SINCONA Spring Auctions 2023

The SINCONA auction house invites enthusiasts of world numismatics to this year’s spring auction sales from 15 to 17 May 2023 for three exciting numismatic days in Zurich. 3450 lots with an estimate of almost CHF 5.8m are sure to ignite exciting bidding battles.

Auction 82

On 15 May 2023, it all begins with auction 82 and what is already the fourth part of the important SINCONA British Collection, which is by now renowned among collectors and experts alike. Once again, more than 400 lots will be on offer, amounting to a total estimate of CHF 1.8m. We all have fond memories of the three previous sales and are excited to see more bidding battles for British coins, which again include numerous rarities. Here are some interesting examples:

• Lot 1512: Edward III 1327-1377. Noble n.d. (1369-1377), Tower Mint. Fourth coinage, post-treaty period. Mintmark “cross potent”. With French title. Very rare. Magnificent quality. NGC MS63. Estimate: CHF 3,500.
• Lot 1519: Richard II 1377-1399. Noble n.d. (1377-1399), Calais. Type IIIC. Mintmark “cross pattée”. Lion on rudder, two pellets by shield. French title resumed. Extremely rare. Showpiece. NGC MS66. Estimate: CHF 5,000.

• Lot 1575: Elizabeth I 1558-1603. Fine Sovereign n.d. (1592-1595), Tower Mint. Sixth issue. Mintmark “tun”. 15.50 g. Rare, especially in this quality. NGC MS61. Estimate: CHF 25,000.

• Lot 1589: James I 1603-1625. Spur Ryal n.d. (1619-1620), Tower Mint. Third coinage. Mintmark “spur rowel”.  Extremely rare. Showpiece. NGC MS61. Estimate: CHF 30,000.

• Lot 1617: Charles I 1625-1649. Triple Unite 1642, Oxford. Declaration type. Tall narrow bust. Mintmark “plume” on obverse only. Extremely rare. Magnificent quality. NGC MS62. Estimate: CHF 30,000.
• Lot 1623: Charles I 1625-1649. Pattern Unite of 20 Shillings n.d. (1635-1649), Tower Mint. Uncrowned bust, struck in high relief. Mintmark “lis”. By Abraham Vanderdort. Extremely rare. NGC AU53. Estimate: CHF 25,000.
• Lot 1635: Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, 1653-1658. Pattern 1/2 Broad of 10 Shillings 1656 (1738), London. Laureate head, plain edge. Dutch obverse, reverse by John S. Tanner. Of the highest rarity, apparently only three specimens in private hands. Magnificent quality with the usual die errors. NGC PF63. Estimate: CHF 15,000.

• Lot 1747: George II 1727-1760. Pattern 2 Guineas 1733, London. Young laureate head, plain edge. By John Croker. Of the highest rarity. NGC PF63 CAMEO. Estimate: CHF 30,000.
• Lot 1779: George III 1760-1820. Pattern Guinea 1761, London. Young laureate head, variety with two laurel leaves at top of wreath, reeded edge. By Richard Yeo. Of the highest rarity. NGC PF65. Estimate: CHF 20,000.
• Lot 1799: George III 1760-1820. Pattern 2 Guineas 1777, London. Mature laureate head, plain edge. Die axis 12h (en medaille). By or after Richard Yeo. Of the highest rarity. Magnificent quality. NGC PF62 ULTRA CAMEO. Estimate: CHF 40,000.

• Lot 1843: George III 1760-1820. Pattern 5 Pounds 1820, London. New coinage. Laureate head, in raised lettering on edge: DECUS ET TUTAMEN. ANNO REGNI LX. By Benedetto Pistrucci. Of the highest rarity. Showpiece. NGC PF64* ULTRA CAMEO. Estimate: CHF 150,000.

• Lot 1855: George IV 1820-1830. Proof 5 Pounds 1826, London. Bare head, lettered edge. By William Wyon after Chantrey, reverse by Johann B. Merlen. Very rare. Only ca. 400 specimens minted. Magnificent quality. NGC PF63 ULTRA CAMEO. Estimate: CHF 40,000.
• Lot 1884: Victoria, 1837-1901. Proof Sovereign 1853, London. Young head, WW incuse on truncation, reeded edge. By William Wyon. Of the highest rarity. Showpiece. NGC PF67 ULTRA CAMEO. Estimate: CHF 25,000.
• Lot 1941: Scotland. Mary, 1542-1567. 44 Shillings 1553, Edinburgh. First period, before marriage. I-G by shield, cinquefoils by monogram. Very rare. NGC UNC Details. Estimate: CHF 3,000.

Auction 83

The catalogue of SINCONA auction 83 (15 to 17 May) shows once again how incredibly multi-faceted and fascinating the world of numismatics is. The extensive catalogue with 3000 lots presents coins and medals from the Celts in Switzerland to contemporary gold commemorative coin sets of the 21st century. As usual, it consists of three main chapters: World coins and medals, the well-known SINCONA Bullion Auction as well as Swiss coins and medals. The total estimate is CHF 4m.

This time, the chapter on Great Britain (177 lots with an estimate of CHF 556,000) will be auctioned off prior to the rest of the material so that all British coins can be offered on the same day, 15 May.

• Lot 2007: Great Britain. Elizabeth I 1558-1603. Silver medal 1587. Commemorating the English support of the Protestants of the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Very rare. Extremely fine with beautiful patina. Estimate: CHF 5,000.
• Lot 2014: Great Britain. Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, 1653-1658. Pattern 6 Pence 1658, London. Smooth edge. Of the highest rarity. Beautiful patina. NGC AU58. Estimate: CHF 10,000.
• Lot 2025: Great Britain. William III and Mary, 1689-1694. Silver medal 1692. Commemorating the naval battle of La Hague. Rare. Beautiful patina. Extremely fine. Estimate: CHF 2,500.

• Lot 2039: Great Britain. George II 1727-1760. Pattern 2 Guineas 1733, London. Of the highest rarity. Fine gold patina. NGC PF62 CAMEO. Estimate: CHF 40,000.

• Lot 2072: Great Britain. George III 1760-1820. Pattern 2 Pounds 1820, London. New coinage. ANNO REGNI LX. Of the highest rarity and of magnificent quality. NGC PF 62 ULTRA CAMEO. Estimate: CHF 30,000.

• Lot 2097: Great Britain. Victoria 1837-1901. Pattern 5 Pounds 1839, London. Una and the lion. Of the highest rarity. NGC PF60 ULTRA CAMEO. Estimate: CHF 150,000.
• Lot 2167: Great Britain. George VI 1936-1952. Gold medal n.d. (engraved in 1936). Livinstone Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. Very rare. FDC. Estimate: CHF 10,000.

After the chapter on British issues, the sale goes on as usual. On Monday, 15 May, coins of the Islamic world will be on offer (88 lots with an estimate of CHF 40,000) as well as world coins, whose sale will be continued on 16 May. Special chapters and collections are Chinese coins (147 lots with an estimate of CHF 82,000), German coins and medals (173 lots with an estimate of CHF 159,000) and those of France (164 lots with an estimate of CHF 234,000). The chapters on Italy (197 lots with an estimate of CHF 303,000) and Nepal (38 lots with an estimate of CHF 23,000) are also remarkable. Once again, we will present several highlights:

• Lot 2180: Islamic coinage, Umayyads. ‘Abd al-Malik (b. Marwan I), 65-86 AH (AD 685-705). Dinar 84 H, no mint mark. Showpiece. NGC MS66. Estimate: CHF 700.
• Lot 2199: Islamic coinage, Abbasids. al-Saffah, 132-136 AH (AD 749-754). Dinar 132 H, no mint mark. Rare year. Above-average quality. NGC MS63. Estimate: CHF 1,500.
• Lot 2339: Flanders, County. Philip II of Spain, 1555-1598. Real d’or n.d. (1555-1598), Bruges. Rare. Showpiece. PCGS MS63. Estimate: CHF 4,500.
• Lot 2398: China, Empire. Zhili province, Pei-Yang. 7 Mace 2 Candereens (Dollar) year 25 (1899), Pei Yang Arsenal Mint. Rare. Beautiful coloured patina. NGC AU53. Estimate: CHF 1,000.
• Lot 2630: Germany. Silesia. Breslau. Gold medal 1535. Dedicated to Nikolaus Jenkwitz, Councillor and Officer of Breslau. Extremely rare. Extremely fine +. Estimate: CHF 7,500.
• Lot 2730: France. Henri VI d’Angleterre, 1422-1453. Angelot d’or n.d., Rouen. Very rare. Extremely fine. Estimate: CHF 7,500.
• Lot 2847: France. IInd Empire. Napoleon III 1852-1870. 5 dollars / 25 francs 1867. ESSAI in gold. Very rare. PCGS SP63. Estimate: CHF 15,000.
• Lot 2889: Greece. Otto, 1832-1862. 1 lepton 1834, Munich. Very rare in this quality. NGC MS65 BN. Estimate: CHF 5,000.
• Lot 3018: Italy. Antonio Gaetano Gallo Trivulzio, 1679-1705. 2 doppie 1686, Retegno. 19th-century restrike with original dies. Of the highest rarity. It is believed that only 3 specimens were minted. Extremely fine. Estimate: CHF 5,000.
• Lot 3273: Nepal. Prithvi Bir Bikram, 1803-1833 SE / 1938-1968 VS (AD 1881-1911). 2 Tolas (4 Mohars, Duitola Asarphi) 1833 SE (AD 1911). Magnificent quality. NGC MS64. Estimate: CHF 3,000.

• Lot 3380: Holy Roman Empire. Ferdinand I 1521-1564. 10 ducats n.d. (early 2nd half of the 16th century). Gold minted medal, Kremnica mint. Depiction of the story of the prophet Jonas and the resurrection of Jesus. Of the highest rarity, probably the only known specimen. Extremely fine specimen with lustre. Estimate: CHF 30,000.

• Lot 3420: Holy Roman Empire. Franz Joseph I 1848-1916. 9 ducats 1896 KB, Kremnica. Celebratory issue for the millennium anniversary of the seizure of Hungary. Very rare. Only 100 specimens minted. Magnificent quality. NGC PF62. Estimate: CHF 40,000.
• Lot 3429: Holy Roman Empire. Franz Joseph I 1848-1916. 100 kronen 1909, Vienna. Showpiece. NGC PF67 ULTRA CAMEO. Estimate: CHF 30,000.
• Lot 3488: Romania. Carol II 1930-1940. 100 lei 1940, Bucharest. Commemorating the 10th anniversary of his reign. Only 346 specimens minted. Extremely fine +. Estimate: CHF 15,000.

• Lot 3511: Russia. Tsardom. Nicholas I 1801-1855. 12 roubles 1832, platinum, Mint of Saint Petersburg, SPB. Only 1,102 specimens minted. NGC UNC Details. Estimate: CHF 20,000.

• Lot 3584: Spain. Juana y Carlos, 1504-1516-1555. 4 reales 1547, Zaragoza. Of the highest rarity. Very fine to extremely fine. Estimate: CHF 30,000.

• Lot 3689: Czech Republic. 10 ducats 1934, Kremnica. Commemorating the re-opening of the Kremnica mine. Very rare. Magnificent quality. FDC. Estimate: CHF 30,000.

This impressive series of world coins is followed by the traditional SINCONA Bullion Auction, this time with 200 lots. As usual, this is a very particular part of the sale: bullion gold is auctioned off at special conditions to private individuals and dealers; however, bids are made as a percentage of the precious metal price, not based on the currency; and buyers do not pay a premium added to the hammer price regardless of whether they participate as room bidders, submit their bids via writing or Live Bidding.

As usual, Swiss coins duly round off the auction sale. Almost 1000 lots with an estimate of about CHF 1m are waiting for collectors and dealers.

The sale starts with a special collection of mid-sized silver issues of the late Gothic and Renaissance periods – dicken, cavallotti, cornuti etc. The arrangement of the lots is rather unusual as the pieces are not ordered by ruler but by historical events.

Last are coins and medals of the cantons (632 lots with an estimate of CHF 543,000) and those of the Confederation (191 lots with an estimate of CHF 350,000). As we are used to, a section with shooting issues including 121 lots rounds off the three auction days.

• Lot 4507: Switzerland. Diocese of Sion. Matthäus Schiner, 1499-1522. Dicken n.d. Rare in this quality. About extremely fine. Estimate: CHF 2,500.
• Lot 4536: Switzerland. Uri. Dicken 1610, Altdorf mint. Very rare in this quality. About extremely fine. Estimate: CHF 3,500.

• Lot 4657: Switzerland. Bern. 6 ducats n.d. (ca. 1775), Bern mint. Extremely rare. Extremely fine to FDC. Estimate: CHF 35,000.

• Lot 5103: Switzerland. Zurich. Ducat n.d. (1580), Zurich mint. Extremely rare condition. Showpiece. PCGS MS63. Estimate: CHF 20,000.

• Lot 5333: Switzerland. Swiss Confederation. 20 francs 1871, Bern mint. By Durussel. Very rare. Magnificent quality. NGC PF62. Estimate: CHF 38,000.

Be a welcome guest of SINCONA AG in beautiful Zurich! Of course, you can contact the team via phone and email or participate online in the auctions from 15 to 17 May 2023.