Ancient Gold Coins

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Scottish & English Hammered Gold Coins:

 

WAu-6534:  Edward III Hammered Gold Full Noble.  Transitional Treaty Period issue, circa 1361 only, Spink 1499.  No crack, chips or any other issues other than a slightly rough edge.  Very nice grade – easily VF detail – being a rarer, single issue type and listed at £4,000 in Spink 2018.  Very few nobles from this Transitional Treaty Period enter the market place (London coins have only ever sold a single example).  Detailed old ticket images here.  North list this as Rare and they seldom go above scarce for nobles (E).  £3,150

 

WAu-6521:  Henry VI Hammered Gold Full Noble.  Annulet issue, Spink 1801.  See old ticket here.  Flemish issue but unlike the Rose Ryals, this is full size, full weight bar some slight clipping (see reverse, 5 o’clock).  Graded VF with some weakness of strike (E).  £2,650

 

WAu-6522:  Edward IV Hammered Gold Full Ryal or Rose-Noble.  An impressive hammered gold coin on a generous flan, weighing in at 7.49 grams.  The grade is a pleasing VF.  In certain light and looking through a lens – so not easy to spot – there are reverse areas of discolouration around the outer edge at 1, 3 and 10 o’clock indicating a possible ex mount.  I’ve tentatively attributed this to Spink 1952 but if it wasn’t for the generous flan and one or two other minor indicators (eg the flag), I’d be going with Spink 1950 as this coin has more in common with Spink 1950 than it does with Spink 1952.  The bowsprit dissecting EDWARD between the E and the D is highly unusual, as is the initial mark sun and crown mule – both indicators of Spink 1950.  However, when in doubt, even if it’s a slight doubt, always err on the commoner coin, which I reluctantly have.  Nevertheless, an interesting coin (E).  £2,450

 

WAu-6529:  Edward IV Medieval Hammered Gold Angel.  Second reign, initial mark Cinquefoil (1480-83) so very late in the reign.  5.00 grams.  There is dirt in the reverse bowsprit area – see camera phone image here.  Spink 2091 – London.  Sold with old auction tickets (E).  £1,995

 

WAu-6514:  1594 James VI Scottish Hammered Gold Rider.  Seventh issue, value 100 shillings.  Spink 5458.  The March 2018 Spink sale saw an identical date and similar grade coin achieve £4,750 after costs.  An iconic problem-free Scottish hammered gold coin from the late 1500’s (E).  £3,450

 

WAu-6590:  1601 James VI Scottish Hammered Gold Half Sword & Sceptre Piece.  Eighth issue, value 60 shillings.  Spink 5462.  Full weight at 40 grains and high grade.  A problem-free Scottish hammered gold coin that is actually rarer than the full Sword & Sceptre piece.  Choice in this grade (E).  £1,875

 

WAu-6658:  James 1st Hammered Gold Angel.  Second coinage, initial mark Bell, 1610 – 1611.  Spink 2616 but better than the top grade of VF in Spink.  4.44 grams.  Pierced for use as a touch piece (the coin would have been pre-pierced and suspended on a ribbon for wear around the neck) and thus guaranteed to have been touched by King James 1st himself at an official Touching Ceremony to “cure” Scrofula (modern day Tubercularosis).  See THE SOVEREIGN REMEDY – Touch Pieces and the King’s Evil by NOEL WOOLF for further reading.  Sufferers of the disease were invited to attend by strict invitation only - a pass was given which allowed entry.  The King personally gave every sufferer who was invited to attend one of these gold touchpieces.  The theory was that the King touched the gold touchpiece and then personally gave it to the sufferer, so through the king, God also touched the sufferer.  The touchpieces were purposefully pierced, always in the same position, in order that sufferers could wear them around their necks, next to their skin.  The vast majority of these would have been melted down and the money spent on everyday living, if not by the sufferer, then surely by his or her descendants.  Recipients were not always commoners.  This coin has hardly any wear so bearing in mind it is high carat gold, was intended to be worn next to the skin where it would naturally get wear, it’s amazing it’s in such high grade.  I wonder if this particular recipient found to his cost that James 1st could not cure him?  Sold with an old pictorial sales / auction slip.  Catalogued at £2,000 in the 2018 Spink guide but bear in mind the grade of this coin exceeds that valuation.  Both the initial marks are of particular interest: the obverse is Bell over Coronet whilst the reverse is Bell over Key.  I don’t recall coming across any coin before where the initial marks are overstamped with different marks and where those earlier initial marks were so clear.  High grade and a rare thing, being an unambiguous and tangible piece of English (and I suppose British if you take into account the Scottish connection) royal family history.  (E)  £1,950.

 

 

 

English Gold Milled Coins:

 

 

Charles II

 

WAu-6624:  1678/7 Charles II Gold Half Guineas – a “Bender” Love Token.  The famous children’s nursery rhyme goes: "There was a crooked man who had a crooked cat... who found a crooked sixpence..."  The fad of the day was to bend a silver coin into this specific Z shape (you wouldn't think it but it's actually a mightily hard thing to do!) and present it to a potential partner in order, presumably, to impress them.  Nowadays we’d just offer to buy them a drink!!  In the above Nursery Rhyme, the old man found a crooked (ie Bender) sixpence.  The suitor who bent this particular coin for his sweetheart must have been very rich to have used a half guinea as it is usually silver sixpences that we see.  However, it looks like his wealth counted for nothing as a metal detectorist found this coin in a field, meaning the woman must have thrown it away in disgust all those years ago!!  Hard to photograph so a compilation image here.  £525 / £1,750 in Spink 2018.  Any decent jeweller could have this straighten out if that's what you wanted to do.  (E)  £445

 

 

 

Anne

 

WAu-6020:  Queen Anne Gold Touch Piece.  Guaranteed to have been touched by Queen Anne herself at an official Touching Ceremony to “cure” Scrofula (modern day Tubercularosis).  See THE SOVEREIGN REMEDY – Touch Pieces and the King’s Evil by NOEL WOOLF for further reading.  Sufferers of the disease were invited to attend by strict invitation only.  A pass was given which allowed entry although no Queen Anne passes have been recorded, leading to the assumption that either they were handwritten paper passes or the old Charles II passes were re-used.  The Queen personally gave every sufferer one of these gold touchpieces.  The theory was that the Queen touched the gold touchpiece and then personally gave it to the sufferer, so through her God also touched the sufferer.  Queen Anne is recorded as being the most reluctant Toucher out of all the monarchs, getting out of what she could.  The touchpieces were purposefully pierced, always in the same position, in order that sufferers could wear them around their necks, next to their skin.  The vast majority of these would have been melted down and the money spent on everyday living, if not by the sufferer, then surely by his or her descendants.  Recipients were not always commoners.  Queen Anne touched Dr Johnson (of the Dictionary fame) when he was 2 ½ on 30 March 1712.  His touchpiece, identical to this one, currently resides in the British Museum.  Dr Johnson’s touchpiece, like this one, also shows little or no sign of wear.  Unlike previous monarchs who physically touched the sufferers’ open sores and wounds, Queen Anne refused to do this, instead opting for a loadstone to do the touching.  She certainly touched the gold touchpieces though.  27th April 1714, three months before Anne died, was the last ever Touching Ceremony performed on British soil.  In total, the practice had been in existence for 50 years.  The Hanoverians (George 1st etc) would have none of it.  This is a high grade example with a provenance going back to 1968 (x2 tickets and a printout).  Touchpieces issued by Anne are much rarer than those issued by other English monarchs.  This is the first I’ve owned and I don’t think I’ve even seen another outside of books and the BM.  (E)  £2,275

 

 

 

George III

 

WAu-5714:  1810 George III Gold Third Guinea.  Second bust (short hair).  No mount marks and EF grade.  Spink price is £625 (2018).  (E)  £459

 

 

 

Queen Victoria

 

WAu-5927:  1874 Queen Victoria Australian (Melbourne) Gold Sovereign.  Young head, uncleaned.  (E)  £350

 

WAu-6006:  1875 Queen Victoria Australian (Melbourne) Gold Sovereign.  Young head, very nice grade.  (E)  £375

 

WAu-6007:  1886 Queen Victoria Australian (Melbourne) Gold Sovereign.  Young head, very nice grade.  (E)  £375

 

WAu-5928:  1891 Queen Victoria Australian (Melbourne) Gold Sovereign.  Jubilee head, uncleaned.  (E)  £295