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1. Welcome to E-Auction 50

   E clectic, varied, sometimes unusual, but always with a concern to present a well-rounded offering of historic and attractive pieces—this is the goal that guides us each time we put together a catalog. In this sale you will see gold coins at a time when ...

2. Early Dated Coinage

   For early dated coinage in E-Auction 49 see lots 132-139   D ates on coins are "a really big deal." Add a mintmark on a U.S. coin and it can be even more costly (look up an 1893 Morgan dollar with a small "S" on the reverse...). Though ...

3. Welcome to E-Auction 49

   E-Auction 49 opens with gold coins—some where the values are numismatically based and a larger group whose numismatic cost premium has been practically eclipsed by the recent jumps in the value of gold.  The best numismatic piece in this sale is a choice ...

4. A Style of Their Own

   A few notes on Scottish coin design from David to Mary Scottish coinage began during the Anarchy and Stephen’s reign (1135-1154). After the death of Henry I in 1135, Stephen of Blois, despite an oath to Matilda, Henry I’s daughter, seized the English ...

5. Welcome to Auction 43

   T he first high quality, substantially pedigreed collection of Scottish coins to come to the market since the LaRiviere sale in 2006 begins in this, our major annual sale of some of the best coins we have come across in the past year. A beautiful and ...

6. Welcome to E-Auction 48

   O ur first print catalog published the summer of 1973 included an opening note. Since then, I think the record is pretty much unbroken—opening comments, about the catalog or related issues. In a print catalog, each bit of space represents some real estate ...

7. Welcome to E-Auction 47

   “E nding” is a key aspect of this summer’s end catalog. Over the past few auctions we have offered two major collections, a handful of smaller consignments, and have been dispersing a large collection of United States coins. Now we are at the end point ...

8. Welcome to E-Auction 46

   M ost collections have “odds-and-ends” that have been acquired along the way—early acquisitions, impulse buys, exploring different collecting directions. One of the great appeals of coin collecting is the almost limitless variety that is available. There ...

9. Welcome to Auction 42

   T he fifty-five Anglo-Saxon lots in this sale represent a major offering in this series, and are the heart of the collection formed by Patrick Zabel, a committed and scholarly collector who was active in the latter part of the 20th century. That was a ...

10. Welcome to E-Auction 45

      T his catalog is very much a story of consignors. Seven different collectors are represented in this sale, and their efforts and taste are an important part of what this catalog represents. We write the descriptions, the grading and the estimates, but ...

11. Coinage of the Roman Senate under the Ostrogoths

    101.jpg T he Roman Senate issued this bronze follis long after the Rome that ruled so much of the known world had disappeared, sometime in the AD 512-522 period, during the reign of Anastasius in the East. The coin with its image of Roma on the obverse ...

12. Welcome to E-Auction 44

    Exchange, making change, storing value—if one wants a simple definition of what coins are for, this comes close. In ancient times gold was highly valued and sought after and was an important metal for trade. But trading with gold was a complex process. ...

13. Welcome to E-Auction 43

    Pricing coins fairly so that the values accurately reflect fair values is an important and demanding part of preparing each catalog. We could open everything at zero, the way most US coins are auctioned. But there are daily price guides for US coins and ...

14. Welcome to Auction 41

      O ur annual major sale marks the final result of a year of planning, selecting, acquiring, and soliciting material from this fascinating realm of numismatics. It all comes to a conclusion just as one calendar year ends and another begins. Many of the ...

15. Welcome to E-Auction 42

    ‘Twas a dark and stormy time….”  We received an unusual consignment for this sale—a group of United States coins minted in 1853. All the gold issues (the first $3 gold piece was issued in 1854), and a choice large cent. I became fascinated by what must ...

16. Welcome to E-Auction 41

    C ontretemps—an unusual word that I have never found a use for in opening notes for a coin/medal catalog, until now. Usually anything that merits minting metal is of some significance. The protests of some disgruntled theater fans over two centuries ago ...

17. Welcome to E-Auction 40

    C oins can take us to many different places—some unusual, some historic, some long-gone. This summer catalog has several numismatic vistas we have not offered any, or at least much of, before. The California Pioneer Fractional Gold coinage came about for ...

18. Welcome to E-Auction 39

    H ere is the latest in our ongoing series of E-Auctions that began with the arrival of Lief and his digital skills in 2012. We designed the print versions to be less expensive to produce and sized to qualify for the least expensive First Class Mail ...

19. MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS – An “Ambitious” Irregular Ryal

    It was an ill-advised marriage—Mary Stuart and Henry Lord Darnley. As the son of Margaret Douglas, granddaughter of Henry VII, Darnley was in the line of succession for the English throne, as was Mary Stuart whose grandmother was a sister of Henry VIII. ...

20. Welcome to Auction 40

    O ur personal introduction to our catalogs usually launches right into talk about what you can find in these pages. I want to start somewhere else this time—discussing a few of the past owners of these pieces who deserve our thanks for the care they gave ...

21. Welcome to E-Auction 38

    Something old, something new… J anuary is a time to revisit a few things from past auctions that failed to find homes. We have examined them closely and repriced most of them. Look for some worthwhile ancient coins. And I confess to sometimes reaching for ...

22. Welcome to E-Auction 37

    I t all started with cattle. If you wanted to barter, you could just herd your payment over for the trade. Oxen were the standard for barter before the Greeks found that refining and minting precious metals at standardized weights and fineness was a much ...

23. Welcome to E-Auction 36

    I n a time when coin shows have disappeared it seems just right to offer a collection that was formed from coins bought at coin shows by a very serious collector. Freeman Craig Sr. was an Army Air Force navigator who flew 50 missions from North Africa ...

24. Welcome to E-Auction 35

    T he value of numismatic gold is based on two separate markets—the bullion market and the numismatic market. Other than for common silver coinage—typically of very little numismatic interest—this is the one area where price is determined from two ...

25. Welcome to Auction 39

    O ur 39th major auction is a long way from our first such sale in April of 1993. We began by noting “We have been publishing fixed price catalogs…for well over two decades. We are excited about assembling and publishing our first major bid sale.” Well, we ...

26. Welcome to E-Auction 34

    W elcome to another decade! Marnie and I have been reminiscing…. The last ten years have seen momentous changes in our lives, as we welcome grandchildren, and as we continue to experience the remarkable remaking of our business by our son and partner Lief ...

27. Welcome to E-Auction 33

    In 2002 we sold a collection of 229 Greek electrotypes for $12,500. A few years ago we were asked by a serious collector who remembered that lot if it might be for sale if he offered twice the amount it realized in 2002. The current owner said no. This ...

28. The Only Silver Coin Issue for Nearly Half of the British 18th Century

    The “Northumberland” shilling is more a story of the energetic and influential Hugh Percy, an important figure in the court of George II, than it is of a lone silver coin issued in limited numbers—3000 or fewer—in the midst of a period of nearly a half ...

29. Welcome to E-Auction 32

    Watching numismatic auctions while sitting at my desk allows me to get a feel for the coin market that used to require days of travel and substantial expense. While I cannot view the lots themselves and thus can readily miss the subtle characteristics ...

30. Welcome to E-Auction 31

    The Birth of the Gothic Florin. Victoria had a long reign, a concluding article in a year-long series on England’s silver coinage in the 1924 Spink Numismatic Circular notes. Thus, while “there were a considerable number of designs for the coinage, ...

31. Welcome to E-Auction 30

    A smattering of interesting gold coinage opens our sale. Most have served their original marketplace purpose, and now they have become an affordable collectible. A bit of ancient and medieval, a bit of British and world, and several more US gold type ...

32. Welcome to E-Auction 29

    You will find variety in our spring sale. Opening bids from $16 to $5000. Gold coinage, interesting and affordable classics, including early Greek electrum, an early Islamic trade coin, an affordable Nero aureus, a pretty Byzantine scyphate, a choice ...

33. Welcome to Auction 38

    Old collections, old memories of the coins we sold many years ago, and of collectors, fellow enthusiasts sharing the wonder of numismatics… A large portion of this catalog has come from collectors we have known, some repositioning their focus; others ...

34. Welcome to E-Auction 28

    This is our fifth E-Auction for 2018. With well over 900 lots offered in E-Auctions and 390 lots in our major February sale, a small company that publishes just over 1300 lots in a year sounds a bit modest—this in an era where large auctions with ...

35. Elizabeth I Shillings

    Shillings were a Tudor innovation that began with the coinage reform under Edward VI. The reign of Elizabeth saw the denomination expand in scope and complexity to meet the ongoing challenges of coinage for local economies and expanding international ...

36. Welcome to E-Auction 27

    Many American coin collectors began as youngsters assembling date sets. They soon recognized that 20th Century US coins had some fascinating varieties—the three-legged buffalo was one, and the piece offered here is the first I have ever had. Even though ...

37. Welcome to E-Auction 26

    By the time this sale closes the mid-August ANA Convention will be over. Lief and Allan will be there for a couple of days. Mid-August would have been the logical time for this sale to close but the additional couple of weeks allows you a bit more time to ...

38. Welcome to E-Auction 25

    Tiny coins, large coins, and a fair number in between.… Coins come in a wide range of sizes. When you limit yourself to coins made to circulate, you narrow the range a bit. This catalog covers a wide range, from tiny Greek fractionals to what became an ...

39. Welcome to E-Auction 24

    What is it about gold? The stability of the metal? Its beauty, particularly since designers have almost always given their best attention to their work with it? Its relationship to an economy generally, whether it was ancient gold, medieval, Renaissance ...

40. Aftersale: A Second Chance

    It all comes together in a few hours on one day—the months of acquisition, cataloging, preparing, printing, watching, answering queries—and then it is all over. Few processes in business (and perhaps in life) provide such finality. My day started early as ...

41. The Confederate Catholic Rebel Crown

    Lot 279 Plain, crude, uneven strike, rugged—why its appeal? What is its story? Of the five siege crowns issued in Ireland during the English Civil War, this piece is remarkable because of its religious connection. The 2006 sale of Lucien LaRiviere’s ...

42. Welcome to Auction 37

      Quality, Variety, Value   A year of planning, searching, and preparing have gone into this catalog. For this once-a-year sale we search out the most interesting, important, exciting things we can find to offer you. This is a “collector’s sale.” We ...

43. Tournai

    (Lots 142-144) Tournai, one of Belgium’s oldest cities, sits about fifty miles southwest of Brussels, its history reflecting the forces that flowed back and forth across Europe for centuries. For a while, it was claimed by Henry VIII.  England captured it ...

44. The Ormonde Siege Coinage of 1643-1644

    Royalist issue in Ireland during The Great Rebellion (Lots 263-278) Why so many varieties and next to no efforts to classify the types? I have been puzzling over this ever since we began working with Bruce Ormond’s collection.  You can see the result ...

45. Voce Populi Copper Halfpenny Tokens

    A fascinating and enigmatic copper issue from the mid-1700s in Ireland (and Colonial America?) (Lots 291-303) Voce Populi coppers have appeared in several references on Colonial American coinage: The Official Redbook, A Guidebook of United States Coins ...

46. The History of a Die

    (Lots 360-361) The story of the late 18th century copper tokens and coinage is as much a story of historic changes in minting technology as it is of the new coinage coming from Boulton and Birmingham and the extensive issue of tokens that inspired James ...

47. Welcome to E-Auction 23!

    The reign of William III was particularly interesting numismatically. I wrote a short article on the complexities of coinage and the end of hammered coins. You can see it online or I will be happy to send a copy. Either way, a major feature of this ...

48. William III, Isaac Newton, and the End of Hammered Coinage

    Why so many mints issuing coinage during the reign of William III?  The answer to this question begins with events of a few years earlier. The “Glorious Revolution” of 1688 saw an end to the conflicted reign of James II. Little more than a month after ...

49. Welcome to E-Auction 22!

    I am never certain when we begin assembling a catalog how it will all end up. We look for some thematic elements—Roman Britain, high grade milled British, a strong run of collectible and attractive United States type coins—these are areas that immediately ...

50. A SMALL CHANGE CRISIS: Copper Coinage in early 18th Century England

    There are two histories of British coinage. One reflects the need for high value issues of silver and gold for the preservation of wealth and foreign exchange. The other was the need among poorer citizens for small change for day-to-day transactions. ...

51. Welcome to E-Auction 21!

    Another interesting mix of material – ancients, British, world – and mixed throughout, our 2017 version of a Summer Bargain list. We include over 50 lots to complete Frank Robinson’s halfpenny collection. The economies of preparation and printing make sub ...

52. Welcome to E-Auction 20!

    An interesting mix of things to consider: a few gold pieces including some appealing American currency, ancients with an appeal and interesting history that reflect our belief that “it doesn’t have to be expensive to be appealing,” do note the nicer Greek ...

53. Welcome to E-Auction 19!

    We try to find interesting things for our sales, unusual but fascinating byways of numismatics and this catalog has its share of items you don’t ordinarily see. The ancient section may at first seem to be just another list but the surprise here is the low ...

54. Henry VII: “Tentative Issue” groat

    Auction 36, Lot 142 “Groats of the latter period of his reign provide us with what are possibly the most beautiful example of the moneyer’s art to be found in the coinage of our country.” Raymond Carlyon-Britton made this observation in an article ...

55. Auction 36 Opening Thoughts (written at the end of catalog production)

    There are some amazing coins in this catalog, the kinds of coins that lovers of this material sell last or only when their entire collection is let go. Fine Greek art is on display, from the magnificent Lockett Collection Siculo-Punic tetradrachm with its ...

56. A Beginning And a Finishing Up

    Welcome to E-Auction 18! The photos on the back cover of the print version of the catalog introduce a major collection of English copper, tin and bronze coins formed by someone I have known since the 1970s, Frank Robinson. I knew he was an attorney and ...

57. Welcome to E-Auction 17!

    Serious collections built over a long time include many unusual things in addition to the main concentration. Sometimes there are infrequently seen items like the three inexpensive Henry VI episcopal pennies (lots 75 to 77). The manuscript hinting at a ...

58. Welcome to E-Auction 16!

    Welcome to E-Auction 16! Our largest E-Auction to date, this sale includes a broad selection of ancient Greek and Roman, British hammered and milled, tokens, and much more. In the ancient section we have a scarce electrum hemihekte (lot 1), an Athenian ...

59. Welcome to E-Auction 15!

    This auction features an interesting and varied ancient section-- from a lovely hemidrachm portraying Cleopatra VII as Aphrodite (lot 9), to a small and interesting group of Roman Egypt coins, including a particularly choice and scarce Augustus 40 drachms ...

60. OF FARTHINGS AND FOUL-UPS-- focus on farthings and mint errors

    Welcome to E-Auction 14! This no buyer's fee sale contains 108 choice lots of coins, tokens, medals, and books; closing March 30th, 2016. Our ancient section is small but significant. The highlight is the rare and beautiful stater of Lokris Opuntii ...

61. Rethinking the Henry Darnley Ryal (lot 291)

    Henry Darnley, a cousin of both Elizabeth I and Mary, became Mary’s husband in 1565. A dashing but dissolute spouse, Henry began scheming early on to become the real rather than the titular king on the Scottish throne. In these intrigue driven times, ...

62. Opening Thoughts for Auction 35

    A British collection formed over several decades anchors this auction. Building a definitive collection such as this takes time, study and patience, and the willingness to buy when opportunities arise. Almost all the coins came from the American ...

63. Fall in Minnesota

    Fall has come to Minnesota, and with it a new auction! E-Auction 13 is now live, featuring 100 lots of coins, tokens, medals, and more! It closes on Wednesday November 4th. We are also hard at work on our annual January auction. Consignments have been ...

64. Welcome to E-Auction 11!

    Closing July 22nd, 2015 starting at 10 A.M. CDT. Place your bids here on our website, or via email, mail, phone, or fax! This sale has 100 lots of attractive and affordable coins and tokens, from Greece and Rome to Great Britain and the world. Of special ...

65. Welcome to E-Auction 9!

    Welcome to E-Auction 9! For this sale we have upped our game with some better material and some interesting ideas: *A run of mints of Edward I and a sampling of the different coinages of Elizabeth I *The Greek bronzes are part of some stock we had in the ...

66. Welcome to E-Auction 8! And A Note on Bidding

    Welcome to E-Auction 8! This 100 lot auction features an interesting selection of affordable items for you to browse. It closes on Wednesday, March 4th, starting at 10 AM CST. As with all our auctions there is NO BUYER'S FEE, so feel free to bid the ...

67. Happy New Numismatic Year!

    Remember-- Auction 34 closes on Wednesday, January 21st beginning at 10 AM Central Standard Time (4 PM GMT) Bid online at www.davcoin.com, or by mail, email, phone, or fax This NO BUYER’S FEE sale includes: • Dr. Cedric Raine’s extensive collection of ...

68. Opening Thoughts for Auction 34 (written at the end of catalog production)

    D r. Cedric Raine, a name familiar to several North American dealers, has been an enthusiastic and dedicated collector of English hammered coins for well over three decades. He has consigned 109 of the early English coins, filling a major portion of this ...

69. Announcing Davissons Ltd Auction 34, closing January 21 2015

    Unusual Americana pieces are an interesting and seldom offered part of Davissons Ltd. Auction 34, a no-buyers’-fee mail bid and live internet auction closing January 21, 2015. Davissons main focus, British coins, is well covered by a hammered collection ...

70. Spring 2014

    Spring in Minnesota, when it finally arrives, is always particularly sweet when the winter has seemed so unrelenting. The winter months have been productive for us. The supporting structure of our website has been improved; our library is several steps ...

71. A Holiday Note and news about Auction 33

    It is cold and snowy in Minnesota-- a white Christmas is inevitable where we live. It seems a good time to thank you for your interest and support over the past year. This first full year of Lief's involvement in our business has been an exciting ...

72. Opening Thoughts for Auction 32 (written at the end of catalog production)

    C oin catalogs arrive regularly in our office. And there are always sales to view on the internet. Many of the sale catalogs we see are heavyweight, literally and figuratively—works that offer thousands of lots. By comparison, our catalogs are small ...

73. Auction 32 coming in May, to close June 6th

    The family firm of Allan, Marnie, and Lief Davisson is currently finishing work on their 32nd printed auction, due to close on June 6th, 2013. Print copies will be in the mail in early May, and the sale will be posted online at that time. Auction 32 is ...

74. E-Auction 1 Is Now Live

    Our first ever E-Auction is now live! It consists of 100 carefully selected lots, spanning more than 2300 years of history. Lots will close on our website every 40 seconds or so, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 6th. Print copies were sent to all the ...

75. Something old, something new

    W elcome to our 31st Auction and our first involving our new partner, our son Lief. While the format of the printed catalog has not changed much since Auction 30, there are two major changes about our business and this auction: First, there are now three ...

76. Numismatic musings

    December 2010 Comments on the coin market? Anyone who follows this particular market recognizes the counter-flow with respect to other markets. Prices are high; demand is great; inventories are low. This is true of the finest pieces, the rarities, the ...

77. Numismatic musings

    Stability is a great but reluctant economic friend for those of us whose passions tend toward these little bits of metal that have helped define two and a half millennia of human exchange. The rise and fall of markets, of value and even of nations is ...

78. A brief introduction to the sale and a few thoughts about the overall market

    Greek coinage represents the beginning of this means of exchange with beauty and style as yet unmatched after 2600 years of minting money. The Greek section in this catalog is largely one collection. It has been a rare privilege and a joy to handle a ...

79. December 2007

    The completion of our 26th auction carries with it a feeling of satisfaction and even excitement about the material. I have been viewing printed sheets as they come off the press so that any final adjustments to the color can be made before the catalogs ...

80. March 2007

    This space has been blank for two months for no better reason than the demands of our business since December. In the past two months, we have attended coin shows in Florida and New York and I spent a week in London attending a coin show and seeing ...

81. November 2006

    Fall marks the beiginning of the numismatic year much as it marks the new academic year. This is not as obvious to American collectors because major coin fairs are held in the United States throughout the summer. This includes the ANA show, arguably the ...

82. August 2006

    S ummer used to be a time when numismatics took a breather and outdoor life filled more of people's time. Perhaps this is a reflection of our life in Minnesota (a cold place for a significant part of the year) but time out, particularly in August, is ...

83. Summer 2006

    Travel marked the first three months of this year: three coin shows in the U.S. and major sales and meetings in Europe. The LaRiviere sales of Irish coins and Scottish coins were particularly exciting because they offered material that is genuinely scarce ...