New Stock February 2024

In 1935, King George V celebrated his Silver Jubilee (1910-1935) and the Royal Mint struck silver commemorative medals in two sizes for the event. The medal has the conjoined busts of King George V and Queen Mary on the obverse and on the reverse Windsor Castle is depicted with the motto ‘Stet Fortuna Domus / May the Fortune of the House Endure’. This is available in a high grade of Extremely Fine-Uncirculated but with limited availability.

‘Limes Denarius’ is an intriguing mystery! They are a base metal or very low silver content Denarius mostly found in the border areas of the empire, especially in Europe. They are generally well made and would have fooled people at the time using plating or a silver wash. But no one knows who made them! One theory is that the state made them pay soldiers on the ‘Limes’ (border forts) of the empire so that if they were raided the enemy would not get lots of silver. Another is that the state could not afford the soldier's pay to go up over successive emperors so it ignored the people making counterfeits, especially on the fringes of the empire. Sadly, until someone studies this in more depth we will not know. We have just bought a small group of theses Limes Denarius showing multiple emperors from the 2nd Century A.D. on the obverse (mostly Marcus Aurelius) with various reverses. They grade Fine, showing a clear portrait and making a most interesting addition to any collection. Were they state-made or by the people who needed them? It is your mystery too now!

Alexander Jannaeus was a member of the Hasmonean dynasty and ruled Judaea from 103-76 B.C., extending Judaea to its most dominant in antiquity. He did this through clever maneuvering between the two Ptolemaic powers of Ptolemy IX and Cleopatra III, conquering more land while they fought amongst themselves. He then brutally suppressed a civil war, leaving him the master of Judaea. Interestingly after a period of peace, he left the kingdom to his wife (Salome Alexandra) when he died, not his sons! We have a little group of his bronze Prutah showing crossed cornucopiae on the obverse with ‘Yehonatan the High Priest and the Council of the Jews’ in Paleo-Hebrew within a wreath on the reverse. They are an attractive Very Fine and with not many available I suspect they will sell out fast.

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.

The Canadian Centennial was a yearlong celebration held in 1967 to mark the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Celebrations occurred throughout the year but culminated on Dominion Day, July 1, with communities and organizations across Canada staging Centennial projects ranging from special one-time events to local improvement projects, such as the construction of municipal arenas and parks. The Centennial Flame was also added to Parliament Hill and commemorative coins were minted that were different from regular issues with animals on each and the dates 1867-1967. This lovely series of coins consists of the 1 dollar (Canadian Goose), 50 cents (Wolf) , 25 cents (Wildcat), 10 cents (Mackerel), 5 cents (Rabbit), all struck in .800 silver, and the 1 cent (Dove) in bronze. All of the coins are choice-proof-like Brilliant Uncirculated and come in a sealed protective cover. We only have 10 of these sets available so get in quickly if you want one.

Completing the Royal Mint’s Myths & Legends King Arthur Series is this one ounce silver £2 coin featuring Morgan Le Fay, the legendary enchantress and healer. The reverse shows Morgan le Fay poised to conjure dark magic and wearing a winged headpiece. The obverse carries the uncrowned portrait of Charles III. Complete your series now with the final Arthurian legend, limited availability.

Ten majestic Beasts sculpted in stone on the Moat Bridge at Hampton Court Palace represent the union and royal ancestry of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. These guardians have inspired a new bullion series. The reverse design by David Lawrence features The Bull of Clarence struck in 2023. The coins are the £5 denomination and contain two ounces of 999.9 fine silver and are struck to The Royal Mint’s highest standards, featuring the official coinage portrait of His Majesty King Charles III by Martin Jennings.

Ten majestic Beasts sculpted in stone on the Moat Bridge at Hampton Court Palace represent the union and royal ancestry of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. These guardians have inspired a new bullion series. The reverse designs by David Lawrence feature The Seymour Unicorn struck in 2024. The coin are the £5 denomination and contain two ounces of 999.9 fine silver and are struck to The Royal Mint’s highest standards, featuring the official coinage portrait of His Majesty King Charles III by Martin Jennings.

From the series of Warriors of the World issued by the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2010, we offer this time the Gladiator. This is a silver-plated proof strike 10 Franc coin with the Arms of Congo on the obverse which is a leopard’s head with an elephant tusk to one side and a spear to the other with the motto in French ‘Justice, Paix, Travail / Justice, Peace, Labour’ below. Listed in Krause KM.203 with a mintage of only 1000 pieces.

Edward IV ascended the throne at age 18 and was King of England from 1461 to 1483, except for 7 months in 1470-71 when he temporarily lost the throne to Henry VI during the Wars of the Roses. You may know Edward IV was the grandfather of Henry VIII, after his eldest daughter, Elizabeth married Henry VII. However, you may not know that Edward IV is the 15th Great Grandfather to our current King Charles III! Edward IV struck coins at the Tower Mint in London, but he also gave rights to Archbishops to produce coins at mints right across the country – from Durham to Canterbury to Bristol and others in between. The coins we offer are Edward IV Pennies struck at Durham, struck under Bishop Lawrence Booth (1465-1470). Pennies of this period are notoriously difficult to find in decent grade, they were manufactured on small, irregular flans or from crude local dies.

They struck coins for King Edward VII from 1902 until 1910, a rather short reign. But then again he had to wait for Queen Victoria to pass away and she lived quite a long time. All of his silver coins are struck in Sterling Silver and the most difficult denomination to get is the Sixpence.

The Royal Mint introduced a new denomination of gold coin in 2009, the Quarter Sovereign. Most of these coins have only been issued in Proof but, in 2022, they issued a design that will be used for only one year and it would be the last one to feature the portrait of our late Queen Elizabeth II. They struck them in both Proof and Uncirculated condition and we have managed to obtain a small quantity of the Brilliant Uncirculated 2022 Quarter Sovereign. Each contains 1.997 grams of 22ct Gold. We don’t know the mintage yet, but I believe it to be rather small. One of the country’s largest gold wholesalers has none in stock but we have them for just £155 and at this price they will quickly sell out.

Another in the £20 Fine Silver Series, this one issued in 2015 to mark the occasion of our late Queen Elizabeth II becoming the Longest Reigning Monarch, surpassing the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. The obverse carries the Jody Clark portrait of the Queen and the reverse design, by Stephen Taylor, shows the five different portraits used on our coinage during her incredible reign. The coin comes sealed in the original Royal Mint packaging in Specimen BU condition.

Issued in 2016, this was the second in the £50 Fine Silver Series, to mark the 400th Anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. The striking reverse design by John Bergdahl depicts a mask of tragedy and comedy. With a mintage of only 14,948 this is one that has gone under the radar of a lot of collectors. The coin comes sealed in the original Royal Mint packaging in Specimen BU condition. Limited Availability.

Gallienus ruled as sole emperor from A.D. 260-268 during one of the most difficult times in the history of the empire. Not only was the empire facing natural disasters and invasions on all sides but he had to face at least 8 rebellions from his own governors and generals! He issued a fantastic group of bronze Antoniniani coins to honour the Gods, asking for their protection against these troubles. We have sold out of these coins before but we managed to buy a small group of the Centaur holding a globe and rudder. These are designed to honour Apollo, likely in response to plagues and disease, with the rudder and globe usually associated with Fortuna for luck. The coins are Good Very Fine. We only have a few at this price, it is very difficult to source these now!

Here is a fantastic offer for all your poker and gambling lovers, a selection of 20 different vintage gambling chips from around the world, together with a set of 12 Limited Edition US Gambling Hotshots Chips in a presentation folder each with a numbered certificate. Poker seems to have its origins in Europe in the 17th and 19th Centuries derived from a French game called ‘Poque’ which was imported by French settlers who founded New Orleans and a German game called ‘Pochen’ but both of these games derived from a three-card bluffing game called ‘Primero’ which dates back to Spain in 1526, often referred to as ‘Poker’s Mother’. The pack of 20 different chips are from a range of casinos mostly in the USA and the UK, some with high roller denominations and some obscure ones that we can’t identify but you might be able to. Great collector’s items on their own or gifts for poker-mad friends and family but only 50 of these sets are available with the limited edition Poker Hotshots Presentation folder, so don’t miss out on this great offer. The chips illustrated here will not necessarily be the ones you will receive as they are picked at random from stock.

When Queen Anne died there were no living relatives to take over the monarchy, so we went to Germany for our new King. George I was from Brunswig-Luneburg-Calenberg-Hanover. He didn’t like living here and didn’t speak English so he spent most of his time in Germany. We have these George I Copper Halfpennies available in Fair condition. Dates will be of our choice, just as they come out of the box. These coins are now about 300 years old and were only struck for 8 years so are not easy to get. Supplies are very limited.

This Sterling Silver Sixpence was issued by King George II in 1757 and 1758 which means that it is now 260+ years old. The obverse has the mature bust of the King with long flowing hair and in a suit of armour. The reverse has four sets of crowned arms, England, Scotland, Ireland, and France. Yes, we once owned part of France. The Sixpence is often used at weddings to bring good luck to the bride. Nice coins with a lot of history, in Very Good or Fine. They would make an excellent wedding gift.

It has been some time since we have last been able to offer the complete date collection of King George V Farthings for sale. These are the lowest denomination bronze coin that was regularly struck during his reign. They go from the Coronation issue of 1911 until the year of his death 1936. All coins are in Fine or better condition and it is most difficult to put this collection together today.

One of the most popular and of late, hardest to get Edward VIII Patina issue, is that of Hong Kong. You have the bare head of the King on one side and a Chinese Junk on the other side. The hint here is China, where there are many many collectors, trying to buy coins that they have not seen. These are the original Lobel medallic patterns, fully crownsized and in Prooflike Uncirculated condition. They are available in cupro-nickel. Buy them while you can, they are being collected in the Far East.

Instituted on 26 January 1960 by the Government of India, it was awarded to the Indian Armed Forces in recognition of non-operational service under conditions of hardship and severe climate in specified areas. The medals were all named to the recipient on the rim and were awarded together with a clasp on which is inscribed the place where the service was rendered. There are seven different clasps as follows: Jammu and Kashmir, NorthEast Frontier Agency (NEFA), Himalaya, Bengal-Assam, Andaman and Nicobar, Marusthal and the 6 Year Sea Service clasp. The medal is struck in cupro-nickel and hangs from a suspension bar, to which the clasps are mounted. The obverse depicts Nanda Devi, the second highest mountain in India, with bamboo in the foreground. The reverse depicts one of the gates of Purana Qila, one of the oldest forts in Delhi. Above is inscribed the words Sainya Seva Medal in Hindi script. The ribbon of the medal is saffron in colour with single vertical stripes of white and dark green. Each medal comes with a card to say who it was awarded to and the regiment in which they served and also the identification of the clasp for the theatre of service.

We have found a number of interesting £2 coins from the Isle of Man. They were minted in 1997 and are in Brilliant Uncirculated condition. The obverse shows the third portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, and the reverse has 3 vintage racing cars. These coins were struck in virenium, a metal alloy often used for medals and commemorative coins and which consists of copper, nickel and zinc.

Between 1982 and 2001 Italy had a rather unique 500 lire coin in circulation. It was the first to have the value written in Braille on the reverse. The coin features the traditional woman’s head symbolizing the Italian Republic, as well as the Quirinale Palace on the reverse. Built in 1583, the palace has been home to 30 popes, 4 kings of Italy, and 12 Presidents of the Republic to date. We are offering the coins in Uncirculated condition.

These 1 Mon cash coins from Japan were the first of a new type to be minted at Kameido, previously a town near Tokyo but now the name only refers to a district and a railway station within Tokyo. The coins themselves date from the Kanbun period between 1661 and 1673 and can be easily identified by the inscription on the reverse side just above the square hole. We have a limited number of these coins in Very Fine condition.

Before Jersey introduced the decimal system in 1971, it had a rather unique way of denominating its coins. One example of this is the old large penny, which stated that it was “One-twelfth of a shilling”. We have found a number of the 1964 “penny” in our stock, all of which are proofs. We also have a selection of proof “quarter shillings”, or an old threepence. On the obverse of both is a crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, while the reverse shows the Coat of Arms of the Bailiwick of Jersey.