Colonial Column: January – February 2024

Welcome to 2024!

The first two months of the year have been great for us at Colonial Coins and Medals. Coming off the back of a great Hong Kong coin show in December of 2023, the shop opened in January to great interest and retail business. Further to this, we embarked on the 30th of January for England, attending the London Coin Fair on Saturday the 3rd of February at the Holiday Inn, Bloomsbury, and had our first experience selling retail in one of the hearts of proper numismatics.

Peter at our London Coin Fair table.

On our way back to Brisbane, we stopped over in Melbourne and attended the Australian Numismatic Dealer’s Association’s ‘Money Expo’ on the 10th – 11th of February. It was great to see all the familiar faces. Going forward, I hope to continue Colonial Column, our ‘updates section’ of the online Colonial Gazette.

In terms of retail, below are a selection of highlight items we have sold in the first two months of 2024. 

Boeotia, Thebes, Silver Stater (11.99g, 22mm, Aeginetan standard), magistrate Kabi-, circa 368-364 BC. Hepworth-61; BCD Boiotia-539; McClean-5601. A most charming Theban stater in hand, well centred on the reverse and virtually all of the shield is present on flan, some lovely original rainbow colour through the devices amidst a deep cabinet grey, a very popular series, Very Fine.

SKU: AGC2-73

Sold for $1,250

Mysia, Cyzicus, Electrum Stater (16.03g, 16mm, Phocaean Standard), circa 500-450 BC. Greenwell-117; Von-Fritze-96; SNG-France-237. Although with a clear flan crack as a consequence of striking, the offered piece is a better obverse type and rich in eye appeal, the desirability further bolstered by the well centred striking and the moderately aurum in colour electrum flan, details Very Fine.

SKU: AGC2-2

Sold for $5,500.00

George III of the House of Hanover, King of the Great Britain 1760-1820 AD, Gold Guinea (8.35g, 24mm), 1775. Farey-1150; Spink-3728. Light areas of roughness and minor obverse contact marks, a most pleasing piece otherwise and visually attractive in hand, near Extremely Fine.

SKU: ECM-192

Sold for $2,250.00

Parthian Empire, Mithridates II of the Arsacid Dynasty, King of Kings of Parthia 124-91 BC, Silver Drachm (4.04g, 19mm), Rhagae mint 96/5-93/2 BC. Sellwood-28.6. A superb piece, lightly toned and near choicely centred – the reverse with all devices present on flan and a near perfect die-engraving of Arsaces, light toning with subtle colour around the devices, near Mint State.

SKU: OAI2-12

Sold for $600.00

Russian Empire, Elizabeth of the House of Romanov, Empress of Russia 1741-1762 AD, Silver Rouble (25.57g, 40.5mm), 1745 СПБ, Saint Petersburg mint. Craig-19b.4; Bitkin-260. An attractive early rouble, despite a little roughness on obverse, the piece offers a noteworthy reverse with underlying brilliance upon rotation, details Very Fine, reverse good Very Fine.

SKU: WC-378

Sold for $750.00

T.G. Wright: WWI Trio, 12th Light Horse, celebrated Charge of Beersheba

1914-1915 Star, impressed to “489 PTE T.G. WRIGHT. 12/L.H. RGT. A.I.F.”
British War Medal, impressed to “489 T/SJT T.G WRIGHT. 12 L H RGT A.I.F.”
Victory Medal, impressed to “489 T-SJT. T.G. WRIGHT. 12 L.H.R. A.I.F.”

A fine Great War Trio to the 12th Light Horse that was on strength at the time of their celebrated Charge of Beersheba – this action which should be the cornerstone of Australian historical military identity, in place of the failed Gallipoli Campaign – Gallipoli was a British-led defeat, Beersheba was an Australian-led victory. Medals well preserved, Extremely Fine.

SKU: WM13-8

Sold for $4,800.00

Australia, WWI German Concentration Camp (GCC), Holsworthy (near Liverpool), New South Wales, Aluminium Internment Camp Token (31mm), circa 1914-1916 AD. Carlisle-1916/4. Typical light contact marks, not so apparent when held in hand, a better then average example and quite scarce, of the utmost interest in the area of Australiana and military history, good Very Fine.

SKU: MTC1-60

Sold for $1,500.00

James I of the House of Stuart, King of England 1603-1625 AD, Gold Unite of 22 Shillings (9.98g, 36mm), second coinage, initial mark Tun (1615-1616), Tower mint, London. Spink-2620. A most handsome gold unite of James VI and I, fully round and lightly toned offering a pleasing patina, well struck legends and only slight softness over portrait, a very light crease otherwise problem free, near Very Fine.

SKU: ECH-59

Sold for $4,850.00

Æthelred II ‘the Unready’ of the House of Wessex, Anglo-Saxon King of the English 978-1013/1014-1016 AD, Silver Penny (1.37g, 20mm), First Hand Type, Lincoln mint 979-985 AD, Moneyer Færthen. North-766. Very minor doubling and struck with somewhat crude dies, interestingly with a ridged upper cloud line, lightly toned and in great preservation, far better viewed in hand, basically as struck, Extremely Fine and a moderately scarce mint.

SKU: ECA-20

Sold for $1,358.00

George III of the House of Hanover, King of Great Britain 1760-1820 AD, Silver ‘Northumberland’ Shilling (6.02g, 25mm), 1763, Tower mint, London. Bull-2124; Spink-3742; ESC-1214. Deeply toned each side with a lovely display of olive grey cabinet toning, the obverse awash with underlying brilliance at each rotation, trifling contact marks to obverse, a scarce and most collectible example of the well-known shilling type, Extremely Fine.

SKU: ECM-182

Sold for $2,328.00

George III of the House of Hanover, King of the United Kingdom 1760-1820 AD, Gold Sovereign (7.96g, 22mm), 1817, Tower mint, London. Marsh-1. Mintage of 3,235,239. An admirable offering of the ever popular first date sovereign, evenly worn and visually attractive, some typical light marks for the grade, details Very Fine.

SKU: ECM-198

Sold for $3,201.00

Seleucid Empire, Seleucus I Nicator, as Basileus 305-281 BC, Silver Tetradrachm (17.17g, 25mm, Attic Standard), uncertain mint ‘4’, possibly in Cappadocia or northern Mesopotamia, after 305 BC. Selucid Coins-60.1. Struck on a broad, slightly concave flan, the obverse in quite fine style, much more attractive in hand, good Very Fine, reverse near Extremely Fine.

SKU: AGC3-11

Sold for $873.00

Russian Empire, Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov, Emperor of Russia 1894-1917 AD, Gold 10 Rouble (8.58g, 22.5mm), 1899 АГ, Saint Petersburg mint, mint master Apollon Grasgof. KM Y-64; Friedberg-179. Few hairline marks on obverse and slight rim bump to reverse, otherwise details Extremely Fine.

SKU: WC-352

Sold for $970.00

Spanish Kingdom of Castile & León, John II of the House of Trastámara, King of Castile & León 1406-1454 AD, Gold Dobla de la Banda (4.59g, 29mm), Seville mint 1406-1454 AD. Fr-112. A superb and bold early Spanish hammered piece, exceptionally well struck through the reverse devices, an interesting numismatic piece from a period where Castilian money lacked uniformity prior to the reforms of Henry IV and Ferdinand and Isabella and the inception of the Real, details Extremely Fine for the type.

SKU: WC-335

Sold for $4,656.00

Duchy of Milan, Ludovico Maria Sforza of the House of Sforza, Seventh Duke of Milan 1494-1499 AD, Silver Testone (9.52g, 27mm), Milan mint 1466-1476 AD. E. Biaggi-1578. A most handsome and excellent example of the type, few minor hairline scratches on reverse, easily overlooked when viewing in hand, very complete in strike on the reverse and through the obverse peripheral devices, details good Very Fine or better.

SKU: WC-2

Sold for $1,164.00

Duchy of Milan, Galeazzo Maria Sforza of the House of Sforza, Fifth Duke of Milan 1466-1476 AD, Silver Testone (9.52g, 27mm), Milan mint 1466-1476 AD. E. Biaggi-1548. Several minor contact marks throughout, otherwise quite evenly worn and a somewhat scarcer type of the tyrannical Sforza Duke, near Very Fine, reverse Very Fine.

SKU: WC-1

Sold for $776.00

Abbasid Caliphate, Al-Mansur, as the second Abbasid Caliph from 754–775 AD (AH136-158), Gold Dinar (4.23g), AH 157, ‘mintless’ type. Bernardi-51. A very superior example, choicely struck and visually powerful in hand, details near Mint State.

SKU: OAI3-1

Sold for $1,067.00

Edward VI of the House of Tudor, King of England 1547-1553 AD, Silver Shilling (6.22g, 31mm), Third period, Fine silver issues, initial mark Tun (1551-1553). Spink-2482; North-1937. A truly sublime rendition, a most noteworthy portrait of the boy king framed with a subtle display of rainbow toning, the scale of which far too difficult to capture through a camera lens, certainly one of the finer examples available to commerce, Extremely Fine, reverse a little less so.

SKU: ECH-41

Sold for $2,500.00

Mary I of the House of Tudor, as Queen and sole monarch of England 1553-1554 AD, Silver Groat (1.85g, 25.5mm), initial mark Pomegranate 1553-1554 AD, Tower mint, London. Spink-2492; North-1960. Notably sharp devices frame this splendid piece, the portrait with typical flatness but still quite legible with all facial features visible, lightly toned with a nice steel grey, a very desirable piece, good Very Fine.

SKU: ECH-58

Sold for $1,500.00

Attica, Athens, Silver Tetradrachm (17.21g, mm, Attic Standard), struck circa 454-404 BC. Kroll-8; Dewing 1591-8; SNG Copenhagen-31. A bold and most excellent rendition of the famous Athenian tetradrachm, struck during the mass period and height of the Athenian empire, well centred with the lower portion of the headdress visible, as well as a strong incuse box on the reverse, minor wear over wing feather otherwise as struck, details Virtually Mint state.

SKU: AGC2-46

Sold for $3,000.00

Cilicia, Tarsos, Datames (Tarkamuwa), as Achaemenid Satrap of Cilicia and/or Cappadocia circa 380-362 BC, Silver Stater (10.03g, 21.5mm, Persian Imperial standard), circa 380 BC. Casabonne Type 1; Moysey Issue 4; SNG BN 258–65; SNG Levante 79. An imposing and visually appealing example of the well-loved type, although it appears artificially toned and with some minor pitting, the patina adds to the visual appeal and the strike is each side is choice, good Very Fine.

SKU: AGC2-88

Sold for $2,500.00