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.
Most sold coins are now
accessible via a new link on the front (index) page category grid.
Extra information
added to this coin:
WMH-9214: A++ Edward 1st VOIDED
Long Cross Penny - Posthumous Henry III.
Phase IV coinage struck in Henry's name.
S.R.1378. Struck
between 1272 and 1279 so very much during the reign of Edward 1st. It is strange that Edward 1st, who
was well into his 30’s when he inherited the throne from Henry, had to wait seven
years to see his “New Coinage” enter circulation. There were three posthumous issues, non of which were a patch on the 1279 New Coinage, and were
further limited to three mints only, and realistically only the Bury St Edmond’s mint as London and Durham are rare. I'm delighted to say that this coin is indeed
one of those rare mints - Class 7, Phelip of LONDON.
P[hE]LIP ON
LUND. Note the ligation
of the N of ON and the L of London together with the N and the D of LUND with the
N looking very much like a lombardic "n". Interestingly, the first O of London is a
definite U rather than the ubiquitous V.
Phase IV coinage is synonymous with crude dies (a strange thing
considering the quality dies of Henry III and Edward 1st either side of this
issue) although to be fair, die sinkers had upped their game somewhat by class 7.
Indifferent strikes, almost as if this issue was rushed out, didn't help
the quality of the issue. This coin is a
very solid VF with attractive dark toning and, as the ticket states, is especially
pleasing. The rarity of London as a mint cannot be understated -
this is only the second London example I've had in many
decades. This example recently went
through CNG, selling for around £1,300 after commission, illustrating the
absolute rarity and desirability of the London issue, especially in VF
grade. Old
tickets here. An important coin and, very rarely these
days, one that sets the pulse racing! 
£875
Provenance:
ex T. Leitch, September 2009,
sold to...
ex The Isladulcie Collection
of Medieval Silver Coins, dispersed by...
ex Spink
Additions to www.HistoryInCoins.com
for week commencing Tuesday 26th May 2026
WSax-9334: Anglo
Saxon Silver Sceatta - Woden (Biped Reverse) Family. Eclectic family, AD 710-60. Obverse: two mirrored figures facing, wearing
striped smocks, a long cross between them; reverse: a monster in flight, right,
looking back, gaping jaws, clawed feet below. Type 30, series N, type 1b. Abramson 105-90, listed as Extremely Rare. S.R.835 var. The Abramson page is copied here. A type seldom offered for sale on the open
market. £675
WSax-9335: Anglo
Saxon Silver Sceatta - Kings of Northumbria, Eadberht. Regal issue, AD 737-58. York
mint. Obverse: EOTBEREhTVT
around a Cross Pattée; reverse: fantastic animal (currently thought to be a
combination of a formalised lion with elements of a Celtic stag) left with
pronounced main, foreleg raised, tail up - a tail which bizarrely emanates from
nearer he neck than the hind quarters!
There is a triquetra below and a cross - crucially vertically aligned,
not diagonally - above, under the tail.
Abramson 70-120, class D. Class D is a most interesting iteration, it
being the last of the left facing animals and the first with ornaments. Class D has the cross under the animal's tail
angled diagonally whereas the cross on this coin is vertical, as in class
E. However, class E is a right facing
animal. Further, the triquetra on class
D should point to 7 o'clock, perfectly correct for
this coin, with the class E triquetra pointing very much as 6 0'clock, which seems to rule out any kind of D-E muling. Perhaps a
late class D, transitional variety but regardless, unrecorded in the excellent
and comprehensive Sceatta List reference work by Tony Abramson. In recent months, Eadberht Sceattas have performed exceptionally well at auction,
especially grade examples such as this coin.
This coin
sold at a CNG auction in the US for the best part of
£2,000 after commissions earlier this year.
Whilst it is the slightly rarer class G (Abramson 70-310) type, the
Abramson price guide states that 70-310 class D is only 15% more expensive than
this 70-120 class G, by which reckoning this coin should be £1,700! A very desirable coin.
£875
WSax-9336: Anglo
Saxon Silver Sceatta - Excessively Rare SEDE Type. Obverse: SEDE around a cross pattée with
other cross pattées between the letters; reverse: a
serpent coiled anticlockwise, protecting yet another central cross pattée. An Episcopal issue with find spots for the
very few recorded examples from the East Anglia region, namely, Watton, Norfolk and north of Ipswich. Abramson 93-20, listed as Extremely Rare
(this coin being Abramson's
plate coin from his collection - the best and only example he could
source), type 89, formally type 4 var, S.R.---. The coin
appears to have been deliberately cut rather than broken, perhaps indicating a
market-place transaction where the value of the coin was greater than the item
purchased? £445
Provenance:
ex Tony Abramson collection, dispersed...
ex Spink
WTH-9337: Choice
Henry VII Hammered Silver Profile Issue Hoard Halfgroat. The later Profile issue, introduced during
the opening years of the 1500's - it is sometimes muted that this major
deviation from the previous several hundred years depiction of the monarch was
in response to the Scottish profile issue of James V but in reality, the
English were inspired by European profile currency and the Scottish duly copied
the English. Initial
mark Martlet (1502-04), York
Episcopal mint under Archbishop Bainbridge - two angled keys under the reverse
shield. S.R.2262. The Littlebrook
Hoard was discovered on 12 May 2004 during excavations for
the foundations of a new extension to Littlebrook
Farm in Belchalwell Street, Dorset. A mechanical
digger unearthed a pottery jug which was found to contain 213 silver coins: 176
groats and 37 half groats in varying condition, the bulk dating from the reign
of Henry VII (1485-1509). The find was reported and submitted to the British Museum and the coins were
examined and catalogued by Dr Barrie Cook, the Curator of Medieval Coins. An
inquest was held in Dorchester in March 2005 and the find was confirmed as
Treasure Trove and thus subject to the relevant legal rules. In accordance with the rules relating to
Treasure the hoard was offered to local museums and the jug and thirteen of the
coins were removed and are now the property of the Dorset County Museum. After discussion and
settlement with the finders, the current owners decided to retain the remaining
200 coins but have subsequently decided to sell them on the open market with
full provenance. The coins are thought
to have been deposited probably c. 1514-1520.
Littlebrook Farm lies in an isolated area of
the Blackmore Vale, a mile from the nearest hamlet
and about 14 miles from Dorchester. The area is known to
be on the regular smuggling routes from the coastal areas of Portland to centres such as Salisbury and Bristol, which is probably the
explanation for the hoard’s deposit, especially considering the denominations
were unusually small. Lovely grade, the
rarer profile issue and a link to the infamous South Coast smuggling fraternity! £485
Provenance:
ex Littlebrook Coin Hoard, 2004
