DAVISSON'S E-AUCTION 42 BRITISH

E-Auction 42 closes next week! Bidding closes on Wednesday, December 8th beginning at 10 a.m. U.S. Central Time. Read on as we survey a few of the more notable British coins and tokens we have on offer.

 

Greek coinage, though not always widespread in pop culture, is still recognizable to many through depictions in art and literature, classic statuary, and more. Milled world coinage is also familiar, with many themes and characteristics still visible on coinage minted today. But hammered coinage exists in a fascinating intermediary period of human history, with crude depictions and production techniques being gradually refined as long lost skills and artistry were rediscovered or reinvented, and tailored to the challenges of the era.

Gone are the chunky ancient flans, with art of the highest quality produced for the glory of city and empire, and instead we enter an age of thin flans, with dies that utilized punches to assemble a design rather than being engraved in toto by masters of the craft.

This is not to criticize the beauty of hammered coinage, far from it! I am not sure if Allan ever had a time as a numismatist when he did not appreciate the artistry of early British numismatics (I, on the other hand, have had to nurture my fondness after a rough and lengthy entrance to the coinage spent cataloging boxes of long cross pennies.)

 

 

Our hammered offering in E-Auction 42 is brief, but has some choice pieces. The Commonwealth shilling at the start of this email is a highlight of the sale, well placed with nearly full legends on a full round flan. And my prattling on about the relative artistry of Greek coinage seems rather benighted when you see the beautiful portraits of Henry VI and Elizabeth I above.

 

 

Our milled section is still anchored by the seemingly inexhaustible Frank Robinson collection, but don't be fooled, the end is in sight! Frank's attention to quality while buying over many years has been a pleasure to handle, and who can say when we will see such a comprehensive collection again.

 

 

Our Scottish section features the second half of a consignment of modest but appealing pieces, the sort that are surprisingly hard to come by recently. The small group lots are all fully photographed and cataloged, and based on the success of the first part of the consignment in our last E-Auction, are far more appealing than the term 'large lot' usually suggests.

 

 

The Mike Sussman collection continues to anchor our British token offering, but the end is in sight there as well. Some other high quality consigned pieces fill out the section, do take a look. To my knowledge we are the only U.S. firm who so consistently and prominently features tokens in our auctions. Their beautiful designs and varied motifs, combined with relatively modest prices, explain their enduring appeal to numismatists both new and old. (Also many of the political themes feel as relevant today as ever.)

 

 

There is always more to see, but that is all for now.

To read the complete auction, see:
https://davcoin.com/sale/E-Auction%2042

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
DAVISSON'S E-AUCTION 42 ANCIENTS (https://www.coinbooks.org/v24/esylum_v24n48a21.html)

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