Home Symbol Cromwell

Recent Auction Results

image1

Starting Price: 7000 GBP
Price realized: 28 000 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-1660), Crown, 1649, m.m. sun,  the  commonwealth  of  england , shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev.  god  with  vs  1649 , conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, 29.70g {458.3grns}, 11h (ESC 1 {1} [R4]; Tisbury, lot 820, same dies; N.2721; S.3214), an overt dig below obverse shield with further traces of stress marks and double-striking across an otherwise spectacularly broad and well toned flan, a pleasing very fine, with spots of red wax in recesses, only thirteen specimens traced for this extremely rare first date of issue, five being in museums, rendering this example one of the finest available to commerce.
Hepburn-Wright, collection dispersed by Spink (acquired June 1964) - "very large flan, R5, nearly extremely fine" - £350.0.0
Thorpe, second collection, Spink Numismatic Circular, March and April 1952 (this coin not listed)
Lt-Col. Morrieson, 20-24 November 1933, lot 685 - extremely fine and very rare - £44.0.0 (Seaby)
Bliss, 15-19 May 1916, lot 474A - very fine and an extremely rare date - £17.10.0 (Spink)
Moon, 7-10 May 1901, lot 261 - extremely fine and excessively rare, very few specimens known - £15.10.0 (Verity)
Duchess of Beaufort {"Nobleman"}, 1-2 May 1890, lot 39 - "fine and round; and a scarce date" - £19.0.0 (Verity)

An account of prices realised for the Beaufort sale was published in the Western Morning News on 5 May 1890, including mention of the coin presently offered. Transcribed here, it is remarkably reminiscent of auction results of the recent past:
"During last week the rooms of Messrs. Christie, Manson and Woods, in St. James's-square, were thronged with numismatists and collectors from all parts of the kingdom at the dispersal, under the hammer, of a very valuable collection of coins, the property of a celebrated nobleman. The coins when placed in Messrs. Christie's possession had evidently been uncared for, for a considerable number of years, and were by no means in the order in which such rarities are nowadays accustomed to be retained by their fortunate owners. This is, perhaps, another instance of how often valuable antiquities and unique works of art are buried in the cabinets of unused and remote country mansions or lost for long periods in the possession of ducal families. The most recent sale has again testified to the enormous, almost incredible, appreciation in the value of the rarest examples of the English series of coins and of what are known as "pedigree" coins - that is where the possession is clearly traced through numerous collections from date of striking. Thus, as was stated in these columns at the dispersal of Mr [Egmont-]Bieber's collection in [1889], it is nothing uncommon for specimens of the rarest issues to make eight, ten, and even more times as much as was thought to be their value under a dozen years ago. Amongst others, for a Commonwealth Crown of 1649, but one other is known, £19 was realised. A Scarborough siege half-crown, temp. Chas. I, a rude, almost unshapen piece of silver, originally the plate of the Oxford Colleges, and having a view of Scarborough Castle and 11s. vid. impressed on the obverse, £49. This is the rarest of the siege series. A gold Charles I pattern Broad, crowned [£95], and a Charles II proof Crown in gold of 1663 no less than £252, the owner being offered £300 next day. Of course, each was in the finest condition. Holders of good collections of coins may be congratulated upon possessing property which is increasing in value by leaps and bounds, and as to which every occasion when dispersal of known collections takes place, emphasises the fact that the most celebrated pieces are being rapidly but certainly collated in a very few hands" [sic]


Estimate: £8,000 - £10,000

image2

Starting Price: 6400 GBP
Price realized: 12 000 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Crown, 29.41g, 1649, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, thin wire-line inner circle, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 2 {2} [R5], this coin; N.2721; S.3214), almost very fine with dark toning, extremely rare.
Provenance:
Van Roekel, Spink 156, 15 November 2001, lot 76, £6,175
H Manville, Spink 154, 12 July 2001, lot 3
K V Graham, Glendining, 12 June 1963, lot 150
Spink, Numismatic Circular, September 1959, no. 7378
J H Hartley, Glendining, 9 December 1959, lot 184
H Whitley, Glendining, 11 April 1956, lot 208
H M Lingford, Glendining, 24 October 1950, lot 240

image3

Starting Price: 5200 GBP
Price realized: 20 000 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Crown, 29.79g, 1649, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 1 {1} [R4]; N.2721; S.3214), almost very fine and an extremely rare date.
Provenance:
Stack's auction, 8 June 1999, lot 578
Norweb, part 4, Spink auction 59, 17 June 1987, lot 1454
R C Lockett, part 2, Glendining, 11-17 October 1956, lot 2603, £62
G. R. Francis, Glendining, 24-26 March 1920, lot 309 (illustrated), £14 - "Excessively rare, only five other examples of this date being known"
W Dash, Sotheby, 9 May 1913, lot 19 (part)
Estimate: £6,500.00 - £8,500.00

image4

Starting Price: 4800 GBP
Price realized: 14 000 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Crown, 29.99g, 1651, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 3 {3} [R4]; N.2721; S.3214), about extremely fine, golden toning, a rarer date for this denomination.
Provenance:
Bt. Baldwinw, 13 January 1989, £1,750
Capt. H E G Paget, Glendining, 25-27 September 1946, lot 172, £16 - "extremely fine and a rare date"
E E Yates, collection purchased en bloc by Baldwins, 1938
Estimate: £6,000.00 - £8,000.00

image5

Starting Price: 2400 GBP
Price realized: 3500 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Crown, 29.74g, 1652, m.m. sun, ns over inverted ns in legend, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 4 {4}; N.2721; S.3214), round, even strike, good very fine.
Provenance:
Glendining, 20 March 1984, lot 80, £580
Estimate: £3,000.00 - £3,500.00

SALEROOM NOTICE: Update to condition report: "good very fine, albeit with some smoothing in fields"

image6

Starting Price: 4000 GBP
Price realized: 7500 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Crown, 30.04g, 1652 large 2, m.m. sun, ns over inverted ns in legend, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 5 {5} [R3]; N.2721; S.3214), minor split at 12 o'clock, otherwise as struck with lustre, very rare in this grade.
Provenance:
Bt. Spink, 8 February 1986, £840
Estimate: £5,000.00 - £6,000.00

image7

Starting Price: 2000 GBP
Price realized: 3200 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Crown, 30.07g, 1653, m.m. sun, ns over inverted ns in legend, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 6 {6}; N.2721; S.3214), very fine.
Provenance:
Bt. Seaby, Bulletin no. E227, 2 March 1983, £600
Estimate: £2,500.00 - £3,000.00

image8

Starting Price: 2400 GBP
Price realized: 2700 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Crown, 29.13g, 1653, m.m. sun, ns over inverted ns in legend, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. inverted a for v in vs, conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 7 {6A} [R3]; N.2721; S.3214), very fine.
Provenance:
Bt. Baldwins, 30 November 1983, £750
Estimate: £3,000.00 - £3,500.00

image9

Starting Price: 2800 GBP
Price realized: 7500 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Crown, 29.65g, 1654, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 8 {7} [R3]; N.2721; S.3214), very fine.
Provenance:
Spink auction 69, 20 April 1989, lot 218, £975
Estimate: £3,500.00 - £4,000.00

image10

Starting Price: 3200 GBP
Price realized: 3800 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Crown, 29.92g, 1656 large 6, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. inverted a for v in vs, conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 10 {8} [R2], this coin; N.2721; S.3214), very fine, rare.
Provenance:
Glendining, 9 February 2000, lot 247, £950
The Willis Collection, Glendining, 5 June 1991, lot 379, £550
H M Lingford, Glendining, 24-26 October 1950, lot 257 (illustrated), £10
Capt. H E G Paget, Glendining, 25-27 September 1946, lot 193 (illustrated), £10, 10/-

The late Michael Sharp (Baldwins) said in correspondence with the vendor regarding this coin that "one is inclined to think its rarity greater than R2."
Estimate: £4,000.00 - £5,000.00

image11

Starting Price: 650 GBP
Price realized: 1200 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Crown, 29.29g, 1656 over 4, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 11 {8A} [R2]; N.2721; S.3214), borders sweated where mount removed, otherwise good fine.
Provenance:
Bt. 12 October 1984, £550
Estimate: £800.00 - £1,000.00

SALEROOM NOTICE: Update to condition report: "plugged, borders sweated where mount removed, otherwise good fine"

image12

Starting Price: 3200 GBP
Price realized: 8500 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Crown, 30.05g, 1656 over small 6 over 4, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. inverted a for v in vs, conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 14 {8A} [R3]; N.2721; S.3214), good extremely fine and lustrous.
Provenance:
Norweb, part 2, Spink auction 48, 13 November 1985, lot 416, £750
Bt. Spink, April 1977
Estimate: £4,000.00 - £4,500.00

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Starting Price: 650 GBP
Price realized: 1200 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Halfcrown, 14.62g, 1649, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, thin wire-line inner circle (ESC 16 {425} [R3], this coin; N.2722; S.3215), slightly double struck, otherwise good fine and rare.
Provenance:
Glendining, 30 April 1986, lot 6, £180

Estimate: £800.00 - £1,000.00

image14

Starting Price: 800 GBP
Price realized: 800 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Halfcrown, 15.02g, 1651, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, no central stop (ESC 17 {426} [R2], this coin; N.2722; S.3215), scratch by date, weak in areas, good very fine, rare.
Provenance:
St. James auction 10, 6-7 November 2008, lot 474, £620
Patrick Finn, list 14, September 1998, no. 331 - "Apart from an 'old dig' to the right of the date, as struck and virtually EF and extremely rare, £750"
Estimate: £1,000.00 - £1,200.00

image15

Starting Price: 480 GBP
Price realized: 700 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Halfcrown, 14.90g, 1651, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, no central stop (ESC 18 {425A} [R2]; N.2722; S.3215), about very fine, dark toning.
Provenance:
Baldwin auction 14, 13-14 October 1997, lot 423 (illustrated), £440 - "very fine, the variety very rare for this date"
Blackfriars Bridge Hoard, deposited c.1660
Estimate: £600.00 - £700.00

image16

Starting Price: 200 GBP
Price realized: 480 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Halfcrown, 14.75g, 1653, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, only stops by mintmark, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 33 {-}; N.2722; S.3215), dark toned and weak in places, about good fine.
Provenance:
Baldwins auction 14, 13-14 October 1997, lot 460 (illustrated), £460 - "nearly very fine, the variety unrecorded, extremely rare"
Blackfriars Bridge Hoard, deposited c.1660
Estimate: £250.00 - £350.00

image17

Starting Price: 240 GBP
Price realized: 290 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Halfcrown, 14.93g, 1653, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, only stop after date (ESC 36 {431B}; N.2722; S.3215), central weakness, fine, scarce.
Provenance:
Spink auction 38, 10-11 October 1984, lot 278 (part)
Estimate: £300.00 - £400.00

image18

Starting Price: 650 GBP
Price realized: 2200 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Halfcrown, 14.91g, 1656, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. coin alignment, conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 49 {437}; N.2722; S.3215), an exceptionally round and well-struck example, very fine and rare.
Provenance:
Bt. Baldwins, 11 November 1987
Estimate: £800.00 - £1,000.00

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Starting Price: 2000 GBP
Price realized: 9000 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), hammered Halfcrown of 'Fine Work', 14.97g, 1656, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath rev. medal alignment, conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, edge plain (ESC 50 {437B} [R6]; N.-; S.-), proof-like and lustrous, very rare.
Provenance:
Bt. Baldwins, 11 November 1987, no. 131, £750
H M Lingford (with his ticket)
Naish collection, Seaby list 338, November 1945, no. 262 - "A magnificent piece, on a perfectly circular flan, undoubtedly a proof, struck in a collar, probably by Blondeau, believed to be unique. FDC, RRRR, £25"
Estimate: £2,500.00 - £3,000.00

image20

Starting Price: 650 GBP
Price realized: 3500 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 6.02g, 1649, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 69 {982}; N.2724; S.3217), about extremely fine, very rare date.
Provenance:
Bt. Baldwins, 9 October 1987
Estimate: £800.00 - £1,000.00

image21

Starting Price: 320 GBP
Price realized: 950 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 5.89g, 1651, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, second n over inverted n in england, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 83 {-} [R2]; N.2724; S.3217), round, even strike, about very fine.
Provenance:
Bt. M. Trennery, 22 June 1983
Estimate: £400.00 - £500.00

image22

Starting Price: 360 GBP
Price realized: 1300 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 5.75g, 1651, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, no stops, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 84 {-} [R2]; N.2724; S.3217), large flan, even strike, very fine.
Provenance:
Bt. Spink, 9 November 1985, £330
Estimate: £450.00 - £550.00

image23

Starting Price: 320 GBP
Price realized: 1300 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 6.07g, 1651, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, only stops at mintmark, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 92 {984A} [R2]; N.2724; S.3217), attractive tone, good very fine, round even strike.
Provenance:
Bt. Baldwins, 30 January 1984, £230
Estimate: £400.00 - £500.00

image24

Starting Price: 320 GBP
Price realized: 450 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 5.63g, 1651, m.m. sun, reads comonwealth, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 97 {984C} [R3]; N.2724; S.3217), creased, good fine, rare.
Provenance:
D S Freedman, Spink auction 55, 8 October 1986, lot 32, £170
Estimate: £400.00 - £500.00

image25

Starting Price: 360 GBP
Price realized: 2800 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 6.04g, 1652, m.m. sun, reads common.wealth, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 105 {-} [R2]; N.2724; S.3217), almost extremely fine, round even strike with lustre.
Provenance:
Bt. Baldwins, 19 June 1985, £225
Estimate: £450.00 - £550.00

image26

Starting Price: 160 GBP
Price realized: 290 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 4.90g, 1652, m.m. sun, no stops on obverse but ghosting of reverse stop visible between t and h of commonwealth, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC -; N.2724; S.3217), small flan, fine.
Provenance:
Bt. B J Dawson, 7 February 1987
D S Freedman, Spink auction 55, 8 October 1986, lot 41
Estimate: £200.00 - £300.00

image27

Starting Price: 240 GBP
Price realized: 650 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 5.82g, 1654, m.m. sun, ns over inverted ns in obverse legend, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 138 {-}; N.2724; S.3217), about very fine.
Provenance:
Bt. B J Dawson, 7 February 1987, 120
D S Freedman, Spink auction 55, 8 October 1986, lot 49
Estimate: £300.00 - £400.00

image28

Starting Price: 320 GBP
Price realized: 850 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 5.96g, 1655, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 145 {993}; N.2724; S.3217), double-struck, otherwise very fine.
Provenance:
Bt. 11 July 1983
Estimate: £400.00 - £500.00

image29

Starting Price: 280 GBP
Price realized: 420 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 5.68g, 1655 over 4 over 3, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev., conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 149 {994A} [R3] this coin; N.2724; S.3217), pierced in centre, otherwise fine or better, rare.
Provenance:
D S Freedman, Spink auction 55, 8 October 1986, lot 52, £160 - "officially pierced at the time of the 1696 recoinage, otherwise fine and the overdate clear, extremely rare"
Dr. E C Carter, collection purchased en bloc by Baldwin in 1950
Estimate: £350.00 - £450.00

image30

Starting Price: 650 GBP
Price realized: 2600 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 5.09g, 1658 over 7, m.m. anchor, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, no stops, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 163 {-} [R3], this coin; N.2725; S.3218.), dark tone, near very fine, extremely rare.
Provenance:
Baldwins auction 14, 13-14 October 1997, lot 585 (illustrated), £580 - "fine (centres weak), the variety unrecorded for this date, extremely rare". NB. The overdate note recorded here.
Blackfriars Bridge Hoard, deposited c.1660

Estimate: £800.00 - £1,000.00

image31

Starting Price: 320 GBP
Price realized: 650 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 5.66g, 1658, m.m. anchor, g of england over l (?), shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 168 {999} [R3]; N.2725; S.3218.), flat, test cut at 5 o'clock, otherwise about fine.
Provenance:
Bt. 11 November 1983
Estimate: £400.00 - £600.00

image32

Starting Price: 800 GBP
Price realized: 2700 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 6.01g, 1660, m.m. anchor, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 170 {1001} [R3]; N.2725; S.3218.), faint marks above shield on obverse, very fine, rare.
Provenance:
Bt. Seaby, 6 February 1985, £525
Estimate: £1,000.00 - £1,200.00

image33

Starting Price: 480 GBP
Price realized: 1200 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Sixpence, 2.92g, 1649, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 177 {1483}; N.2726; S.3219), slightly double-struck, attractive old tone, about extremely fine, rare thus.
Provenance:
Seaby, SCMB, February 1982, no.157, £285
Estimate: £600.00 - £800.00

image34

Starting Price: 240 GBP
Price realized: 250 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Sixpence, 2.79g, 1651, m.m. sun, no stop after commonwealth, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC - {-}; N.2726; S.3219), creased, marks on reverse, otherwise good fine.
Provenance:
Bt. December 1984
Estimate: £300.00 - £350.00

image35

Starting Price: 280 GBP
Price realized: 300 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Sixpence, 2.96g, 1651, m.m. sun, no stops by mintmark, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 181 {1484A}; N.2726; S.3219), very fine.
Provenance:
Bt. 8 February 1986
Estimate: £350.00 - £450.00

image36

Starting Price: 360 GBP
Price realized: 750 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Sixpence, 2.82g, 1652, m.m. sun, inverted n in commonwealth, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 187 {-}, this coin; N.2726; S.3219), cabinet tone, good very fine.
Provenance:
H Manville, Spink auction 154, 12 July 2001, lot 45, £550
P Finn, list 16, May 1999, no. 382 - "pleasing, good VF, £350"

Estimate: £450.00 - £550.00

image37

Starting Price: 360 GBP
Price realized: 750 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Sixpence, 2.82g, 1652, m.m. sun, inverted n in commonwealth, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 187 {-}, this coin; N.2726; S.3219), cabinet tone, good very fine.
Provenance:
H Manville, Spink auction 154, 12 July 2001, lot 45, £550
P Finn, list 16, May 1999, no. 382 - "pleasing, good VF, £350"

Estimate: £450.00 - £550.00

image38

Starting Price: 280 GBP
Price realized: 1200 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Sixpence, 3.01g, 1656, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 204 {1492}; N.2726; S.3219), very fine.
Provenance:
Bt. October 1994, £175
Estimate: £350.00 - £450.00

image39

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Starting Price: 1200 GBP
Price realized: 3500 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Sixpence, 2.78g, 1659, m.m. anchor, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 213 {1496} [R6]; N.2727; S.3220), edge split at 1 o'clock, otherwise good fine, of the highest rarity, very few recorded examples.
Provenance:
D S Freedman, Spink auction 55, 8 October 1986, lot 79, £600

Estimate: £1,500.00 - £2,000.00

image40

Starting Price: 1200 GBP
Price realized: 2400 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), pattern Sixpence, 2.77g, 1651, 22.3mm., m.m. sun, by Blondeau, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. coin alignment, conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, edge smooth (ESC 218 {1498A} [R6]; N.-; S.-), fine, extremely rare.
Provenance:
D S Freedman, Spink auction 55, 8 October 1986, lot 90

The current ESC states: "thinner flan, plain edge (Not traced)"
Estimate: £1,500.00 - £2,000.00

image41

Starting Price: 1600 GBP
Price realized: 3500 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), pattern Sixpence, 2.97g, 1651, 22.6mm., m.m. sun, by Blondeau, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. coin alignment, conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, edge milled (ESC 217 {1498} [R2], this coin; N.-; S.-), tiny depression by w of with on reverse, toned, about extremely fine.
Provenance:
Bt. Baldwins, 19 June 1985, £375
Estimate: £2,000.00 - £3,000.00

image42

Starting Price: 9600 GBP
Price realized: 41 000 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), pattern Shilling, 6.20g, 1651, 32.1mm., m.m. mullet, by Ramage, same dies as Halfcrown, thinner flan, tooth border and rope inner circle, the. common. wealth. of. england, shield of England within laurel wreath, rev. coin alignment, gavrded. with. angeles., facing angel over conjoined shields of England and Ireland, edge milled, on a thin 0.9mm. flan (ESC 175 {445A} [R6]; N.2734; S.-), traces of red wax in recesses, a small mark to right of mullet, otherwise near extremely fine, and of the highest rarity.
Provenance:
Bt. Baldwins, 21 October 1987, £2,100
H M Lingford (with his ticket), August 1948
T B Clarke Thornhill, Sotheby, 24-28 May 1937, lot 583, £21

Bergne lists the Shillings of Ramage in his article of 1854/55, but as he does not list the weights of each pattern it is not possible to attribute this example to any one specimen on his list.
Estimate: £12,000.00 - £15,000.00

image43

Starting Price: 2400 GBP
Price realized: 8000 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), pattern Shilling, 6.07g, 1651, 26.6mm, m.m. sun, by Blondeau, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. coin alignment, conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, edge milled (ESC 173 {1002} [R3], this coin; N.-; S.-), traces of red wax in recesses, dark toning, extremely fine, rare.
Provenance:
D S Freedman, Spink auction 55, 10 October 1986, lot 88, £470

Estimate: £3,000.00 - £4,000.00

image44

Starting Price: 12 000 GBP
Price realized: 26 000 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), pattern Halfcrown, 13.13g, 1651, 32mm., .m. sun, Unattributed, but presumably by Blondeau or Ramage, the. commonwealth. of. england, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath rev. coin alignment, god. vvith. vs., conjoined shields of England and Ireland, no mark of value, edge plain (ESC 68 {445D} [R7], this coin; N.-; S.-), light toning over lustrous, original surfaces, good extremely fine, the only recorded specimen.
Provenance:
Glendining, 10 February 2000, lot 255 - £6,800
Bt. Seaby [P A Rayner], October 1972 - £1,500
Jess Peters Fixed Price List, August 1971, no.268 - $5,250
D Doswell

This unique pattern Halfcrown has been the object of long-standing numismatic debate regarding its production. It is unclear from whence it originated prior to 1971 when it appeared in Jess Peters Fixed Price List, but was the subject of an article in SNC of July/August of the same year by D S Freedman, who called it 'unrecorded' and attributed its manufacture to Peter Blondeau. This he substantiated through the high quality of the engraving, and the Halfcrown bearing the legend "GOD WITH VS" with the sun mintmark as these characteristics are present on the Blondeau patterns (see lots 810, 811 & 812) engraved by Thomas Simon, and not those of David Ramage. This argument overlooks the fact that coins of this design and legend type were already being produced by the tower mint before Blondeau first arrived in England, and so both this pattern and Blondeau's later named patterns are likely emulating the same original design. Despite this, there is still some scope to the claim that the coin is of Blondeau's manufacture, as both are of very high quality and produced in a screw-press.
Later, in SNC November 1987 E. R. Nutbourne instead attributed the coin to Ramage as it bears similarities to his known Halfcrown pattern (see lot 814); namely smaller shields, a low number of harp strings, berries on the reverse frond, a twisted rope inner circle on the reverse and no mark of value. This opinion is echoed within ESC. The quality of the engraving, however, is far superior to that of Ramage's other work; furthermore, Ramage struggled to produce but a dozen pieces to present before the committee in 1651, and of those the Shilling and Halfcrown share dies. Thus it is unlikely that he was able to find time to produce such a fine piece whilst developing his other designs.
In many respects the engraving of the Halfcrown does not tally with either the work of Simon or that of Ramage. The sun mintmark depicted on the obverse of this coin is entirely different in its design to that of Blondeau's later example, or those produced by the tower. In its depiction it is far more similar to those seen on contemporary French coins by the engraver Jean Varin. Additionally, the entire treatment of the coin varies from Simon's, the w of with being separated into its constituent v v, the winged angel on the harp with its head facing rather than profile, and the twisted rope line on the reverse. Indeed the case could be made for this coin being an experimental first pattern of an engraver other than Simon, and manufactured by Blondeau, predating his later efforts and those of Ramage. If so, this is supported by Ramage's adoption (albeit to a much lower quality) of many of this coin's features on his own Halfcrown, indicating he may have been copying elements of this, Blondeau's first pattern.

Estimate: £15,000.00 - £20,000.00

image45

Starting Price: 9600 GBP
Price realized: 45 000 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), pattern Halfcrown, 19.79g (305.4gr), 1651, 32mm., m.m. mullet, by Ramage, tooth border and twisted rope inner circle, the. common. wealth. of. england, shield of England within laurel wreath, rev. coin alignment, gavrded. with. angeles., facing angel over conjoined shields of England and Ireland, edge trvth. and. peace. 1651. with mullet stops (Bergne, no. 6; ESC 66 {445} [R5]; N.2733; S.-), toned, about extremely fine, with a fine pedigree and of the highest rarity.
Provenance:
D S Freedman (Bt. before 1971), Spink auction 55, 10 October 1986, lot 87, £2,400;
Henry Webb, Sotheby, 13 July 1894, lot 629, £25.10/-;
A D Clarke, Christies, 15 June 1891;
Egmont-Bieber, Sotheby, 14 May 1889, lot 231, £37;
J Halliburton Young, Sotheby, 9 April 1881, lot 290, £27;
J B Bergne, Sotheby, 20-30 May 1873, lot 876, £24.10/-;
T Thomas, Sotheby, 26 February 1844, lot 280, £24;
G Hollington Barker, Leigh & Sotheby, 11 May 1803, £10.10/-;
B Bartlett, John Gerard Auction, 25 April 1787, £30.

This coin was illustrated in D S Freedman's article of 1971 in the Spink Numismatic Circular and included as part of his sale in Spink auction 55, 10 October 1986. Its provenance prior to this is incomplete, but as J B Bergne listed the weights and current owners of the known Ramage Halfcrowns in the Numismatic Chronicle vol. XVII, 1854/1855, it is presumed to be the sixth on his list, having precisely the same weight at 305 grains.
Ramage produced his pattern Halfcrowns, Shillings and Sixpences in 1651 to compete with Peter Blondeau, a French engineer and pioneer of milled coinage invited to England in 1649 to help improve the coinage of the realm. This invitation caused consternation amongst the moneyers of the Mint led by Ramage, Briot's assistant in the 1640s. He believed that they he could achieve the same result and that it was merely a matter of time and expense. He therefore requested £1,000 for the equipment necessary to coin milled money 'as fair, beautiful and cheap as any Frenchman in the world'. As a consequence, in 1651 the Committee ordered both Ramage and Blondeau to produce pattern coins for trial. On July 3rd, 1651, the patterns were presented before the Committee. Blondeau had produced 300 coins of a similar style to contemporary Commonwealth hammered coins, but of a much higher quality, engraved by Simon with the larger denominations bearing crisp and regular edge inscriptions. Ramage's patterns, produced through leftover equipment by Briot and Mestrelle, numbered merely twelve Halfcrowns, Shillings and Sixpences.
As per the Committee's stipulations, Ramage had also attempted to inscribe the edges of his Halfcrowns but clearly encountered production issues. Careful examination of his known patterns show that all of Ramage's Halfcrowns and Shillings were produced with the same reverse die (see lot 817 for the Shilling) but that two separate, almost identical obverse dies were used, one seen on patterns with a lettered or beaded edge, the other only on those examples with plain edges. This may have come about if Ramage had produced his first patterns using a traditional fixed obverse die, not compatible with an engraved collar for the application of edge lettering. As his first results of plain edges would have been unsatisfactory, Ramage would have had to have engraved a new, moveable obverse die which could be used with a lettered collar. It appears that even after completing this step his engraved collar was too deep, forcing him to steadily increase the thickness of his planchets to achieve the full edge inscription giving coins of inconsistent weights.
Although initially the Committee made no determination in favour of either party, the Blondeau patterns remained in the hands of Sir James Harrington, chairman of the Committee, for nearly two years whilst Ramage's were delivered back to the moneyers by Thomas Violet who said of his milled coinage, "It is faire to the Eye, but not safe for the Commonwealth". Only nine Ramage Halfcrowns are known, and the weight of this pattern is 19.79g, exceptionally heavy for this denomination. This implies that it is one of the last Ramage produced with a thicker flan in order to improve its edge lettering.
Bergne's list of provenances and weights of the nine Ramage halfcrowns known in 1854 has been updated as much as possible and included here for completeness. Note the addition of a tenth example.
1) British Museum, 18.75g (288.7gr.),
B C Roberts, Leigh & Sotheby, 1 June 1805;
S Tyssen, sold by him as a duplicate;
E Hodsoll;
M C Tutet, John Gerard Auction, 18 January 1786 - £20.10/-;
M Beachcroft (Bt. before 1769).
2) Hunterian Museum, 18.39g (283.6gr.),
Dr. Hunter, between 1770 and 1783.
3) Ashmolean Museum (since 1922), 17.69g (273gr.),
Bodleian Library, Oxford;
Browne Willis (1682-1760).
4) Private ownership (?), 19.57g (302gr.),
R M Murchison, Sotheby, 27 June 1864, lot 368, £27;
J D Cuff, Sotheby, 8 June 1854, £24.10/-;
Rev. E J Shepherd;

Earl of Pembroke Collection, Sotheby, 31 July 1848, lot 105, £27.10/-.
5) Private ownership, 17.31g (267gr.),
Norweb, part 3, Spink 56, 19 November 1986, lot 957;
Hepburn-Wright, collection purchased en bloc by Spink c1965;
Dr. Carter, collection purchased en bloc by Baldwin in 1950;
Hilton Price, Sotheby, 17-19 May 1909, lot 245, £13;
J G Murdoch, Sotheby, second portion, 8-13 June 1903, lot 422, £25;
H Montagu, 13-20 November 1896, lot 708, £24.5/-;
W Brice, Sotheby, collection purchased en bloc by Montagu in 1887;
J A & EW Wigan, collection purchased en bloc by Rollin & Feuardent in 1872;
Lt-Col W Durrant, Sotheby, 19 April 1847, lot 733, £24.10/-;
M Trattle, Sotheby, 30 May 1832, lot 2592, £35;
S Tyssen, Leigh & Sotheby, 12 April - 6 December 1802, lot 3002, £26.5/-;
J Browne, John Gerard, 16 March - 2 June 1791, lot 41, £21;
M Folkes, Langford & Sons, 27 January 1756, lot 36, £8.10/-;
B Fairfax, Langford & Sons, 24 April 1751, £2.5/-.
6) This coin, 19.79g (305.4gr.)
7) Private ownership, weight untraced,
T B Clarke Thornhill, Sotheby, 24-28 May 1937, lot 582, £47;
Rev. E J Shepherd, Sotheby, 22-25 July 1885, lot 412, £52;
Hicks;
Earl of Pomfret.
8) Royal Museum of Scotland, 17.1g (264gr.),
Bt. Seaby, 1934, £20;
E H Wheeler, Sotheby, 14 March 1930, £16;
T Bliss, Sotheby, 15-19 May 1916, lot 479, £5;
H W Cholmley, Sotheby, 26 May 1902, lot 80, £17.10/- ;
W N Clarkson, Sotheby, 16-20 April 1901, £17;
H Montagu duplicate, Sotheby, 7 May 1888, lot 394, £34;
S Addington, collection purchased en bloc by H Montagu in 1883;
T Brown, Sotheby, 26-31 July 1869, lot 596, £15.15/-;
Sir H Russell, Sotheby, 18 February 1850, £20;
Sir J Twisden, Sotheby, 21 May 1841, £17.10/-;
G Phare, Sotheby, 5 May 1834, £17.
9) Described in 1854: "In poor condition. I know not who is the owner. It was offered to Mr. Cureton by a dealer at Portsmouth". This may subsequently prove to be a duplicate listing of one of the other Halfcrowns.
The next example has a plain edge and is the lightest known, and was therefore previously adjudged by Bergne to be a Shilling rather than a Halfcrown. In addition, it is of a different obverse die.
10) Private ownership 15.23g (235gr.),
Slaney, part 2, 14 May 2015, lot 364, £16,000;
Lord Grantley, fifth portion, Glendining, 18-19 May 1944, lot 1880, £42;
T Bliss, Sotheby, 15-19 May 1916, lot 480, £4.4/-;
J G Murdoch, second portion, Sotheby, 8-13 June 1903, lot 423, £7;
H Montagu, Sotheby, 13-20 November 1896, lot 709, £9 ;
S Addington, collection purchased en bloc by H Montagu in 1883

Estimate: £12,000.00 - £15,000.00

image46

Starting Price: 3200 GBP
Price realized: 12 500 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), hammered pattern Halfcrown, 14.64g, 1651, m.m. sun, by Simon (?), shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, hairline within beaded border both sides, rev. medal alignment, conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, edge plain (ESC 65 {444B} [R7], this coin; N.-; S.-), toned, fine and of the highest rarity.
Provenance:
D S Freedman, Spink auction 55, 10 October 1986, lot 86, £980

Estimate: £4,000.00 - £5,000.00

image47

Starting Price: 3200 GBP
Price realized: 6500 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), trial strike of the 1651 Halfcrown, on a thin 1mm. copper flan, 7.52g, 33.6mm., m.m. sun, by Blondeau, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. coin alignment, conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, edge plain, (ESC 64 {444A} [R7], this coin; N.-; S.-), some weakness on obverse between 1 and 3 o'clock and on corresponding area of reverse, otherwise extremely fine, the only recorded example.
Provenance:
D S Freedman, Spink auction 55, 8 October 1986, lot 85, £1,000
R C Lockett, second portion, Glendining, 11-17 October 1956, lot 2607, £40
H Montagu, second portion, Sotheby, 19 November 1896, lot 712
E Hawkins, Sotheby, 31 July 1868, lot 29, £2
Estimate: £4,000.00 - £5,000.00

image48

Starting Price: 3200 GBP
Price realized: 9500 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), pattern Halfcrown, 15.08g, 1651, 34mm., m.m. sun, by Blondeau, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, edge trvth. and. peace. 1651 (olive branch) petrvs. blondaevs. inventor. fecit (palm branch) (ESC 63 {444} [R2]; N.2732; S.-), light marks between 5 and 1 of date, and another small mark in third quarter of obverse shield, otherwise good extremely fine with a blue gold lustre.
Provenance:
Bt. Baldwins, 21 October 1987, £1,300
H M Lingford (with his ticket), March 1944
Estimate: £4,000.00 - £5,000.00

image49

Starting Price: 4000 GBP
Price realized: 8000 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), pattern Halfcrown, 15.19g, 1651, 33.5mm., m.m. sun, by Blondeau, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above, edge in. the. third. yeare. of. freedome. by. gods. blessing. restored. 1651. (ESC 62 {443} [R3]; N.2731; S.-), rarer edge legend, extremely fine with attractive gold toning and lustre.
Provenance:
Bt. Baldwins, 3 June 1986, £1,400
Estimate: £5,000.00 - £6,000.00

image51

Starting Price: 280 GBP
Price realized: 350 GBP

Commonwealth (1649-60), Shilling, 1651, 5.94g, m.m. sun, shield of England within palm and laurel wreath, no stops on obverse, n over inverted n in england, rev. conjoined shields of England and Ireland, mark of value above (ESC 86 - [R2]; N.2724; S.3217), attractive cabinet tone, good fine.

Estimate: £350.00 - £450.00

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