British and World Coins Sold at Noonans

Noonans held their Auction 32 from 3^rd to 4^th October 2023 in three parts. The three coin sales achieved a combined hammer price of £515,885 with many great results.

The Roy Ince Collection of British Coins

Starting with the Roy Ince Collection of British Coins which was 100% sold and realized a hammer price of £140,590 against a pre-sale estimate of £97,000-124,000. Comprising 400 lots, the highlights included a groat from the reign of Richard III (1483-1485) which sold for a hammer price £2,600 against an estimate of £1,200-1,500 and was bought by an overseas collector [lot 19], while from the reign of James I (1603-1625) a Second coinage Unite realized a hammer price of £2,400 – it had been expected to fetch £1,500-1,800 and was purchased by a UK dealer [lot 57].

Tim Wilkes, Head of the Coin Department at Noonans explained: “Richard III is always popular, and his coins are always keenly contested and with regards to the Unite, the market for hammered gold coins is very strong and this was a nice piece.”

The Philip Richardson Collection of George III Coins

The afternoon saw the sale of 199 lots from the Philip Richardson Collection of George III copper coins which fetched a hammer price of £123,420 and was also 100% sold. A rare silver Pattern Halfpenny with the finest bust in the Droz series and from the Soho Mint in Birmingham fetched a hammer price of £3,800 against an estimate of £1,500-£2,000 [lot 589], while another from Birmingham – a gilt-copper proof penny from 1806 sold for £2,800 – almost double its pre-sale high estimate [lot 561]. Both were bought by UK Collectors.

World & Islamic Coins

Day two was devoted to World & Islamic Coins from various owners. The highest price of the sale was for a Jamaican Doubloon which sold for a hammer price of £26,000 and was bought by an overseas collector [lot 1344].

Prior to the sale, Mr Wilkes explained: “Spanish Colonial coins were the main currency in 18th century Jamaica. In 1758 the Jamaica Assembly passed an Act to make these coins legal tender by means of countermarking them with the initials GR (for Georgius Rex, ie King George II). Coins of all denominations were countermarked, including gold 8 Escudos such as the one being offered in this sale. These large gold coins were valued at 5 Pounds and were popularly known as doubloons; they are very rare today, with only around ten examples known today.”

Two coins from Hong Kong proved that that the market is very strong. A Half-Dollar from 1866 sold for a hammer price of £12,000, which was ten times its presale high estimate [lot 1248], while a dollar from the same year realized £3,400 [lot 1245]. Both were purchased by an overseas dealer.

From a Collection of Coins of the Ottoman Egypt; an extremely rare copper-nickel 80 para coin from the reign of Abdul Aziz fetched £4,000 against an estimate of £1,200-1,400 and was bought by an overseas collector [lot 1728].

Other coins that exceeded expectations included an extremely fine and rare Centavo from El Salvador, dating from 1893 which realized a hammer price of £5,000 against an estimate of £300-400 and was bought by an overseas collector [lot 1179].

Elsewhere, a group of 20 silver and 33 base metal coins from Iraq showed that there is an interest in Iraqi coins and realized £3,400 against an estimate of £100-150. This was bought by an overseas collector [lot 1320].

A very rare pattern and very attractive pattern penny from New Zealand dating from 1879 sold for £2,600 to an overseas collector. It had been estimated at £1,500-1,800 [lot 1412].