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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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This impressive £100 note was issued by the Island of Jersey in 2012 to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee (P37a) The front is dominated by a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II commissioned by Jersey in 2003. A gold overprint with a Crowned EIIR appears to the left. The Queen wears a pearl necklace and the George IV State Diadem. A thick holographic thread is to the far right. On the back, the text is in English, French and Norman giving a nod to the Queen’s role in Jersey as Duke of Normandy. The Royal Mace dominates the back and the Jersey flag is in the background. All in all, a stunning note from Queen Elizabeth’s last Jubilee in Crisp Uncirculated.
Victoria issued crowns with her “Old” or “Widow” Head between 1893 and 1900. They are large, impressive pieces made of Sterling silver and were worth today’s equivalent of about £25. We usually off er them in VG or Fine grade. We have accumulated a group of better grade examples in Good Fine or Better and are going to offer them by date because we know that’s what you, our customers like. 1894 and 1898 are rarer dates so stock is limited.
King George V was the last Monarch to have his regular coinage issued in Sterling Silver. Below I have listed a complete date set of all his sterling silver Threepences 1911-1919. They are in selected circulated condition and some dates are rather difficult to get.
Septimius Severus was born in Leptis Magna, Northern Africa. He rose through the senatorial ranks quickly and in the chaos of A.D. 193 he deftly managed his rivals to be sole ruler within five years. He then campaigned for the majority of his reign and in A.D. 208 Septimius Severus set off for Britannia!
Carthage, a powerful Phoenician city-state, thrived from 650 to 146 B.C, standing out for its maritime excellence and dominance in Western Mediterranean trade. Under skilled leaders like Hamilcar Barca and his son the renowned Hannibal, Carthage expanded its influence across North Africa. Its prosperity stoked conflicts, laying the groundwork for the legendary struggles against Rome in the Punic Wars. These AE16 coins from 400-350 BC, portray the Goddess Tanit on the obverse and a right-standing horse with a palm tree behind on the reverse which is synonymous with the coinage of the region as the horse was a symbol of Baal Hammon, the chief god of Carthage. They are in “VG - fine” grade.
The Schneider Trophy or to give it it’s full name ‘The Coupe d’Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider’. It was a trophy for racing seaplanes and flying boats and was announced in 1912. It carried a prize of £1,000 or 1,000 Gold Sovereigns in those days. The race was held 12 times between 1913 and 1931.
We have just had these sets come in which were made to mark the remembrance of the 80th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor. They were made a few years ago but we have only just managed to get them. There are five medals in the set which come in a nice presentation case, they each have The USS Arizona Memorial on one side with the text USS ARIZONA BB-39. This memorial is built across the ship’s remains which lies at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, and is dedicated to the 1,177 officers and crewmen who perished on that day. The other side of each medal carries a scene from the Pearl Harbor attack on 7 December 1941.
British Imperial Silver coins were in use on Cyprus from 1882 with the British Shilling trading as 9 Piastres. In 1900 it was decided that piastre denominated silver coins would be struck at the Royal Mint in Tower Hill, London and this was the first issue of these. Under the new system, silver coins were legal tender to 540 piastres and bronze to 27 piastres. These 3 Piastre coins were struck for the first time and dated 1901, it was the local valuation of the Imperial 4 pence or groat. With a mintage of only 300,000 these are scarce coins in any grade. Very limited availability.
British Imperial Silver coins were in use on Cyprus from 1882 with the British Shilling trading as 9 Piastres. In 1900 it was decided that piastre denominated silver coins would be struck at the Royal Mint in Tower Hill, London and this was the first issue of these. Under the new system, silver coins were legal tender to 540 piastres and bronze to 27 piastres. These 3 Piastre coins were struck for the first time and dated 1901, it was the local valuation of the Imperial 4 pence or groat. With a mintage of only 300,000 these are scarce coins in any grade. Very limited availability.
The Qarlughids (or Karluk Turks) were a tribe founded by Hasan the father and Nasir the son who wandered out of Afghanistan and took over Sind in Pakistan. They established a short-lived but prosperous Muslim principality and dynasty that lasted between 1224 and 1266. The coins on off er are small copper Jitals issued by Nasir Al-Din Muhammad (1249-59). Jitals are a category of every-day coin in silver, billon and copper minted between 750 and 1250 AD in the area which is now East-Afghanistan, Pakistan and North-West India. The coin shows an outline of a horse on the obverse with an Arabic legend around and on the reverse is a Nagari inscription. Over 750 years old and off ered in at least Good Very Fine condition.
Issued in 2023 to commemorate France hosting the Rugby World Cup, these bimetallic 2 Euro coins are very collectable and proved quite difficult to source, so much so that we only managed to get 50 pieces. The obverse depicts a stylized rugby player with the ball with the field itself being represented by a stylized globe, the coin also carries the official Rugby Union logo and the monogram “RF” (French Republic). KM.3226
HMS Endeavour was a British Royal Navy research vessel that Lieutenant James Cook commanded to Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia on his fi rst voyage of discovery from 1768 to 1771. This Bimetallic coin was struck by the Royal Mint and issued by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in 1994 to Commemorate 225 years since Lt. James Cook left England to explore the Pacifi c in 1769. With a mintage of just 52,500, it is a highly sought after and scarce coin especially in this high grade and we only have 25 of these available. The obverse carries the portrait of Elizabeth II and the reverse shows HMS Endeavour passing in front of Mount Taranaki (Mount Egmont). KM.90 Low Mintage BU
An attractive 4 coin set from Surinam. Comprising the 1, 5, 10 & 25 Cent, it also includes the square 5 Cent coin. Coins issued between 1979-1989, all in Uncirculated.
Between 1991 and 1993 this 100 lei coin circulated in Romania bearing the image of Michael the Brave (Mihai Viteazul), and is seen as a national hero and the eff ective ruler of the country in the late 16th Century. Born Mihai Pătrașcu, he is hailed as a symbol of national unity during Romania’s struggle with the Ottoman Empire. The coin is struck in nickel plated steel and comes in Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
East Germany, formally known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was created out of the former Soviet Occupation Zone in October 1949. Some 20 years later in 1969, the authorities there issued this 5 Mark coin to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the new state. The obverse of the coin features the GDR emblem (hammer, protractor and a wreath of corn) with a surrounding legend of the country’s name in full. These coins all come in Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
In 1967 New Zealand introduced the decimal dollar, but we can now off er you fl orins from the early 1960s before the new coinage came in. The coins are all in copper nickel, but come in Uncirculated condition. On the obverse is the young laureate head of the late Queen Elizabeth II, with the iconic kiwi bird on the reverse side.
In 1854 Luxembourg introduced the decimal franc and now we can off er you the first ever bronze 10 centime coin minted for use in the country. It features a crowned coat of arms for the Grand Duchy, which was then ruled by King Willem III of the Netherlands in a personal union. This lasted until his death in 1890, after which the throne of Luxembourg passed to a minor branch of the Dutch Royal House of Orange-Nassau as laws of the Grand Duchy then banned female succession. These coins are in Fine condition or better.
In 1939 the Malayan dollar replaced the Straits Settlement dollar and it remained the territory’s currency until 1953. We have a number of high grade 1943 cents in Uncirculated condition. Like similar denominations of the Straits Settlement dollar that preceded them, these coins are also square with rounded corners. These were reduced in size by the colony’s Currency Board during the war to save money and due to a shortage of materials. King George VI appears on the obverse with the denomination within a beaded circle showing the issuing authority, the Commissioners of Currencies of Malaya.
We are offering you these 3 Polish commemorative 10 zloty coins from the period between 1959 and 1970. The first, issued between 1959 and 1966, features Tadeuz Kosciuszko, a statesman and military leader from the late 18th century who is now seen as a national hero after fighting for Polish independence against both Prussia and Russia. Less of a hero is the 1967 coin marking the 20th Anniversary of the death of General Karol Swierczewski who, despite a chequered military career in the Red Army, was hailed as a hero in post-war Communist Poland. The last coin, dated 1970, marks 25 years since the annexation of former German territories into Poland following World War 2.
In 1968 Ireland stopped minting its pre-decimal currency in order to prepare for the changeover to the new decimal coinage in February 1971. The obverse of this 2 shilling coin, also known as a flóirín, bears the traditional Irish harp, while the obverse shows an Atlantic salmon following a decision in back in the 1920s to feature animals and birds on all Irish coins. We can now off er a selection of these last pre-decimal coins in uncirculated condition.