Ancient Gold Coins

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English Hammered Gold Coins:

WAu-5766: Henry VIII Hammered Gold Angel. First coinage (1509-26), i.m. Castle. Lovely toning and in very nice grade. A most attractive gold coin from the reign of Henry VIII. £2,395

WAu-6102: Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Gold Half Angel. Initial mark Latin Cross, fifth issue, 1580 – 1581. All Elizabeth 1^st gold coinage is rare but you see many more full angels compared to halves. No mount marks or piercings. This is Spink 2527 (without the E and rose above the ship), a single i.m. issue and the rarest of all the fifth issue gold coins; full, half or quarter. Ex Seaby (1953) and sold with two of their tickets and one later ticket. Rare. £2,995

Scottish Hammered Gold Coins:

WAu-6072: 1601 James VI Scottish Hammered Gold Sword & Sceptre Piece. Eighth coinage just prior to James VI of Scotland becoming James 1^st of England. Some scuffs which are much enhanced due to the nature of the photography. Sold with an old, pictorial sale’s printout. A very desirable hammered gold coin from Scotland. £1,825

Celtic Gold Coins:

WAu-6357: English Celtic Full Gold Stater. “Chute” type, 65 BC. Head of Apollo, disjointed (abstract) horse with crab below. £489

English Gold Milled Coins:

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). 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 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. 27^th 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 1^st 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. £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 £575 (2014). £459

Queen Victoria

WAu-5927: 1874 Queen Victoria Australian (Melbourne) Gold Sovereign. Young head, uncleaned. £295

WAu-6006: 1875 Queen Victoria Australian (Melbourne) Gold Sovereign. Young head, very nice grade. £325

WAu-6007: 1886 Queen Victoria Australian (Melbourne) Gold Sovereign. Young head, very nice grade. £325

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