News from Spink

Highlights for June 27th Ancient, Islamic, English & Foreign Coins and Comm Medals Sale

A second known Gloucester penny from the Civil War of the 1140’s.

Lot 13

Struck at Gloucester when it was the centre of opposition to King Stephen in the 1140’s, this newly found penny is only the second known. At this time England was split between those who supported Stephen who had become king in 1135, and those who supported the rival claimant Matilda. The ensuring civil war, famously described at the time as nineteen long winters, divided England.  Matilda’s support was particularly strong in the West Country and she made Gloucester her capital. This coin, only the second of it’s type, has its own mystery for the ruler named on the coin is Henry. Some think this may be Henry of Anjou, Matilda’s son, later to be Henry II who is probably best known for his feud with Thomas a Becket. Others think that with it’s being in the same style as those of  King Stephen, that the opposition simply could not stomach making them in the his name so used the name of his predecessor Henry I.

Whatever the answer to this mystery, this coin will be sold at Spink on June 27th,  lot 13, estimate £2500-£3500.

Rare portrait coin of Mary Queen of Scots.

Lot 150

When it comes to romance and tragedy few figures in History can rival Mary Queen of Scots. Queen when she was a week old in 1542, Queen of France briefly, widowed, remarried and widowed, remarried, dethroned, prisoner and centre of intrigue in England for twenty years until her execution in 1587. Only a few of her coins carried her portrait. Those that did are all rare. On this silver coin of 1561, we see her wearing a bonnet retaining what would seem to be quite a head of hair, whilst her modesty is evident from a high necked dress. She holds an air of authority, perhaps justified for this dates from 1561, when she was at the height of her powers and after which everything seemed to go wrong for her.

The coin that captures this moment in her life will be sold at Spink on June 27th, lot 150, estimate £4,500-£5,000.

Inventive Irish coin has St Patrick clearing Ireland of snakes.

Lot 329

When we think of Ireland the colour green, shamrock, the harp and St. Patrick’s day parades all come to mind. This Saint who came to Ireland from what is now England in the fifth century has long been associated with Ireland, which thanks to being an island, has no native snakes. The myth has always had it that this was due to St. Patrick driving out the snakes, a story no doubt as much about the triumph of Christianity over pagan belief as anything else.  In 1660, this story was believed to be such a significant part of the Irish identify that farthings and halfpennies were struck showing the saint in full clerical dress directing the snakes to leave, whilst on the other side King David plays the harp. Most of these coins were struck in copper however a few extremely rare examples exist in silver. This is one of these.

This coin telling a wonderful story will be sold at Spink on June 27th, lot 329, estimate £1800-£2500.

Royal Society Medal honouring Captain Cook.

Lot 653

In the second half of the eighteenth century there was no greater naval explorer than Captain James Cook. From his humble beginnings as farm hand and seaman from near Middlesbrough, he went on be one of the greatest navigators the world has known. His voyages put Australia on the map and established the existence of Antarctica before he met an untimely death at the hands of the Hawaiian natives. By the time of his death his reputation could not have been higher and his eminence had been recognised by his election to the Royal Society, Britain’s premier scientific body, in 1775. Following his death in 1779, they ordered that this now rare silver medal should be struck as a mark of respect for his achievements as a navigator and explorer.

This important medal honouring one of the most famous sons of the Yorkshire will be sold at Spink on June 27th, lot 653, estimate £1,000-£1,200.

A rare coin from the early days of the United States.

Lot 727

The New York Excelsior Token of 1787 is a fascinating piece of early American numismatics. Produced by John Bailey for the famous New York jeweller, goldsmith and silversmith Ephraim Brasher who had his shop on Queen Street, this coin was possibly part of Brasher’s campaign to win for himself a role in the production of the State’s first official coinage. Brasher was a friend and close neighbour of George Washington in New York at the time, and he held several official posts in the city, including, at various times, Sanitary Commissioner, Coroner, Assistant Justice, Election Inspector, and Commissioner of Excise. Well respected as well as well connected, Brasher had hopes of success when in March 1787 a proposal was put before the New York State Assembly to appoint a committee ‘to establish a coinage of copper in the state’. Nothing came of this however, and no official copper coins were authorized.

To numismatists Brasher is best known for his countermark (his initials EB in a circle) on gold coins that were in circulation in New York at the time. He was responsible for assaying, testing, and evaluating these coins, an important role at a time when there was no official currency and forgery was rife. In 1787 Brasher also produced gold coin of his own, and for many years a ‘Brasher Doubloon’ from the Garrett Collection, sold on behalf of the Johns Hopkins University, was the most valuable American coin.

The Excelsior token shows on the obverse the arms of the City of New York, a sun over mountains on a shield supported by figures of Liberty and Justice, with an eagle above. These same city arms can be seen on the State’s paper currency of the period. This example has the eagle flying to the left, a scarcer variety than with the eagle flying to the right. Below the shield is the State motto ‘Excelsior’ (‘More Noble’, or ‘More Excellent’). The reverse of the token shows the American heraldic eagle holding an olive branch and a bundle of arrows, the American shield on its breast, and the motto ‘E Pluribus Unum’ around. This design is of course derived from the Great Seal of the United States.
This token is rare, and very difficult to find in extremely fine condition. Only ten of this variety have appeared at auction, the majority of them in very fine or lower grade. Andrew C Zabriskie, one of the most famous American coin collectors of the late 19th century, had an example of this token that was illustrated in the Henry Chapman catalogue when his coins were auctioned in 1909. When it was last offered for sale, in New York in 1989, the Zabriskie example was graded only ‘fine’ There was also an example of this variety in the famous Norweb collection. Purchased from the New Netherlands Coin Company in 1954 and sold at auction in 1988, the Norweb example was graded ‘very fine’

This coin which has only recently come to light, will take its place as the eleventh example known, but it will certainly rank among the best.

About Spink

Spink is the world’s leading auctioneer of coins, stamps, medals and banknotes.  Since its foundation in 1666, the Spink name has become synonymous with tradition, experience and integrity. Holders of three royal warrants and numerous records for prices achieved at auction, Spink offer an unparalleled range of services to collectors worldwide.  Spink is headquartered in London and hold over 35 auctions a year around the globe.  In June 2006 Spink shattered the world record for a British Coin sold at auction with the sale of the Double Leopard Gold Coin for a staggering £460,000.

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