http://www.stampandcoin.co.uk JANUARY 2016^119Auction Highlights
A Triple Unite bearing the head of Charles I and minted in the
Royalist capital of Oxford in 1643 at the height of the English
Civil War was bought for £52,800 with commission (£44,000
hammer price), at the recent Dix Noonan Webb sale in London.
Bidding on the coin began at £26,000 and ‘brisk competition
ensured that the coin comfortably exceeded its £25,000 to £30,000
pre-sale estimate’ according to the auction house.SOLD FOR £44,000
A People’s Republic of China, 12oz silver coin, struck for the Year
of the Dragon in 1988, was one of the highlights of the recent
Spink sale in Hong Kong. The coin had a low mintage of 500
pieces and sold for HK$12,000.SOLD FOR £1,017
A Queen Anne Five Guineas dating from 1705 which had once
been in the collection of the coins and medals expert Captain
Kenneth Douglas-Morris was sold at Dix Noonan Webb. Bidding
for the coin began at £38,000, only just short of the £40,000
upper estimate, and quickly swept past that going to another room
bidder for £52,800 with commission (£44,000 hammer price) so
equalling the Triple Unite for top price in the sale (above).SOLD FOR £44,000
The 350th anniversary of the Great
Fire of London 2016 – £2 coin
In this special anniversary coin, The Royal
Mint’s history is intertwined with that of
the nation’s as we recall the devastating
Great Fire of London of 1666. The
Royal Mint, then based in the Tower of
London, was saved from the flames by the
demolition of houses that lay in the path
of the fire. Royal Mint graphic designer Aaron West has captured the event
on the new £2 coin.The 400th anniversary of the life of Shakespeare 2016 – £2 coin
In another landmark anniversary, The Royal Mint commemorates the life
of one of Britain’s greatest writers, William Shakespeare, born in April
1564 in Stratford Upon Avon.
Shakespeare’s plays make many references to coins, and sculptor John
Bergdahl’s designs reflect three aspects of his works on three different £2
coins: Tragedies, telling of downfalls and disasters; Histories, re-imagining
the events of times past; and Comedies, tales with happy endings or the
triumph of good over adversity.The last ‘round pound’
2016 – £1 coin
To mark the end of an era for the popular
British ‘round pound’ introduced in
1983, Royal Mint will strike a special
commemorative Royal Arms £1 coin
designed by artist Gregory Cameron which
will be of particular note to collectors as it
will not be available in general circulation.The 950th anniversary of the
Battle of Hastings 2016 – 50p coin
This year marks the 950th anniversary of one of the most memorable
events in the country’s history – and one date that every schoolchild is
taught – the Battle of Hastings of 1066. The 50p coin features a reverse
design by sculptor John Bergdahl, and depicts the famous fate of King
Harold, who is said to have been killed by an arrow to his eye.For more information on The Royal Mint’s 2016 coins,
visit the website: http://www.royalmint.comp118 Coin Update.indd 119 23/11/2015 14:49