Tennants’ Coins and Banknotes Sale on 7th August featured an interesting variety of ancient coins, including specimens from Ancient Greece, Carthage, Judea, Celtic Britain, and Rome. One of the highlights of the auction was a stunning Gold Stater from Philip II of Macedon, dating back to the fourth century BC, which sold for £4,000 (all figures exclude buyer’s premium). This coin exemplifies the remarkable detail of Hellenistic coin design from that period.
A rare Henry I Penny led the British hammered section of the sale sold for £1,200. This coin was discovered by a metal detectorist in East Yorkshire (PAS reference: YORYM-68B2AA) and is a PAXS type penny from the York Mint. It represents the first known coin of the York moneyer Edwine in this type and is believed to date from the early 12th century.
In the milled section, a pair of Scottish pattern crowns stood out. Both were struck in 1828 by Matthew Young from dies originally prepared by Norbert Rottiers for use during the reigns of James VII (II of England) and the uncrowned James VIII, commonly known as the Old Pretender. These coins are extremely rare, with only about 60 examples of each type believed to have been struck. The James VII (II of England) Pattern Sixty Shillings 1688 sold for £4,000, and the James VIII Pattern Crown 1716 sold for £2,800, both above estimate. Hailing from the New World was a USA, Pennsylvania Threepence 1764, which sold for £950. The note was printed by Benjamin Franklin and was a rarely seen ‘plate A’ variety.
Gold coins continue to set good prices and two fine examples in the sale were a George IV, Two Pounds 1823 that sold for £2,500, and a George VI, ‘Coronation’ Partial Gold Proof Set 1937 that was one of only 5001 struck and sold for £10,200.
The sale achieved a total hammer price of £178,275 for 376 lots and an impressive 98% sold rate.
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