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The South Sea Company (SSC) was a British joint-stock company founded in 1711. It was created to reduce the cost of the national debt. The company stock rose greatly in value as it expanded its operations dealing in government debt, and peaked in 1720 before suddenly collapsing, it ruined thousands of investors, and became known as the South Sea Bubble. Coinage of the South Sea Company was minted in Britain in 1723, after they discovered silver in Indonesia in 1722. Just over 300 years later, we’re delighted to offer you this beautiful “SSC”shillings in very high grade, limited numbers only.
John Tanner designed this rather fabulous Hanoverian depiction of King George II. We have a small group of these impressive shillings in Extremely Fine grade, they’re dated 1758. The obverse features Tanner’s portrait of the King, the reverse features crowned cruciform shields with the central Garter star, with the date 1758 divided above. These fabulous shillings are 265 years old and getting rare in this grade, stocks are limited.
The Bank of Scotland has now gone fully polymer with its banknote issues. The last £20 note printed on paper was dated 2009 (P126b) It is this variety which we are able to offer today. They are all in Crisp Uncirculated. The front has the portrait of author Sir Walter Scott and thistles on the front. The back shows the span of the Forth Railway Bridge alongside vignettes of workers and a cantilever tower. The last Paper £20 notes in Crisp Unc condition.
The Belgian Victory Medal was established by royal decree on 15 July 1919 and awarded to all members of the Belgian Armed Forces who served during the World War I. The basic obverse design, by the Scottish sculptor William McMillan, is a winged Victory standing on a globe and was adopted by many of the allied countries.
The Royal Canadian Mint launched the iconic Silver Maple Leaf series as the official silver bullion coin of Canada in 1988 but this is the very last to carry the portrait of Elizabeth II. These coins were minted between 1991 and 2023 the special one-off ‘transitional’ type with the dates of the late Queen’s reign 1952-2022 to the left of her portrait.
Postumus was the governor of Germany in A.D. 260 when the emperor Valerian was captured in the East. With the Roman world in crisis the rebel Postumus was left in control of Britain, Gaul, Spain and parts of Germany, forming what was called the ‘Gallic Empire’. Like many emperors at the time Postumus was murdered by his own troops in A.D. 269. At the start of his reign Postumus minted coins that were about 20% silver, at least twice as much silver than the coins being made by Gallienus’ central government in Rome. Later in his reign as he ran out of resources he lowered the silver content to about 5%, the same as the rest of the empire. This is the 20% grade Very Fine meaning an ancient person has used it.
On 6 January 1198, the Armenian Kingdom was formed when the then Prince Levon (The Lion) II was crowned as King Levon I, King of Cilician Armenia. He became known as ‘Levon the Magnificent’ due to his numerous contributions to political, military, and economic influence. His growing power made him a particularly important ally for the neighbouring crusader state of Antioch. The coinage of King Levon I set the standard for that of following Cilician rulers, comprising coins struck in silver, copper, and bronze and the odd, very rare, gold issue. On these silver Trams, he is shown seated facing on an ornamented throne, holding a cross and fl eur-de-lis with the legend ‘Levon King of the Armenians’ around. The reverse depicts a pair of lions standing back to back flanking a tall cross with the legend ‘By the Will of God’ in Armenian around it. It is in Very Fine condition and is now over 800 years old from a once influential but now long-forgotten kingdom.
Our bundle comprises 20 different cheques from all around the British Isles dating from the late 19th century through to the 1980s. Bought individually they would set you back £97.00 but we are offering the group for HALF that!-just £48.50!!! To make it even better we are throwing in a FREE copy of the Collectors Guide to Cheques by Shaw – a £5.75 value. Cheques are a tangible reflection of our nation’s financial history. There were hundreds and hundreds of banks before we ended up where we are today with just a handful. Some banks went bust while others merged and the cheque, a medium that is fast being phased out in favour of a digital record of our financial transactions, can trace all this. Kickstart your collection today- you will not regret it!
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The late date Silver Royal Mint Proof Sets have proved very popular of late especially the scarcer Piedfort sets which would cost you a lot more money if you had to by the coins one at a time. One of the finest examples is this, the 2010 set, comprising the £5 Restoration of the Monarchy, £2 Florence Nightingale, £1 Belfast, £1 London, 50p Girl Guiding. In Royal Mint case of issue with numbered certificate. Only 2,500 sets issued and we have only two in stock!
Limited edition of 5000 sets. Consists of four of the commemorative coins issued in 2005 struck in Sterling .925 Silver including the £2 Gunpowder Plot, £2 60th Anniversary of the end of World War II, £1 Menai Suspension Bridge and 50 pence for the 250th Anniversary of Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary. All of the coins share the majestic Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of our late Queen and are housed in individual protective capsules in a plush green Royal Mint case with certificate.
The Royal Mint was charging £49.50 for a Sterling Silver Proof Pound. We have just bought one hundred pieces of the 2009 Silver Proof Pound, all in their original black cases of issue with their certificates just as they were issued by the Royal Mint. You have a shield on one side and the Rank-Broadley bust of the Queen on the other side. They are struck in Proof Sterling Silver and were sold by the Royal Mint some 15 years ago. We don’t know what the Mint charged then, all I know is that today the Royal Mint charged £49.50 for the 2012 Silver Proof Pound.
In 2003 the Royal Mint issued a maximum of 7,500 Silver Proof Piedfort Collections. They contained the £1 with United Kingdom reverse first issued in 1983, the £2 for the finding of DNA and 50 Pence for the 100th anniversary of the Women’s Social & Political Union. The set of three comes in a case with three individual Royal Mint certificates and a Royal Mint certificate for the collection. Today the Royal Mint would be charging about £300 for a similar set of coins. But we have seven sets available at much less than this price. You get the 2003 Royal Mint Silver Piedfort Proof Set in case of issue with certificates for just £125, but there are only seven sets available.
These are crownsized blanks ready to be struck for a Commonwealth crown. You have St.George and the dragon on one side and blank reverse within a circle of stars. It is struck in Prooflike copper-nickel and is full crown sized. We don’t who they were prepared for and which country was going to use them but think they are rather interesting and reasonably priced.
In 2003 ICB (International set of Pattern Euro coins for use in Scotland. They were never accepted as Scotland never joined the Euro Zone. But, and this is an important but, only 50 sets were ever made! That means in the entire world only 50 lucky collectors can ever own one of these collections. Each Prooflike uniface that means for each coin you have two pieces, one obverse and one reverse. Each piece is marked United Kingdom, Scotland and ‘trial Prueba Muster Essai’ to show that it is a pattern. The Queen is featured both on her throne and on horseback. There are a total of 16 pieces in each collection but only 50 collections were ever made. The interest in Scottish numismatics is strong all over the world but only 50 collectors can ever hope to own one.
Under the British rule of Cyprus they issued silver coins for Queen Victoria, Edward VII, George V and George VI. The most difficult coins to get are those of King Edward VII, because he reigned for such a short period of time. We have just bought a small group of the largest silver denomination made for Edward VII, the 18 Piastres of 1907, and in Fine condition. I would have to say these are Rare, the last time we had one we charged £110 for it! Now we have 10 pieces and they came in most reasonably. So for ten lucky collectors you can own one at Half Price, yes 50% off our last price. At this level they are priced to sell, don’t miss out, only 10 available!
First, let us say that we do not think that the 1997 United States quarter (25c) is rare, but in Krause for some reason they list it at $22.50 in MS65! So we put ‘ ’ around the word rare to get your attention. We have rolls of these coins, 40 coins in a bank wrapped roll in Brilliant Uncirculated condition. In theory they catalogue $900.00 (£715). I think this is an error on the part of the catalogue, but then again they have high prices on the 1998 quarters as well. Coincraft – Britain’s Coin Shop is either making a horrible mistake or offering you a fantastic bargain. We have 18 rolls available and are limiting them to one roll (40 coins) per collector.
The Achaean League was originally formed in the 5th Century B.C. but collapsed soon after. When it was reformed around 280 B.C. it quickly grew to include nearly every state in the Peloponnese, except Sparta. It was formed to defend the small states against the larger empires, namely Macedon in the north. Over time the League grew more powerful, defeated Sparta and ruled the whole of the Peloponnese but changed its allegiance to Rome. Sadly for them this eventually lead to Rome gaining domination over all Greece and disbanding the League in all but name in 146 B.C. with the coins continuing until 30 B.C. What makes the League so interesting is that it was a very early example of Federalism, a system where central government shares power with regional governments. It was from the writings of Polybius, a Greek historian who was a roman hostage, that we know about the workings of the League. This infl uenced many modern state founders, chiefly the founding fathers of the United States of America! We have a small group of the Silver Hemidrachm made by the states in the League between 280 and 30 B.C. They have Zeus on the obverse with the Leagues monogram on the reverse. Each coin comes identified as to which state struck it and at what time. These Hemidrachm grade at least Good Fine and we have priced them to please in these times.
These coins were very popular and had considerable spending power at the time, they are struck in Sterling silver and feature Victoria’s Jubilee Head on the obverse and St George slaying the dragon by Pistrucci on the reverse.
These coins were very popular and had considerable spending power at the time, they are struck in Sterling silver and feature Victoria’s Jubilee Head on the obverse and St George slaying the dragon by Pistrucci on the reverse.
These coins were very popular and had considerable spending power at the time, they are struck in Sterling silver and feature Victoria’s Jubilee Head on the obverse and St George slaying the dragon by Pistrucci on the reverse.
On 22nd January 1901, Queen Victoria passed away on the Isle of Wight. The silver sixpences bearing her “Old Head”, by Brock, were struck in sterling silver. The mint kept on striking Victoria’s coins of 1901 until Edward’s coronation over a year later. We have a small group of these wonderful little sixpences available, all Uncirculated and struck in the final year of Victoria’s 64 year reign.
These 200 year-old Russian copper 2 kopeck coins were struck between 1810 and 1830 and covered the reigns of two Czars, Alexander I and Nicholas I. The obverse features the crowned double headed imperial eagle with the date below, while the obverse shows the denomination within a wreath.
These 200 year-old Russian copper 2 kopeck coins were struck between 1810 and 1830 and covered the reigns of two Czars, Alexander I and Nicholas I. The obverse features the crowned double headed imperial eagle with the date below, while the obverse shows the denomination within a wreath.
In 1961 South Africa reformed its currency, abandoning the old pound for the decimal rand. Before that the pound followed the same system as in the UK, with 20 shillings to the pound and 12 pence to the shilling. Here we can off er you a selection of the last shillings struck between 1953 and 1960 with the young laureate head of Elizabeth II. These Uncirculated coins are .500 silver.
Back in 2002 12 European countries took the historic step of dropping their own currencies and introducing a single currency, which we now know as the euro. Although all of them issued the full set of 8 coins in the early years, it was not long before several took the decision to phase out the 1 and 2 cent coins and adopt a policy of rounding up or down to the nearest 5 cents. As with all euro coins, there is a common reverse side showing a globe with a map of Europe, but the obverse is reserved for national symbols. All these coins are in Brilliant Uncirculated condition and many are not easy to find at all let alone in this grade.
Back in 2002 12 European countries took the historic step of dropping their own currencies and introducing a single currency, which we now know as the euro. Although all of them issued the full set of 8 coins in the early years, it was not long before several took the decision to phase out the 1 and 2 cent coins and adopt a policy of rounding up or down to the nearest 5 cents. As with all euro coins, there is a common reverse side showing a globe with a map of Europe, but the obverse is reserved for national symbols. All these coins are in Brilliant Uncirculated condition and many are not easy to find at all let alone in this grade.
The Second Hellenic Republic refers to the 11-year period between 1924 and 1935 when Greece had a republican form of government following the fall of the monarchy in March 1924. It was not until 1926, however, that the republic issued its first distinctive coinage. The obverse side of the 50 lepta, as well as the 1 and 2 drachma coins, show the image of the goddess Athena facing left, with the denomination on the reverse. The 1930 5 drachma depicts a phoenix rising from the flames and in Greek mythology the bird is known for living for a long time and regenerating itself. We can off er a 4-coin set from this turbulent period in Greece’s history in circulated condition.
In 1923 the 2 lire coin in Italy was struck in nickel for the first time, having been made of silver since unification in the early 1860s. Although these coins circulated over a 12-year period, those struck between 1928 and 1935 were limited issues and only made available to collectors. On the obverse is King Vittorio Emanuele III in military uniform and the reverse shows a fasces symbol with an axe and a lion. This was the first denomination to carry the symbol of Mussolini’s Fascist Party, which had come to power a year earlier. These coins are available in Very Fine condition.