A sale of mostly modern silver and gold coins from around the world and bank notes and bars made £78,000 at 1818 Auctioneers first specialist sale (Mon 21 May).
Of the 194 lots catalogued by expert Ken Payne, the large majority came from a Lancaster collector including Australian Kangaroo, Chinese Panda and Canadian Maple leaf coins, gold coins, Sovereigns and silver bars.
Other items that were up for sale were an Elizabeth I sixpence dating back to the 1500s and a 1877 Queen Victoria half crown, as well as albums, tins and bags of coins.
The sale attracted bids from the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada and Cyprus. 1818 Auctioneer David Hunter said he was delighted with the results which exceeded their bullion value, the more usual way to value a coin’s worth based upon the amount of metal in it.
As David Hunter explained:
“This was a highly unusual first sale for us. We didn’t expect new money to make so much. Many of the coins sold for the high hundreds of pounds to collectors who were so keen to bag the coins they paid more than the bullion value. We had over 100 coin buyers bidding online, and 56% of the lots were won by them, the other 44% were sold to people in the auction room.
“In today’s collecting and investment markets, the talk is all about gold and silver bullion coins. Gold coins range from UK half-sovereigns to £100 coins. Some countries – USA, South Africa, Australia, Canada and UK – also mint one ounce pure gold coins. The face value of a £100 gold coin is £100 but its actual bullion price is currently £950.
“The bulk of the auction came from a deceased estate in Lancaster, made up of mostly modern gold and silver coins collected in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
“The lot which captured the most interest was a gold 1989 United Kingdom Elizabeth II proof Sovereign three coin set which sold for £1450” added David Hunter.
Top prices (over estimate):
Lot 681: A gold 1992 United Kingdom Elizabeth II proof Sovereign, in case with certificate, SOLD £420
Lot 693: A gold 2012 United Kingdom Elizabeth II proof Sovereign, in case with certificate ‘Paul Day’s, St George & Dragon’, SOLD £850
Lot 694: A gold 2016 United Kingdom Elizabeth II proof Sovereign, in case with certificate, SOLD £400
Lot 696: A gold 2017 United Kingdom Elizabeth II proof Sovereign, in case with certificate, SOLD £620
Lot 698: A gold 2002 United Kingdom Elizabeth II proof Sovereign, in case with certificate, SOLD £380
Lot 700: A gold 2005 United Kingdom Elizabeth II proof Sovereign, in case with certificate ‘Noad Heraldic St George & Dragon, SOLD £440
Lot 706: A gold 1992 United Kingdom Elizabeth II Presidency of E C Council and E C Accession 20th Anniversary proof fifty pence coin, in a case with certificate, SOLD £600
Lot 707: A gold 1989 United Kingdom Elizabeth II proof Sovereign three coin set, consisting of half, full and double Sovereign to commemorate the 500th Anniversary 1489-1989 of the Sovereign, in a case with certificate, SOLD £1450
Lot 710: A one kilo bar of 999.0 silver, marked 407533 Swiss Bank Corporation one kilo essay EUR Fondeur 999.0, SOLD £380
Lot 716: A 1996 United Kingdom Elizabeth II gold proof two pound coin, a celebration of football, in a case with certificate, SOLD £400
Lot 730: A collection of five 1oz silver proof Australian Kangaroo’s 2009-2013 coins, eight Kangaroo 1oz silver proof high relief 2010-2017 coins and a 2012 Kangaroo 1 dollar silver proof coin, SOLD £300
Lot 731: A collection of United Kingdom 1oz silver two pound Britannia coins, six in total, 2001/09/10/11/12/16 all in cases with certificates, SOLD £260
Further details of the sale can be found on our results page.