Individual and groups of coins feature regularly across all three salerooms at Golding Young. From sovereigns, to silver proof crowns, Victorian copper pennies to threepenny bits we sell a diverse range of coinage for all pockets.
It is not often however, that a consignment of early English coinage enters the saleroom. Found in an attic while our transport team were on a house clearance, it’s true that you never know what you might find in a property, and in this case there really was cash in the attic!
The collection was sold in the Bourne June collective sale and included a Queen Mary silver groat from 1553-54 which realised £150, and a later Philip and Mary double portrait silver shilling from 1554-58 which sold for £550. An earlier Edward VI silver shilling made £220 and a Henry VIII silver groat £180.
Arguably, one of the most historically interesting coins within the collection was a 1653 Commonwealth half crown. Following the end of the second English Civil War and the execution of Charles I, the Commonwealth under Oliver Cromwell was created where we had a Republic for a number of years and not a monarchy.
The coin from this period, which sold for £550, does not feature the typical monarch’s portrait bust, but instead a shield bearing the cross of Saint George to represent England, surrounded by a laurel and palm wreath to symbolise victory and peace which the formation of the Republic created. Verso, the coin depicts the two shields of England and Ireland (the harp) conjoined. Scotland and Wales were not represented as they had their own coinage. The coin is a fascinating historical relic from a tumultuous time in our history.
All types of coinage are welcome for consignment across all three of our salerooms. We are open Monday-Friday 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm, no appointment is necessary. If you are a collector of coins make sure to keep an eye on our website for entries in forthcoming sales.
Sale and service information can be found at www.goldingyoung.com
