Ancient Gold (and occasional silver!) Coins
-------->Remember, postage is included<--------
Scottish & English Hammered and Milled Gold Coins:
Please note that Lay-Away is no
longer available on any gold coinage unless by
prior arrangement.
Celtic Gold
WAu-9096:
Celtic Britain
Gold Stater - Iceni Tribe, Freckengham Type. Eastern England (Norfolk), home of Boudicca. Circa 45-40 BC. Obverse: two opposed crescents with a triad
of pellets above and below, together with a row of pellets emanating from each
concave side of the crescents, but no apparent stars in the field. Sideways V shapes either side of the
crescents, running in the same direction of the crescents as
opposed to ABC 1447 (those sideways V shapes either side of the crescents run
in the opposite direction).
There is an obverse exergue (below the ground line) but unlike the other
two similar varieties listed in ABC (there are many Freckenham types but only
three recorded similar to this coin) that contain either a star of a triad of
pellets, this is empty. Reverse:
galloping horse, right, star below, solar ring above, pellet in circle above
and to the right of the horse's tail which is the exact opposite of where it should
be on ABC 1774. A more abstract horse
than usual with large pellets for the chest and rear, smaller pellets for feet,
all joined simply by lines. Spink 426
var, ABC 1774 var, Van Arsdell 620-7 var (this variety doesn't appear in that
group either). An unusual variation of
the Freckenham type, possibly unrecorded.
That notwithstanding, this is a very nice grade coin indeed, with
excellent eye-appeal. Iceni coins,
especially gold staters, are always desirable due to the Boudicca connection. 
£1,745
WAu-7993: Extremely Rare Celtic
Gold Full Stater. Gallic War
issue - Ambiani - imported from Gaul
or specifically, the modern day Rouen area of France, circa 60-50 BC.
A seemingly common enough Ambiani stater from the Gallic War period with
the disjoined or sinuous horse, right, and a blank obverse. However, the double "S" below the
horse and either side of the pellet render this coin excessively rare. Ancient British Coins (ABC) by Chris Rudd,
the go-to reference for Celtic coins since 2010, taking over from Van Arsdell,
has no recorded examples. Ambiani is ABC
16, with nothing either side of the pellet.
He lists an Atrebates stater (ABC 19) as having a single S below the
horse but the coin for sale here is NOT Atrebates (the Atrebates were separated
from the Ambiani by the Canche river) as they have a letter A on the
obverse. Spink lump the Gallic War
issues together and put forward Spink 13 - a stater with a single S on the
reverse, but this turns out to be Atrebates and references back to ABC 19 - but
again, even if this was the correct attribution, and it isn't, it's just a
single S whereas this coin has a double reversed S. Interestingly, the double reverse
"SS" symbols appear on slightly later staters and quarter staters
from the North Thames region, ABC 2237 and 2243-49 (these are the only
marks on an otherwise plain reverse, unlike the symbols on this coin) and are
thought to represent lightning flashes rather than letters. So, a very common tribe (although
interestingly, Ambiani staters now seem to be more expensive than Coritani
staters, which certainly wasn't the case a decade ago) but an excessively rare
variant that is to my knowledge unrecorded and / or unpublished. Quite a find!
5.85g (see image here). From an old Northern collection - the collector
does not want to be named on the internet but is willing for me to disclose his
name and town to the buyer for provenance.
£1,895
WAu-7994: Celtic Gold Spiral Type
Full Stater. Trinovantes &
Catuvellauni - Addedomaros, circa 50 BC to 1 AD. Originally located north of the Thames
area, central to the east coast. A
spiral wreath of x6 arms extending outwards from three back-to-back crescents
at the centre. The reverse horse is facing
right with a ring pellet either side and a cornucopia below. Spink 210, ABC 2517 - Ancient British Coins
by Chris Rudd, the go-to reference for Celtic coins since 2010, taking over
from Van Arsdell. Not a rare coin but
rare in this grade - it's generally not a well defined issue but this coin is a
strong example with little wear. Toned
and lustrous. Excellent provenance. £975 RESERVED J.K.
Found Wing,
Buckinghamshire
Ex T. Matthews (1999)
Ex Haddenham collection
Ex Spink
WAu-9017: Celtic Iron Age Full
Gold Stater - Verica. Sole ruler of
the Southern region, 10-40 AD, and
closely allied with Rome, so much so that in AD 42, Verica fled to Rome in
order to seek assistance from Claudius, which would appear somewhat ambitious,
knowing what we now know about Claudius, although with the Claudian invasion of
Britain in AD 43, perhaps not - even Claudius would have recognised the strategic
importance of embedded, compliant "friends" in a land to be
conquered. Obverse: "COMF" on tablet - a tribute to Commios,
Verica being the so-called third son of Commios (the others being
Eppillus & Tincommius); rev:
Horseman, right, holding spear, REX below, VIR behind the galloping
horseman. Rex is Latin for king (another
nod to Rome) but Verica literally meant "the high one", as in Your
Highness. In fairness, Verica was very
successful, much more than his brothers, at least up until AD 40!! Spink 120, ABC 1190, Van Arsdell 500-1, BMC
1146-58. See here for weight and
tickets. An interesting question -
is the horseman actually a horsewoman? A
very nice, popular Celtic full gold stater.
£2,325
Roman Gold & Silver
WAu-9019: Roman Gold Aureus -
Hadrian with Sought After She-Wolf, Romulus & Remus Reverse. Struck Rome, AD 124-5. Obverse: Laureate head right, slight drapery
to far shoulder, HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS.
Reverse: Capitoline wolf, left, suckling the twins Romulus & Remus,
COS above, III below in exergue. An
extremely popular, sought-after and quite difficult reverse type to source and
Hadrian is one of the most popular emperors to collect anyway, regardless of
reverses. They come with the wolf left
and wolf right facing. See here for the weight
and here for a
coin-in-the-hand image using a camera phone.
RIC II. 3 709, BMCRE 449, Biaggi 598.
The last one to go through Auction was earlier this year, Spink, with an
£8,500 price after buyer's commission - I was the underbidder, or one bid under
that. There or thereabouts, though. A rare coin and a rare oportunity. £7,450
WRS-9086:
Roman Silver Legionary
Denarius: Legion II - Extraordinary Provenance. Roman Imperatorial coinage, post Second Triumvirate, Mark
Antony. Struck Autumn 32 to Spring 31
BC. RSC 27, Sear 349. Legionary denarii is the modern name for a
series of Roman silver denarius coins issued by Mark Antony in the eastern
Mediterranean during the last war of the Roman Republic from 32 to 31 BC, in
the lead up to the Battle of Actium.
They were struck for one purpose only - to pay the legionary
soldiers. This coin is Legion II -
present in the British invasion force of the imperial propraetor Aulus Plautius
in AD43, during which it was placed under the command of the young legionary
legate Titus Flavius Vespasianus, later to become emperor. Twenty Three legions were honoured in this
"Legionary" denarius issue.
The coins were struck in reduced silver content (!) and so survived the
rigours of circulation much better than standard denarii. This meant that they continued to be used in
circulation and would have been present on the invasion force of AD 43. The entire legion apart from a small
caretaker force, plus detachments of Legio VI Victrix and Legio XX Valeria
Victrix, was put to work on the construction of Hadrian’s Wall. Part of the very famous Helmingham Hoard of
2019 - the largest mixed hoard of British Iron Age and Roman coins ever found
in Britain. This hoard was deposited AD
46-7, only 3 or 4 years after Legion II landed.
Sold with an impressive array of tickets & literature here and here. The large A4 double-sided glossy document
makes very interesting reading as it attempts to focus in on the individual who
deposited this hoard into the ground. A
very good coin for issue, bearing in mind its nearly 80 years of circulation,
but more than that, true history in a coin!
£295
Provenance:
ex
Helmingham Hoard of 2019
Saxon Gold
WAu-8089: Early Anglo-Saxon English Crondall
Gold Thrysma or Shilling. Witman
type with obverse bust right, a trident in front. Circa 620-45.
The reverse has a blundered legend surrounding a crude cross with what
is a very different 4th terminal to what we'd normally expect to see on this
type. Sutherland type IV.1, Spink
753. Of excellent gold content - it was
from this point onwards that the metal used for Saxon coinage was increasingly
and progressively "watered down" with silver (the post Crondall and
European types have that insipid gold colour about them) until by circa AD
660's, they were all entirely silver in metal content. Recorded on the E.M.C. database
(2022-0426). The Crondall (Hampshire)
Hoard of 1828 was the single largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold coins found
prior to the 21st century. It comprised
97 gold coins, together with three unstruck gold planchets and one gold-plated
object that could have been a coin forgery.
Of the 97 coins, 73 were Anglo-Saxon Thrymsa and 24 were Merovingian or
Frankish tremissis. The consensus
amongst historians is that hoard dates from between AD 635 and about AD
650. The coins are now in the collection
of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. Of
the 73 Thrysmas, x4 in the hoard had the same obverse die as the coin listed
here. All Crondall "Native
Anglo-Saxon" type Thrysmas are rare - even the late "two
emperors" type, which is invariably the one to turn up. Very few gold Saxon coins were minted and
hardly any survived - it would only be through hoards or casual field
losses. This is an extremely important
and significant Anglo-Saxon gold coin.
£5,695
WAu-8056:
**Choice**
Saxon Merovingian Gold Tremissis.
Wico in Pontio (Quentovic), c. 620-640. Tremissis (Gold, 13mm, 1.26g, 0h), Moneyer
Dutta. +VVICCO FIT Laureate bust to right. Rev. DVTTA MONET, Cross on three
steps. Belfort 4959. NM II p. 55, 14. Prou 1125. Rare but rarer still being centrally struck
and such good grade. Clear and well struck, good very fine or better. The Merovingian Dynasty was based in ancient
Gaul (which is now France) and dates from the middle of the 5th century
AD. The coins were very much trading
pieces and many have been found in Britain as Saxon trade between the Continent
and Britain was extremely robust.
Similar examples have been found as far west as Cornwall and as far
north as Northumbria. Ex Ian Millington
(an expert on Anglo Saxon coinage), ex Silbury Coins (their ticket), ex
DNW. You will not find a better example
of this early Saxon gold coin. It really
is a choice coin. £3,250
WAu-9097:
Anglo-Saxon
Britain Gold Thrymsa or Shilling - Crondall Type. Witman derived 1 type, circa 620-45 AD. Obverse bust right, a trident in front. The bust is most interesting as unlike most
of this type, it clearly shows the long hair at the neck together with the
impressive collar. The reverse is a
plain cross in an inner circle surrounded by a blundered legend. Of excellent gold content - it was from this
point onwards that the gold used for Saxon coinage was increasingly and
progressively "watered down" with silver (the post Crondall and later
European types have that insipid, debased gold colour about them) until by
circa AD 660's, just a single generation on, they were all entirely silver in
metal content. See old tickets here. The Crondall (Hampshire) Hoard of 1828 was
the single largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold coins found prior to the 21st
century. It comprised 97 gold coins,
together with three unstruck gold planchets and one gold-plated object that
could have been a coin forgery. Of the
97 coins, 73 were Anglo-Saxon Thrymsa and 24 were Merovingian or Frankish
tremissis. The consensus amongst
historians is that hoard dates from between AD 635 and about AD 650. The coins are now in the collection of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford. While it remains on the internet, it's well
worth looking at this forum post: https://www.numisforums.com/topic/1332-the-anglo-saxon-gold-coins-of-the-crondall-hoard/ as it gives an excellent
summary of the coinage, as well as having a good illustration of a die pair to
this coin. All Crondall "Native
Anglo-Saxon" type Thrysmas are rare - even the late "two
emperors" type, which is invariably the one to turn up. Very few gold Saxon coins were minted and
hardly any survived - it would only be through hoards or casual field
losses. It is interesting to note the
Christian cross on the reverse. In AD
595, Pope Gregory the
Great chose Augustine to lead a mission to convert the pagan Anglo-Saxons of
Britain to the Christian faith.
Augustine was most likely living as a monk in Rome at the time. He duly arrived on these shores in AD
597: Æthelberht of Kent became the first
Anglo-Saxon king to be baptised, around AD 600. He in turn imposed Christianity
on Saebert of Essex and Rædwald of East Anglia. Augustine (later Saint Augustine) was recorded by Bede as really
only talking to the top end of English society.
Columba and Aiden were the other two recorded in Bede's Ecclesiastical
History of the English People who were on a mission to convert Britons
to Christianity. Columba was slightly
earlier than Augustine but alas he only focused on Iona in Scotland.
Aiden was the most effective, according to Bede, as although he set up
the Lindesfarne Monastery (later to be targeted so infamously by the Vikings),
he went out and about, spreading the Gospel to the common man in the street,
and a great many of them. However, he
was much later, around AD 634. These
coins are tentatively from Kent, 620-45 AD, so it's a working theory that as
Æthelberht of Kent was firmly Christian, his son, Eadbald of Kent (who, to
complicate things a little, was a Christian, then reverted back to his pagan
ways, but ultimately became a Christian king) would also want the Christian
message spreading from beyond the royal palaces - remember, this was all a bit
too early in time for Aiden, and Augustine was firmly ensconced in royal
palaces only. What better way to spread
the word than for a Christian cross to be emblazoned upon Saxon coinage for all
the people to see - the only way really to get any kind of message to the man
in the street in all four corners of the kingdom. Even if some people never handled these
coins, they were possibly have heard aboyt them? This is an extremely important and significant
Anglo-Saxon gold coin as well being in remarkably good grade. £6,795
Provenance
ex Sidney
& Kenneth Harl collection...
Purchased
from J. Linzalone (Wolfsheet Gallery) 16th October 2013 for US $9,100
Medieval Hammered Gold
WAu-7812:
Edward III
Medieval Hammered Gold Full Noble.
Fourth coinage, post-treaty period of 1369-77, group III. Spink 1521, North 1281, Schneider 115. Calais mint. The town of Calais in what is now Northern France was under English rule
from 1347 until 7 January 1558, being a bit of a
vanity statement for the English monarchs in their claim on the French crown.
It cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue collected in England to maintain Calais as an English
possession. The mint was opened in 1363 as a
direct result of the treaty between France and England and meant the mintage of coinage
for England could be outsourced to Calais to aid in the newly formed
cross-channel trading routes. The
relationship between the two countries has perhaps always been a tad strained -
the mint closed in 1440 after really only producing
limited coinage under Edward III, a tiny amount of gold under Richard II and
Henry IV, a miniscule quantity of farthings under Henry V and some of the
earlier coinage of Henry VI. Rusty
obverse dies – perhaps a result of French sea air?! Ex Malthouse collection; also accompanied by
a much earlier, unidentified ticket.
£5,450
WAu-9021: Edward III Medieval
Hammered Gold Full Noble. Fourth
coinage, pre-treaty period, 1351-61.
Series E with impaired letters on the dies so c.1354-55. Initial mark Cross 2, E at centre of reverse,
Spink 1488, Schneider 23 (the obverse), North 1160. Note the red deposits at 1 o'clock on the reverse.
This is usually the remains of inert red wax where the coin has been
prepared to be copied into a very early iteration of the BMC. With much patience, this coin should be able
to be located with perhaps a more in-depth provenance. See here for old tickets
and here for
weight. About VF thus scarce. £4,995
Provenance
Ex Spink (2010), sold to
Ex Estafefette collection
WAu-9020: Henry IV Hammered Gold
Medieval Half Noble. Light Coinage
of 1412-13 only. This is a single issue,
Spink 1716. A contemporary
imitation. Ex Patrick Finn (1999) where
he describes this as, “Very fine, unrecorded and very interesting since there
are very few known half nobles of Henry IV.”
See here for
the original Patrick Finn write-up with his corresponding photograph here. The weight is here. The official Henry IV half nobles are as rare
as hens' teeth (we're talking the fingers on one hand) but this contemporary
imitation is thought to be unique.
Nothing can be rarer than this!
£2,895
Provenance
Ex Patrick Finn FPL 17, 1999
– Number 6 – £650 “Very fine, unrecorded and very interesting since there are
very few known half nobles of Henry IV.”
WAu-9022: Henry V Medieval
Hammered Gold Full Noble. Series C
with a broken annulet on the side of the ship.
1413-22. Initial mark Cross
Pattée (4), Spink 1742. Easter 1412, the
very tail end of Henry IV, hailed a numismatic New Dawn – due to fiscally
challenging times, gold and silver coinage was officially issued at a reduced
weight. We’re all so jaded with
officialdom today that many might think this was no big deal but although there
had previously been “tinkering” of weights (Edward III nobles down from 138
grains to 120 grains), this was the first official “Light Coinage” episode
where the coin in your hand was not quite worth the amount it represented. A few Henrys on and just over 100 years in
the future, Henry VIII took this concept to a whole new level. Some might even argue that reducing silver
content by half and then ultimately taking silver out of coinage altogether in
the early and mid 20th century was worse still.
However, in 1412 in was the first time and it was momentous. This decision made, it would be an obvious
move, you’d imagine, to increase the output of gold from the mint, thereby
benefiting the exchequer. However, there
is no numismatic evidence suggesting that this actually happened; the main
reason being that bullion was still very thin on the ground. Another reason was the almost complete lack
of skilled staff at every level in the mint due to extreme inactivity during
the preceding years. In September 1412,
the warden at the mint was ordered to recruit moneyers and die-sinkers. This clearly impacted Henry IV coinage but it
also affected early Henry V coinage, especially gold, for the above reasons of
lack of sufficient bullion and a new workforce at the mint who would have
needed a lot of time to get up to speed.
See here
for weight. This gold noble is a superb
example of this rarer monarch, being at least as good as both nobles Spink put
up as plate coins, with all the vast resources at their fingertips. £6,450
WAu-7555:
Edward IV
Hammered Medieval Gold Ryal or Rose Noble.
Light Coinage of 1464 – 1470 only, London mint, small fleurs in spandrels,
initial mark Crown, Spink 1951. This coin,
issued in 1465, whilst unambiguously attractive in design, was a bit of a
disaster. It superseded the old Noble
because this was now considered a clunky and old fashioned denomination at 6s.
8d. The new Ryal or Rose Noble
denomination was nice and user-friendly at 10 shillings. However, it wasn’t. The noble had been around for so long that
6s. 8d. had actually become the professionals’ standard fee. Whilst these professionals wouldn’t have
minded being the beneficiary of a not inconsequential pay rise virtually
overnight, the people who employed these individuals were most certainly not up
for that. Thus the new 10 shilling Ryal
or Rose Noble denomination was itself superseded just 5 years later by the gold
Angel and everyone was happy because the Angel circulated at, wait for it,
exactly the same as the old Noble - 6s. 8d, or at least it did until Henry VIII
got involved when, somewhat counter-intuitively, it increased to 7s. 6d in his
Second Coinage! At virtually full weight
and VF grade, this is a lovely example of an iconic English late Medieval
hammered gold coin. £6,850
WAu-9098:
Henry VI
Medieval Hammered Gold Noble in High Grade.
Henry VI, first reign, annulet issue, 1422-30. London mint. Obverse: annulet by sword arm, trefoil stops,
lis after hENRIC. Reverse: annulet
stops, mullet after IhC, single annulet in one spandrel with lis in the
remaining seven. Spink 1799, North 1414,
Whitton Heavy 4b, Schneider 1-275. Henry
VI was born December 6, 1421 in Windsor, Berkshire and died May 21 or 22, 1471 in London.
He reigned from 1422 to 1461 and then from 1470 to 1471. He was a pious
and studious recluse whose incapacity for government was one of the causes of
the Wars of the Roses. Old
tickets here. A most impressive
coin. £6,975
Provenance
ex Royal
Mint
ex CNG
ex Spink
WAu-9100:
Robert III
Hammered Gold Scottish Demi-Lion.
Heavy coinage, 1390-1403. Second
issue, circulated at 2s, 6d. Obverse:
crowned shield not in tressure, reverse: long saltire cross with lis and closed
trefoils in angles. Spink 5158. The accompanying ticket is
misattributed. Effectively the first
Scottish gold coinage (the trial David II noble was on a par with the English
Edward 1st groat in terms of its popularity and longevity), based on the
English half and quarter nobles. This is
only the second example of this denomination I've had from this monarch and it,
along with virtually every illustration you'll find, was not as good as this
coin. The obverse dies seems to be
particular prone to poor striking. This
coin not so - in fact the moneyer was particularly enthusiastic with this coin
as the reverse cross is visible on the obverse, such was his vigour with the
hammer! Scottish gold rarely hits the
open market. Sovereign Rarities sold
their Spink 5157 Demi-Lion last year for £9,750. If you look it up, theirs was apparently the
joint second best recorded example. The
coin for sale here is as good as that one and don't forget, prices have moved
on up since then. A very rare offering
in today's market - in any market! £7,650.
Tudor Hammered Gold
WAu-7311:
Henry VIII
Hammered Gold Crown of the Double Rose.
Third coinage, initial mark none / WS monogram, 1544-47, Bristol mint. Spink 2310.
Ex Spink (various
tickets here). Slightly wavy flan
with minor edge splits. A very popular
coin and invariably a minimum of £5K in today’s market. This one priced very competitively at £4,295
WAu-9099:
Henry VIII with
WIFE Hammered Gold Crown of the Double Rose. Second coinage, 1526-44, circulated at five
shillings, 22 ct gold. London (Tower) mint. hK both sides, initial mark Lis, Spink
2274. Struck to commemorate the king's
marriage to Katherine of Aragon. This
was the king's first wife. Katherine was
originally betrothed to Henry's elder brother, Arthur, when she was 3 years
old. They married when she was 16, but
was widowed just a few months later. It
took Henry another 7 years to marry Katherine although to be fair, he was only
18 when he married Katherine! The Irish
Harp coinage of Henry VIII celebrates some wives but not Katherine of
Aragon - she can only be found on this English gold coinage. Quick quiz: which wives, if any, are not
represented on either the English or Irish coins? Old tickets here. A pleasing solid VF grade. £4,850
Provenance
ex Royal
Mint
ex Spink
Stewart Hammered Gold
WAu-9046:
1602 James VI Hammered
Gold Sword & Sceptre Piece of 120 Shillings. Eighth gold coinage (1601-4), struck in 22ct
gold whilst James was still only James VI of Scotland. Edinburgh mint. Obv: +IACOBVS 6 D.G.R. SCOTORVM. Spink 5460.
It is generally accepted that Scottish coinage is much more attractive
than its English counterpart, especially from the James V until 1603 period
when James ascended the English throne and, by necessity, the two country's
followed a more unified path in terms of coinage. This Sword & Sceptre piece is absolutely
no exception to that aesthetic appraisal.
As such, these coins often turn up impaired; being found mounted or
pierced in order to display on the body in the form of jewellery. Gold coins are also frequently found with
bite marks and creases, often straightened but always leaving a crease
mark. This coin is a superb example with
none of that, although it has been cleaned at some point in its 420 year life. Scottish coins of quality are increasing in
value seemingly overnight; gold coinage much more so, which is the main reason
I can no longer offer Lay-Away on any gold coins. Here you have both an investment opportunity
together with a seriously attractive coin to potentially go into your
collection. £2,895
Milled Gold
WAu-7816:
1673 Charles II
Restoration Period Milled Full Gold Guinea.
Fourth laureate bust with the rounded truncation. John & Joseph Roettier dies with
Blondeau’s machinery – the milling on the edge of the coin was a safeguard
against clipping which had been not just a thorn in the side of every hammered
period, but rather a stake. The practise
of clipping officially ended here after several hundred years. The Guinea was so named because some of the
gold bullion used came from the country of Guinea, via the Africa Company. It was a 20 shilling denomination, directly
replacing the short-lived 1662 gold Broad of 20 shillings. The racehorse aficionados among you are
probably crying out “21 shillings, 21 shillings!” but revaluation of a guinea
to that amount took place in 1717 under George 1st. Incidentally, there were times prior to 1717
where the actual value of a guinea (and remember, the value of any coin,
guineas very much included, was entirely based on the precious metal content)
was even higher than 21 shillings due to market fluctuations in the value, or
spot price of gold. Spink 3344. No mount marks. £2,775
WAu-7817:
1701 William III
Milled Full Gold Guinea. Second
laureate bust with a proliferation of hair.
The milling on the edge of the coin was a safeguard against clipping
which had been not just a thorn in the side of every hammered period, but
rather a stake. The practise of clipping
officially ended with the introduction of milled coinage in 1662. The Guinea was so named because some of the
gold bullion used came from the country of Guinea, via the Africa Company. It was a 20 shilling denomination, directly
replacing the short-lived 1662 gold Broad of 20 shillings of the earlier
Charles II. The racehorse aficionados
among you are probably crying out “21 shillings, 21 shillings!” but revaluation
of a guinea to that amount took place in 1717 under George 1st. Incidentally, there were times prior to 1717
where the actual value of a guinea (and remember, the value of any coin,
guineas very much included, was entirely based on the precious metal content)
was even higher than 21 shillings due to market fluctuations in the value, or
spot price of gold. Spink 3463. Ex Morton & Eden (their ticket sold with
this coin) for £2,000 hammer (£2,600 after commissions) in 2022, ex Spink. No mount marks and really, a very nice grade
example for a William III guinea. £2,975
WAu-7818:
1714 Queen Anne
Milled Full Gold Guinea. Post
Scottish union, third draped bust. The milling
on the edge of the coin was a safeguard against clipping which had been not
just a thorn in the side of every hammered period, but rather a stake. The practise of clipping officially ended
with the introduction of milled coinage in 1662. The Guinea was so named because some of the
gold bullion used came from the country of Guinea, via the Africa Company. It was a 20 shilling denomination, directly
replacing the short-lived 1662 gold Broad of 20 shillings of the earlier
Charles II. The racehorse aficionados
among you are probably crying out “21 shillings, 21 shillings!” but revaluation
of a guinea to that amount took place in 1717 under George 1st. Incidentally, there were times prior to 1717
where the actual value of a guinea (and remember, the value of any coin,
guineas very much included, was entirely based on the precious metal content)
was even higher than 21 shillings due to market fluctuations in the value, or
spot price of gold. It won’t have escaped
your notice that with Queen Anne gold coinage in particular, when they do come
up, they are almost always HALF guineas.
It really is hard work finding full guineas. Spink 3574.
Ex Spink with
associated Spink tickets.
Interestingly, Spink now appear to use the Ellerby Hoard as a
classification guide – their classification is “Ellerby 181-190”, meaning lots
181 through to 190 in the Ellerby Hoard sale that they conducted were all 1714
Queen Anne Guineas. For context, the
Ellerby Hoard is a hoard of 266 17th-18th century hammered and milled gold
coins found in a manganese-mottled salt-glazed stoneware vessel in the garden
of a house in Ellerby, East Riding of Yorkshire in 2019. Hoard estimate £200,000; hammer
£750,000. As this guinea is ex Spink
(but not ex Ellerby), I think it only fair to compare. The Ellerby coin that I’ve attached here,
lot 187, is clearly not quite as good grade as the one on offer on this
website. Never-the-less, both attracted
a Spink grade of “pleasing VF” (NGC got a little carried away and graded it
About Uncirculated!) The Ellerby coin
sold for £4,000 after commissions, and that was several years ago with the
market ever moving upwards. Obviously
there’s a small premium for provenance to consider as it was very good
provenance. This coin: no mount marks,
some lustre, well struck up. £3,275
