Coin Collector

Coin Collector | 16 | www.allaboutcoins.co.uk AUCTION UPDATE THE LATEST COIN SALES FROM AROUND THE WORLD A rare Silver penny of the boy king Edward the Martyr - the teenager who ruled Saxon Britain in the 10th century – that was found on the Isle of Wight has been sold for £11,160 at Dix Noonan Webb. The coin was estimated to fetch £5,000-7,000 and was bought by an UK collector via a commission bid after competitive bidding from the internet. Nigel Mills, Antiquities Expert, Dix Noonan Webb said: “The price realised for the Edward the Martyr penny exceeded our expectations and reflects the quality and rarity of the coin combined with the fact that it is a new discovery and it is first time that it has been offered for sale.” The rare piece was discovered in March 2018 by a 68-year-old retired council worker using a Minelab ETrac metal detector. After metal detecting for 28 years, the detectorist, who wished to remain anonymous, was on a ploughed field with his local detecting club. Frustrated at only finding three .22 lead bullets in one spot, and ready to give up for the day he then got another signal in the same area and dug down 4-5 inches to uncover the Saxon penny. The coin was in remarkable condition, and has a fine portrait of the boy king wearing a diadem and facing left. Edward only ruled briefly, between the years 975-978 A.D. and was only 13 years old when he was crowned king after the death of his father Eadgar. Edward was assassinated on March 18 at the Saxon hall where Corfe Castle in Dorset, now stands, by supporters of his half brother Aethelred. SOLD FOR £11,160 Heritage Auctions’ recent sale of Error Coinage saw an array of intriguing pieces, including a Kennedy Half Dollar with three distinct strikes, which sold for £3,783. The 1973-S 50C Kennedy Half Dollar, triple struck was described as being ‘an impressive Mint error on a proof, with three strikes boldly visible on each side. The date and mintmark remain visible on the final strike. Proof mirroring in the fields surrounds frosted motifs on each sequential strike.’ SOLD FOR £3,783 Despite the Central States Numismatic Society convention being cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Heritage Auctions offered nearly 3,000 lots of US Coins. Jim Halperin, Co-founder of Heritage Auctions said: ‘CSNS is one of the highlight auction events our clients look forward to every year. We worked with convention organisers to make sure the truly stellar offerings are still offered despite the cancellation.’ A selection of scarce gold coins were among the highlights of the sale, with an 1858 Proof ‘Liberty Eagle’ gold being the star. The lot description explained: ‘The Philadelphia Mint began its program of commercial proof coin offerings in 1858. Mintage figures for proofs were not recorded that year, but experts agree no more than four to six proof Liberty eagles were produced… Most of the coins we know about today were issued as part of six-piece gold proof sets, but it is possible that a few examples were sold singly, as well. Only four examples have been reliably reported, and we believe three of those coins are included in institutional collections at the Smithsonian Institution, the American Numismatic Society, and the Connecticut State Library… The magnificent coin offered here is the only example available to collectors, making this lot an extremely important opportunity for series specialists and Registry Set enthusiasts.’ SOLD FOR £384,000 The latest online auction of coins, tokens and weights at 2020 Auctions included a Richard III, groat, London, mm. halved sun and rose (S.2154), a little short of flan but VF and rare. SOLD FOR £500