Our Spring ‘24 coin auction is a veritable Smörgåsbord for collectors of all types of coins. Our auction starts with an offering of ancient coins, a highlight being of a silver tetradrachm of Nikokles (Lot 2), the ill-fated king of the City of Paphos in Cyprus. This coin is sought after for a number of reasons by different collectors - it is a posthumous type of Alexander III, the Great, struck with his likeness as Herakles and in his name. Alexander allowed the kingdoms of Cyprus to exist but revoked their right to issue their own coinage. This type of Nikokles features his own name in micro lettering on the lion’s mane, now worn - an unabashed attempt at establishing his authority as the King of Paphos. Nikokles’ demise is one of the saddest of the ancient world - following the surrounding of his city by Ptolemy I, and the realisation of a traitor’s death (slow, incredibly painful and in public view) Nikokles and his family slew themselves. This example is in Good Very Fine condition.
Lot 2: A pleasing silver tetradrachm of Nikokles of Paphos, struck 325 - 317 B.C.
Our catalogue runs in chronological order with an offering of coins from Henry VI and Edward IV of England, two of the main belligerents in the Wars of the Roses, 1455 - 1487 (lot 7 - lot 12). One area of focus is the coinage of George II (1727 - 1760), lot 31 - lot 117 with a particular highlight being lot 94, a 1746 LIMA crown in Near Extremely Fine condition. The LIMA series of coins was minted in 1745 and 1746. These coins, including guineas, crowns, half crowns, shillings, and sixpences, were struck using silver captured from Spanish ships off the coast of Lima, Peru, by British privateers. To commemorate this victory and the origin of the silver, the word "LIMA" was prominently displayed beneath the King's bust on the obverse of these coins, making them a unique and historically significant part of British numismatic history.
Lot 94: A 1746 LIMA crown in Near Extremely Fine condition.
Lot 226 represents a very interesting (and affordable) coin, a 1778 thaler of Friedrich II of Hesse-Cassel,(1760 - 1785). This coin is intriguing for a number of reasons, firstly their association with the American Wars of Independence. Hessian mercenaries were hired by the British to fight in the American Revolutionary War. Thus were named “blood dollars”, a name derived from the belief that the money paid to these mercenaries was effectively payment for the blood shed by American soldiers. Based on this macabre background, the fairy tale of the Sterntalern, which the Grimm brothers wrote in the Kassel area, was created. The name sterntaler or star money is due to the prominent star on the reverse,
Lot 226: An interesting 1778-BR thaler of Friedrich II of Hesse-Cassel,(1760 - 1785).
These featured coins and more than 350 lots of coinage spanning the ancient world to modern proof issues are now open for bidding in Chiswick Auctions’ Spring 2024 coin sale. Bidding will conclude on the 26th of May from 3:00 pm.
Learn more about timed auctions here.