This week’s fresh listings (scroll down):

 

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 15th October 2019

 

 

Previous Weeks’ Listings (scroll down this page for “This Week’s Listings”):

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.  £2,275

 

WSC-6793:  Alexander III Rarer 1st Issue STIRLING Mint Penny.  Long cross & stars, 1250-80.  hO(N) RI. ON^S TR – Henri of Stirling.  Type III, SCBI 35, 137/A, Spink 5043.  Old collection piece.  A rare Scottish mint.  £395

 

WSC-6794:  Alexander III Rarer 1st Issue FORFAR Mint Penny.  Long cross & stars, 1250-80.  SIM ON^D O(N F) O^R – Simond of Forfar.  Type III, SCBI 35, 115/A, Spink 5043.  Old collection piece.  A rare Scottish mint.  £595

 

WSC-6795:  Alexander III Rarer 1st Issue INVERNESS Mint Penny.  Long cross & stars, 1250-80.  IEFR (A) IO^N I^N(V) – Gefrai of Inverness.  Type III, SCBI 35, 123/A, Spink 5043.  Old collection piece.  A good quality repair on what is an intriguing coin – there appears to be only a single letter in the second quadrant on the reverse.  A rare Scottish mint.  Cheap.  £345

 

WTH-6790:  1561 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Three Farthings.  An uncommon denomination, this being the first ever date for three farthings.  Dates for three farthings are usually in the 1570’s.  An interesting slipped or dropped 5 in the date.  Spink 2571.  Cheap.  £95

 

WTH-6791:  1564 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Threepence.  Initial mark Pheon / Broad Arrow.  Third and fourth issues, Spink 2565.  A rarer date.  £95

 

WCom-6792:  1655 Commonwealth Hammered Silver Shilling.  5.82 grams / 89.8 grains, 30mm at its widest.  Of the sun initial marks, 55 and 57 are many, many times rarer than the other dates with 57 being twice as rare as 55.  1655 is actually rarer than both 58 and 60 anchor shillings – as usual, Spink fail to reflect this in their pricing.  There are probably only around 10 extant 1655 shillings in national and private hands compared to getting on to 30 each of the 1658 and 1660.  The problem with this issue is that the 5 looks remarkably similar to a 3 and so when these coins are clipped, 1653 can look for all the world like 55.  There are many 53 shillings in date collections that are actually commoner 1653 coins.  This coin is in excellent grade, nicely toned and although slightly clipped, there is enough of the 55 showing to unambiguously attribute it to 55 – see here.  An extremely rare coin that seldom comes up for sale – in fact I couldn’t find a true 1655 that has been sold, recently or otherwise – and in outstanding grade.  I can only locate three other examples, this one being better than all those three coins in terms of grade.  £1,875

 

 

 

 


This Week’s Listings

 

 

WMH-6797:  Edward IV Hammered Silver DURHAM Penny.  Local dies with a rose in the centre of the reverse voided quatrefoil.  First reign, heavy coinage, 1461-4.  Unusual mint signature of CIVI TAS DON ELM (should be DVN ELM) together with crude lettering – note the obverse W and all of REX.  It is interesting to note the obverse legend reads EDWARD- REX ANGLIE when all later coins are EDWARD DI GRA REX ANG(L).  It is an altered (local) Henry VI die with EDWARD in place of HENRICVS, hence the space before the saltire stop.  It is actually rarer to have the new king’s name as most are simply left as Henricvs.  Spink 1988A.  The best example I have ever seen.  £185

 

WTH-6798:  Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Groat.  Initial mark Lis, rarer first issue, Spring 1560 to 8th November 1561 only.  Spink 2551A.  First issue hammered groats were only struck for approximately 6 months.  This is a really interesting and somewhat rare coin as both the obverse and reverse dies were literally the much smaller first issue halfgroat dies.  £245