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 estimates on so many pieces that have an important place in ancient numismatics. We get some magnificent catalogs of ancient coins but there is little there if you are on a tight budget or if you just enjoy sampling something on a whim.

We have pulled together many ancient pieces that are in the $80 to $100 range—Greek and Roman silver and bronze in condition that provides all the main elements of the design along with indications of use when they were actual currency, coins that display the patina of the ages, less actively collected pieces with amazing designs (look at lot 51!). There are some unusual and more valuable things here too—rarities like the Theban piece (lot 13) with an infant Hercules, an attractive Bar Kochba Revolt bronze (lot 21) and an evenly worn and handsome Alexandrian drachm with Nilus and a crocodile on the reverse.

The English section has a few pieces that came from a collection formed in the 1950s with coins bought primarily from Seaby’s, the London firm at the time that was so familiar to American collectors because their staff would make frequent trips to the United States and visit local coin clubs.

Several choice pieces from the Frank Robinson collection anchor the milled part of the English section. The silver proofs are highly desirable for their beauty as well as their rarity. But the key pieces in this section are the very rare and seldom seen 20th century pennies from the Heaton and King’s Norton mints (lots 103 to 106). A related piece—it came in slabbed—is the very rare 1926 modified effigy penny. All five have high catalog values but I could find no recent sales of high grade examples so the estimates are very conservative.

Not much in terms of coins this time for Scotland but near the end of the sale you will find a fascinating collection of medals related to the last of the long string of major battles the Scots lost against the English, Culloden. There is also a brief history placing the medals in context. They are mostly worn but that reflects the passion of the owners at the time. These were treasured and handled and they show it.

Next, a few rare Irish including a Henry VII groat with a wild portrait design just at the same time as the English were refining their portraiture from a simple medieval style to a realistic Renaissance style.

Coin weights in high grades come next. Choice examples are scarce and these are choice. They are also inexpensive so you can easily include them with your collection and have a sense of how weights and values were checked at the time the coins were issued.

The token section begins with two Irish rarities from the early 18th century. This is a short series of appealing pieces on fairly substantial flans. Then one of the more significant late 18th century pieces, Kent 1 begins the section offering Dalton and Hamer issues.

It’s an experiment on my part—offering 19th century tokens. I wrote an article on 19th century tokens that was published in the latest CTCC journal. I titled it “What is it about 19th century tokens?” Why don’t more people collect them? They tend to be full weight and many of the designs have a strong appeal. Condition is a major issue. The government issued NO currency copper between 1808 and 1821 (and it wasn’t until 1825 that anything larger than a farthing was available) so it’s no wonder that most of these tokens were well worn. You will find ten choice pieces here estimated very low given their scarcity in such high grades. (And if you want to pursue the series in more detail, get in touch and I will give you information on how to access the high quality 19th century material from the Cokayne collection—it is now on the market.)

United States type coins, all “raw” this time, take the auction close to the end. This is where I began my numismatic travels and I still find great pleasure, particularly in the earlier material. After this section, you will find the Culloden essay and medals. And the sale finishes with a few books.

We are always in need of interesting material. A few pieces, a collection—we value what you may have and we will treat it (and you) accordingly.