This week’s fresh listings:

 

This page is to be updated every Tuesday and will contain all the latest Coin, Medal & Token listings for that particular week.

 

Additions to www.HistoryInCoins.com for week commencing Tuesday 5th December 2023

 

 

This week's fresh listings:

 

 

WMH-7924:  Rare Mint Henry III Medieval Voided Long Cross Penny.  Phase II provincial mint, 1248-50 only.  Reverse:  LVCAS ON GLOV - the rarer Gloucester mint.  Class 3c so the very final issue for this rarer and sought after provincial mint town.  Spink 1364.  A mint you just don't see these days.  £225

 

WMH-7925:  Edward IV Medieval Hammered Silver Groat.  Second reign, 1471-83.  Initial mark Heraldic Cinquefoil (1480-3), Rose on breast, London mint - Spink 2100.  A very nice grade coin which is accompanied by two old tickets, one of which is Coincraft.  £365

 

WJC-7926:  Unrecorded 1609/8/7 James 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence.  Second coinage, fourth bust, Spink 2658.  By no means a pretty coin (maybe the understatement of the year?!) but for those of us who appreciate the technical side of our hobby, this is an enormously interesting coin.  Elements of the underlying 8 and 7 are just about discernable.  Initial mark Coronet, which did in fact span the entirety of the three years on this coin, so no adjustment needed there.  £445 RESERVED (M.He.3-12-23)

 

WCom-7927:  1651 Commonwealth Hammered Silver Sixpence.  Initial mark Sun so struck under the Protectorship of Oliver Cromwell – later Anchor coins were under his son, Richard Cromwell.  Spink 3219.  This is the rarer "no stops at the initial mark" variety.  Ex Tim Owen (his ticket).  A very nice example from one of the most interesting periods in British history.  £635

 

WCom-7928:  1656 over 52 Commonwealth Hammered Silver Sixpence - a most unusual coin!  Initial mark Sun so struck under the Protectorship of Oliver Cromwell – later Anchor coins were under his son, Richard Cromwell.  Spink 3219.  A 1656 sixpence but with only x6 harp strings, which simply can't be.  There is a 1656 variety with x8 harp strings but definitely not x6.  The answer is that this is actually a 1653 (or earlier) reverse that has been dug out of the used die bucket and purposefully altered (ie a Cromwellian form of recycling!) in date to become 1656.  Looking at the date itself, there are very odd things going off with the "5" (there are two DIFFERENT "5" punches, one overstruck on the other, and possibly a third, although that third one may be simply down to double striking).  Also, the second "6" looks to be a thin "6" over a fatter "6".  The final "6" in the date has some residual evidence at the top of its ascender indicating the top diagonal of the original number, either a "2" or a "3".  The excellent http://www.SunandAnchor.com kindly looked at this coin and offered 1652 as a reverse die (has to be pre 53 due to harp strings and reverse shields conform to 52) and 1652 on the obverse (can't be 51 due to large initial mark and COMMONWEALTH is typical of 52).  So here we have just what I promised in the title - a nice, presentable 1656 Commonwealth sixpence that is actually from 1652 dies and even more unusually, when they randomly dug their hand into the bucket full of old, discarded dies, they actually pulled out same date old dies!  Many thanks again to http://www.SunandAnchor.com.  I know most of you will be familiar with this site but if not, please do pay them a visit.  A very nice example from one of the most interesting periods in British history, not to mention the fact that this is an unrecorded 1656/2 coin.  £695 RESERVED (M.He.3-12-23)

 

WCom-7929:  1649-60 Commonwealth Hammered Silver Halfgroat.  A centrally struck, problem-free attractive coin being much above average.  Spink 3221.  A very nice coin from a somewhat interesting period of British history.  £165

 

WCom-7930:  1649-60 Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth Hammered Silver Halfpenny.  An issue actually spanning not just Oliver Cromwell’s stewardship but also that of his son, Richard Cromwell.  Spink 3223.  The rarest of the pence issues by some margin.  A tiny coin that could easily have been lost but that was what an actual halfpenny was equivalent to in silver bullion back in the day so that dictated the size of the coin.  Small though this is, it is not the smallest hammered coin ever to hit the streets of England - that was the second issue Henry VIII farthing and to be fair, that Tudor coin is much smaller!!  This Commonwealth halfpenny is a superb example being unusually centrally struck as well as being high grade for issue.  Bordering on choice for issue.  £325