
grade. £1,495
WTH-6416: 1554 Philip & Mary
Facing Busts Hammered Silver Shilling.
Full titles, Spink 2500. Extremely high grade – I’ve not seen better –
with an old, contemporary mark of disapproval on Philip’s head. £1,595
WTH-6587: Philip and Mary Hammered Fine
Silver Issue PORTRAIT Penny. Initial mark Lis. Very clear legends, good
portrait and problem-free. Spink 2510. Sold
with these old tickets. This fine silver portrait issue is many times
rarer than the billon issue but when it does turn up,
coins are invariably damaged or come with problems or issues. I’ve had one other of these and seen perhaps
two more in 30 odd years. Of the four,
this is as easily the best and probably the cheapest as the other three were
all over £2,000. Rare
and choice. £2,150
