http://www.stampandcoin.co.uk FEBRUARY 2016^95A new coin issued by Pobjoy Mint on behalf of the Ascension Island
government marks 800 years since the signing of the Magna Carta on
15 June, 1215.
The Magna Carta, one of the best known documents in legal history,
was sealed in June, 1215 under oath by King John at Runnymede on
the bank of the River Thames near Windsor. The document, which
was drawn up by the Archbishop of Canterbury in an attempt to
make peace between the unpopular King John and his barons, was
authenticated with the Great Seal of King John.
The design of the coin is based on the domed memorial at
Runnymede in England which contains a pillar of English granite
upon which is inscribed ‘To commemorate the Magna Carta, symbol
of Freedom under Law’. The domed roof showing the stars can be seen
with the central pillar leading down and King John’s original seal with
shown within the roof with a ribbon curling down the pillar.
Available in Cupro Nickel and Proof Sterling Silver, the Magna
Carta coin has been produced as a partially dished coin to replicate
the domed roof of the memorial. The obverse of the coin features
an effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley
FRBS with each precious metal version struck four times to achieve the
famous Pobjoy Proof Finish.
To purchase the coin, or for more information, visit Pobjoy Mint’s
website: http://www.pobjoy.comAuction Highlights
Spink’s recent Ancient, British and Foreign Coins and
Commemorative Medals sale saw a Polish, John III, Sobieski
(1674-96), 2 ducats coin sell for £27,000. The piece weighed
6.93g, and featured a laureate and draped bust right, and was
described as ‘extremely fine, very rare’. The coin was last sold in
New York in November 1962, fetching $520.SOLD FOR £27,000
An example of the ‘relatively low-mintage’ 1915-S half eagle
recently fetched a huge $94,000 at Heritage Auctions in the USA.
Approximately 164,000 copies of the $5 coin were produced but,
according to the auction house, there are just 23 ‘near-gems’. The
coin was last sold in 2007, when it was described as: ‘one of the
rarest and most important issues in the Indian Head five dollar
series... Even nice circulated coins can be difficult to find, but it is
in Mint State where the ‘15-S becomes an extreme challenge.’ The
auction catalogue this time around described the coin as ‘awash
with potent luster and thick mint frost, displaying a rich blend
of apricot-gold and mint-green. The sharp strike has brought up
the design features throughout both sides, including the Indian’s
hair, the feathers in the headdress, the eagle’s plumage, and the all-
important mintmark.’SOLD FOR £61,640
A Victoria proof
Florin, of 1853,
featuring a crowned
Gothic bust left, and
four crowned shields
cruciform on the
reverse, was recently
sold by Spink. The coin was described as ‘grained edge... dark
tone, one or two handling marks but about uncirculated, rare’.SOLD FOR £3,200
New dished coin
commemorates Magna
Carta anniversary
Nobel Peace Prize
made from fair gold
The winners of the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize will, for the first time,
receive a medal crafted from fair mined gold, bringing attention to
the plight of 90 percent of the world’s gold miners, who work in
unregulated mines with poor working and safety conditions.
The medal, featuring the head of Alfred Nobel, was struck at the
Norwegian Mint in Kongsberg, Norway in December in cooperation
with the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM), which highlights
working conditions in mines and their environmental impact.
ARM is working to transform small-scale mining into socially
and environmentally responsible businesses by assisting mines to
achieve Fairmined certification. This year’s peace prize medal comes
from a small Fairmined-certified mine in Iquira, Colombia.
For more on the work of the Alliance for Responsible Mining,
visit: http://www.responsiblemines.orgp94 Coin Update.indd 95 21/12/2015 10:23