Rare Roman coin collection sells for £17,500 at Shropshire auction
One of the finest private collections of Roman coins ever seen by Shropshire fine art auctioneers has sold for more than £17,500 at auction on Wednesday.
The 500-coin collection went under the hammer in 19 lots at Halls Fine Art’s successful books, coins and stamp auction in Shrewsbury.
Smashing the pre-sale estimate of up to £10,000, the collection included silver and bronze coins spanning from Emperors Vespasian (69-79AD) to Maximinus II (305-313AD).
Top price in the collection was £1,550 which was paid for a collection of 20 silver denarii from the reigns of Emperors Vespasian (69-79 AD), Domitian (81-96 AD), Trajan (98-117 AD) and Hadrian (117-138 AD).
A collection of 32 Roman Silver denarii from the reigns of Emperors Maximinus (235-238 AD), Severus Alexander (222-235 AD) and Julia Domna (wife of Septimus Alexander) sold for £1,500.
Halls Fine Art’s coins and medals specialist Derek Ainsworth described the condition of most of the coins as being “extremely fine” and was delighted with the auction result.
“To see a collection like this in such good condition was very rare, bearing in mind that some of the coins are nearly 2,000 years old,” he added. “It was certainly one of the best private collections that I have seen.
“The collection belonged to a late London collector who bought the best of the coins from auction houses and dealers over a period of around 20 years. Sadly, he has died and now his family, who live in Shropshire, decided to sell the collection.”
Maryanne Lineker-Mobberley, Halls Fine Art’s associate director, added: “We are delighted that the collection of Roman coins sold so well and that there were great results across all sections of the auction.
“It’s the first specialist books, coins and stamps auction that we have held in our calendar. The results show that the format works well and suits collectors and people interested in these specialist lots.”
Top price in the coins section was £3,200 which was achieved by an Edward III gold noble from the Treaty Period 1361-’69, the first English gold coin produced in quantity.
Other leading prices included £1,350 for a large collection of more than 600 UK silver cupro-nickel and bronze coinage from 18th to 20th centuries and £1,100 for an Edward VII cased specimen set of 11 coins from the Coronation 1902, comprising Sovereign to Maundy penny.
A limited edition of the Mountbatten medallic history of Great Britain and the Sea, comprising four albums containing 100 Sterling silver proof medals within capsule, with a certificate of authenticity also sold for £1,100.
