RUSSIA AND ENGLAND GO HEAD TO HEAD AT SPINK (CORRECTION)

Posted by ricey on March 29, 2007 6:47 PM

Spink’s auction room saw a bidding frenzy today with the sale of Ancient, English & Foreign Coins & Commemorative Medals. The 448 lot sale brought £580,442 with two coins in particular drawing a great deal of attention.

Lot 228, the Russian, Peter the Great, gold medallic coin of 1702 was fought for by eight bidders, three in the room and five on the phone. In the end the coin sold for £94,400, to Dmitry Markov, of Dmitry Markov Coins and Medals, New York, nearly quadrupling its estimate. Struck from the dies for a Half-Rouble to the weight of 7-Ducats, this coin has a fantastic provenance; from the collections of Count Hutten-Czapski and Grand Duke Mikhailovich, one of Russia’s most famous collectors. It is one of seven specimens known.

Excitement mounted again with Lot 428, the celebrated Queen Anne Vigo Five Guineas of 1703, struck from the gold captured from Spanish ships in Vigo Bay. Several collectors both on the phone and in the room drove the price upwards in an attempt to acquire an important piece of history. The hammer finally fell with an anonymous buyer paying £94,400. Only five other examples of this coin have been offered at auction in Britain in the past 45 years.

Other highlights included:

Lot 230 Russia, Peter III, Gold 10-Roubles, 1762 £31,150

Lot 440 Victoria, Proof Set, 1839 gold 5 Pounds £31,150

Lot 345 Eire, Bronze Penny, 1938 £25,400

Lot 250 U.S.A., 10-Dollars, 1799 £9,300

Lot 232 Russia, Nicholas I, platinum 6-Roubles,1830 £9,300

Lot 343 Eire, Florin, 1943 £9,300

Lot 251 U.S.A. 2 ½ Dollars, 1799 £8,725

Lot 405 Charles I, Crown, Briot’s first milled issue £8,380

Viking Gold goes on display in Mold

Posted by ricey on March 29, 2007 6:12 PM

A 9th/10th Century gold ring found on land to the North West of Nercwys Hall, Flintshire by metal detectorist Mr. D. Robinson in October 2004; declared as treasure in October 2005 under the Treasure Act 1996 has gone on display in Mold Museum.

It was acquired for £1,500 from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport by Flintshire County Council with a contribution of £562 from The Art Fund and additional support from the MLA/V & A Purchase Grant Fund.

This finger-ring is of band form and its external surface is decorated with wide, shallow transverse facets which have been created by deliberate hammering. The high gold content and type of decoration has led Mark Redknap, Head of Archaeology and Numismatics at the National Museums & Galleries of Wales, to conclude that the ring was made during the early medieval period, possibly during the 9th or 10th century AD. The decoration has Viking parallels, although there is no direct parallel for this object.

The find comes from Nercwys, a settlement 3km south of Mold within the modern boundaries of Flintshire. Nercwys itself is of possible early medieval date – the Church is first documented in 1291 but architectural evidence points to a pre-1145 date. The nearest Viking finds have been on the North Wales coast, Chester and the significant trading settlement at Meols near the mouth of the Dee on the Wirral peninsula.

Flintshire Museums Service previously held no finds from Nercwys, although it holds significant excavated collections from the surrounding areas.

9th-10th century AD: internal dia. 17mm; max. band width 6mm; max. band thickness 1mm; weight 5.63g: surface analysis by National Museum of Wales indicated a composition of 94-96% gold, 2-4 % silver and 1-2% copper.

My sincere thanks must go to Debbie Snow Principal Museums Officer and Flintshire Museum Services for providing the image along with the information relating to the find.

RUSSIA AND ENGLAND GO HEAD TO HEAD AT SPINK

Posted by ricey on March 29, 2007 4:11 PM

Spink’s auction room saw a bidding frenzy today with the sale of Ancient, English & Foreign Coins & Commemorative Medals. The 448 lot sale brought £580,442 with two coins in particular drawing a great deal of attention.

Lot 228, the Russian, Peter the Great, gold medallic coin of 1702 was fought for by eight bidders, three in the room and five on the phone. In the end the coin sold for £92,400, to Dmitry Markov, of Dmitry Markov Coins and Medals, New York, nearly quadrupling its estimate. Struck from the dies for a Half-Rouble to the weight of 7-Ducats, this coin has a fantastic provenance; from the collections of Count Hutten-Czapski and Grand Duke Mikhailovich, one of Russia’s most famous collectors. It is one of seven specimens known.

Excitement mounted again with Lot 428, the celebrated Vigo Five Guineas of 1703, struck from the gold captured from Spanish ships in Vigo Bay. Several collectors both on the phone and in the room drove the price upwards in an attempt to acquire an important piece of history. The hammer finally fell with an anonymous buyer paying £92,400. Only five other examples of this coin have been offered at auction in Britain in the past 45 years.

Other highlights included:

Lot 230 Russia, Peter III, Gold 10-Roubles, 1762 £29,150

Lot 440 Victoria, Proof Set, 1839 gold 5 Pounds £29,150

Lot 345 Eire, Bronze Penny, 1938 £23,400

Lot 250 U.S.A., 10-Dollars, 1799 £9,600

Lot 343 Eire, Florin, 1943 £9,600

Lot 251 U.S.A. 2 ½ Dollars, 1799 £7,300

Lot 405 Charles I, Crown, Briot’s first milled issue £6,380

Charnwood Forest Hoard 1841

Posted by ricey on March 25, 2007 11:38 PM

An urn filled with Roman small brass and base silver coins was brought to light by the plough, about two months since, in Charnwood Forest, near Loughborough, Leicestershire.

Full Story

Forest of Dean Roman Coin Hoard 1847

Posted by ricey on March 25, 2007 11:09 PM

Full article

Saxon Gold

Posted by ricey on March 25, 2007 7:14 PM

You don't find many Saxon Coins - they are relatively hard to find. So to find a Saxon Gold Coin is always something special. This beauty was found by a fellow detectorist who lives in Leeds. It was found with a Minelab Explorer 11 Metal Detector Near Beverly.

It weighs approx 1.2g and is a rare York group shilling (thrymsa*) of the 7th century AD

Lovely Coin. Well Done Rich.

What a lovely day.................if you're not in work!!!!

Posted by ricey on March 25, 2007 6:27 PM

Well today started off badly and never really recovered. Getting up at 7am to go to work (really about 6am if you took the hour off) and then travelled into town. Travelling down Upper Parliament Street I couldn't get any further because all the road was cordened off. Spent another 20 minutes trying to find my way around diversions - all because of the marathan. I suppose what really annoyed me was that there was a great Metal Detecting Rally on in Cheshire today and I was stuck in the office all day.

I'd love to give up work and take up Metal Detecting and writing full time. It is my passion. It is what I was born to do ..........................but then again with a young family I have responsibilities and a mortgage to pay. Maybe one day it will happen for me. In the meantime I suppose I'll have to plod on.

I haven't heard how successful the rally was yet. I'll try a get a few piccies or at least a report for you all later. In the meantime I have some more writing to do about this great hobby.

Signing off :-)

Steve

Pettiogoe Hoard 1852

Posted by ricey on March 25, 2007 11:32 AM

Just how many hoards are still out there? I find asking myself. I've been researching coin hoards for years now and on a daily basis there are more and more being found. There are also more and more coming to light that were found in years gone bye. Some small - Some large. Some old - Some new. I know that more will be found this year by Metal Detectorists but how many are still to be found on our little island.

Here is an account of a hoard found in 1852 which may interest you further.

'In the month of April 1852, a few coins were found in Pettigoe, in the County of Fermanagh; Mr Barton on whose property the coins were discovered, left them with Mr Clibborn, who placed them in my hands, and informed me that Mr Barton would be obliged by any information respecting them.

The lot consists of fourteen coins, three groats of David 11, along with nine groats and two half groats of Robert 11; all the groats are of the Edinburgh mint, and the half-groats are from the mint of Perth

'Scotch coins of an early period are frequently found in Ireland, and though many hundreds of them have passed through my hands, I never met with or heard of any similar to the coins Iam about to describe. Ten of those coins are forgeries of a very peculiar kind, fabricated with a degree of ingenuity well calculated to impose on the rude and ignorant people of the fourteenth century. Toe of the groats and two of the half groats, are genuine silver coins. The specific gravity of one of the groats is 10.6. Each of the false groats consists of two very thin discs of silver, having interposed a piece of copper of somewhat smaller diameter, and much thicker than the silver, and they seem to have been struck between dies in the usual manner. As to the means by which the different metals were made to adhere, I found on attempting to separate one of the discs of silver from the copper, that it was detached without much difficulty, and that the metals had been united by solder, which has been corroded at the margin so as to expose the mode of fabrication.

Coin of Beorhtric

Posted by ricey on March 25, 2007 9:29 AM

Whilst doing some research recently -wow do I do some research:-) I came across an image of a coin from the reign of Beorchtric. Beorhtric (died 802) (Means 'Magnificent Ruler') was the King of Wessex from 786 until his death.

The coin was found within 2 miles of Andover in 1854 (before metal detectors were around). The coin is a very rare specimen and weighs 22 grains.Beorchtric was at one time classed as the king of west saxons but researches of Ruding (Annals of Coinage) and Hawkins (The Silver Coins of England), have assigned him to East Anglia.

The moneyers name on this coin was PEOCHTHVN.

I have never ever come across this coin before and have been collecting coins for many years. I have never seen a coin of this type found whilst metal detecting. It is worth a note though. Maybe one day myself or a fellow detectorist will come across this type of coin and would be grateful for this reference. If anybody ever does please mail me a pic. I'd love to see it.

What a cracking coin???

Posted by ricey on March 25, 2007 8:37 AM

This a north east coast sun type! of the corieltauvi. found in Yorkshire a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately I wasn't the finder on this occasion however the beauty of this coin is beyond comprehension.

The Corieltauvi were a tribe of people living in Britain prior to the Roman conquest.Their territory was Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Northamptonshire.

Spain, Britain to dive for treasure on 1694 wreck

Posted by ricey on March 24, 2007 9:11 AM

MADRID (Reuters) - Three hundred years after the British warship Sussex sank in a storm off southern Spain, researchers are preparing to dive to the site to see if it was carrying a fortune in gold coins.

Spain and Britain said on Friday they had agreed to start underwater exploration to find the ship that sank near Gibraltar in 1694. Any treasure will be claimed by Britain, the Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement.

A deal Britain has been done with Florida-based salvage company Odyssey Marine Exploration, which will run the dives under which Odyssey will receive a share of whatever is found on the wreck.

It has been reported that the cargo may be worth millions.

According to a report carried out by Odyssey Marine 'the wreck site in deep of water of a vessel
which may have been carrying a valuable cargo of coin'. The ship itself was launched from Chatham Dockyard on April 11th 1693.

In a recent press release they confirm that the Sussex project is an expedition to locate and recover artifacts and cargo of a large colonial-period British warship, HMS Sussex, which was lost in a severe storm in 1694. Based on documentary research conducted by contract researchers and Odyssey's in-house research team in libraries and historical archives in Great Britain, France and other countries, the Company believes there is a high probability the ship was carrying a cargo of coins with a substantial numismatic value.

Full Report

New life for castle that has kept its secrets for 900 years

Posted by ricey on March 24, 2007 9:03 AM

AN ancient castle which has been off limits to the public since it was built in 1088 is about to reveal its secrets for the first time.

Aberlleiniog Castle, located on the south east corner of Anglesey, has been witness to a long and fascinating series of owners and events.

The little-known castle has been the site of a murder mystery, love triangles and even fatal duels, but few people are aware of its significance and no one has been allowed to visit for almost a thousand years.

All that is now set to change thanks to a £317,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Full Story

Buried treasure is yours for the taking

Posted by ricey on March 24, 2007 8:41 AM

“Nothing beats finding gold,” David Villanueva tells me as we drive towards the “site” – a field in rural Kent, not far from Canterbury — where, armed with metal detectors, we will be hunting for treasure.

Mr Villanueva is confident that the machines will turn up something of interest. The land – situated between medieval villages – has already produced Roman, Tudor and Georgian artefacts, including a silver Elizabeth I coin.

Mr Villanueva, 55, is one of the country’s 8,000 or so dedicated “detectorists”. Once reviled by archaeologists as looters bent on plundering heritage for profit, they have enjoyed a radical change of image in recent years and now work closely with museums and excavators. Many map their finds meticulously and report thousands of artefacts — 57,566 last year — to the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS). In January David Lammy, the Culture Minister, called them “the unsung heroes of the UK’s heritage”.

An initial lust for gold inspires most to take up the hobby. But Clive Sinclair, of the National Council for Metal Detecting, says that thousands of detectors end up in cupboards when their owners’ dreams of booty come to nothing despite hours of legwork. Roger Bland, head of the PAS, which allows archaeologists to interpret the distribution and significance of finds, says that artefacts such as Roman coins fetch as little as a pound or two each on eBay.

Full article

Unearthing Derby's medieval past

Posted by ricey on March 23, 2007 10:51 AM

Archaeologists have shed new light on Derby's medieval past with discoveries in the city centre that are thought to date back more than 800 years.

Experts have found a large ditch beneath a site on King Street that they believe may have marked the former northern boundary of the medieval town. They have also discovered the remains of medieval cooking pots, jugs and other artefacts that will help them to unravel the mystery of the latest finds.

A team from the Trent & Peak Archaeological Unit of The University of Nottingham has been carrying out excavations at the site on behalf of Metropolitan Housing Trust Midlands.
The King Street development site lies on the site of the medieval chapel of St. Helen, on what may then have been the northern outskirts of Derby. There is thought to have been a church on the site since Saxon times as it can probably be identified as one of the Derby churches owned by townsmen listed in Domesday Book of 1086.

A community of Augustinian canons was settled there in 1137, but in 1146 the canons moved away to Darley Abbey and the chapel was converted to a hospital. In 1538 the hospital passed to the crown, and thence to a private landowner, Sir Godfrey Foljambe who converted it into a private house. The site's later history included use as a factory from 1802, when burials relating to the monastery or hospital were discovered.

The King Street ditch is up six metres wide and over three metres deep — a substantial size. Pottery has been found on the site that has been provisionally dated to the medieval period, and possibly as early as the 12th century, though it will require specialist analysis to confirm this.

Gavin Kinsley, a field archaeologist and Deputy Head of the Trent & Peak Archaeological Unit, has been working on the site. He said: “There are several possible explanations of the purpose of this ditch. It might define the precinct of the chapel or hospital, which would be consistent with a medieval date.

“However, there are documentary references to a 'town ditch' existing in the area in the 13th century, presumably a ditch defining the perimeter of the medieval town. The large size of the King Street ditch would be more appropriate for a town boundary rather than a chapel precinct.

“Ditches defining long-lived boundaries such as this often have a complex history, and further excavations at a number of points will be required to establish its course, date of construction and subsequent history.”

Derby was a substantial settlement by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, when the earliest documents are available, but little is known about Derby's origins in the Saxon period. A pre-Viking focus is known from around the minster church of St. Alkmund — a Northumbrian prince killed in 802 AD – where earlier church structures have been found, and carved cross shafts and grave covers of Anglo-Saxon date, including the possible sarcophagus of St Alkmund himself. The Saxon town included the site of the cathedral, in what is now the modern town centre.

The Trent and Peak Archaeological Unit is part of The University of Nottingham, and is based on the University Park campus. Many of the unit staff have particular areas of expertise, and teach within the university.

Metropolitan Housing Trust Midlands commissioned the Unit to carry out an archaeological dig as part of its planning conditions for the King Street site.

Museum unveils rare collection of gold

Posted by ricey on March 23, 2007 10:22 AM

A RARE treasure hoard unearthed in the Cotswolds will be unveiled to the public for the first time this week.

The hoard of gold, which was discovered by a metal detector enthusiast in Poulton three years ago, will be shown off to visitors to Cirencester's Corinium Museum from Monday.

The 3,000-year-old gold arrived at the museum last week after a successful fundraising campaign to buy the gold and keep it in the Cotswolds.

Full Story

South Lancs and Cheshire Metal Detecting Club March 2007 Finds

Posted by ricey on March 22, 2007 11:49 AM

March 2007 Competition Results

Pre-1662 Coin of the Month

Edward I Penny 1 point
Antoninus Pius coin 1 point
Edward I penny 4 points
Constantine I Coin 4 points
Charles I penny 10 points

Post-1662 Coin of the Month

George VI Halfcrown 1 point
1896 Sixpence 1 point
Victorian one 26th of 1/- 3 points
1842 Groat 5 points
Hoard of silver coins 1 point
Charles II farthing 10 points

Pre-1700 Find of the Month

Medieval Buckle and Plate 3 points
Spectacle Buckle 1 point
Roman Vessel Mount 10 points
Buckle 1250-1400 5 points

Post-1700 Find of the Month

King of Hanover Toekn 1 point
Bronze Book 1 point
Silver Military Button 5 points
Lead Button/Weight 1 point
Lions Claw Pot Leg 1 point
Decorative Button 3 points
Heart-shaped Religious Medal 10 points

Combermere Abbey Rally

Posted by ricey on March 22, 2007 11:44 AM

Combermere Abbey Rally this Sunday the 25th. March.
It's a 10-00am start, 5-00pm finish.
The cost is £10 per detector user.
The only directions I have is, take the A530 road from Nantwhich to Whitchurch, and look out for the Abbey and club signs.

Regards
Steve

Spink buy brutus denarius, commemorating the murder of julius caesar

Posted by ricey on March 22, 2007 11:39 AM

Only three days after the Ides of March, Spink purchased one of the most famous coins of antiquity- a Brutus silver denarius - on behalf of an American collector. Spink were underbidders in a Swiss sale in 1959 for the same coin which fetched SF 5400. It was purchased this week for €103,500.

The coin commemorates the assassination of Julius Caesar by Brutus. On the obverse of the coin we see the portrait of Brutus and on the reverse the date of the assassination and daggers, the weapons used to carry out the act. Between the two daggers there is a Pileus which symbolizes liberty and clearly suggests the death of Caesar as an act of patriotism.

The coin was minted under the orders of Brutus by a traveling mint in 42BC. It was the equivalent of one day’s wages for his foot soldiers. Around 50 of these coins exist in the world today and only 8 or 9 in private hands.

Brutus’ Denarius is one of very few coins which are noted by Dio Cassius in Roman History: “Brutus stamped upon the coins which were being minted his own likeness and a cap and two daggers, indicating by this and by the inscription that he and Cassius had liberated the fatherland.”

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RUSSIA AND ENGLAND GO HEAD TO HEAD AT SPINK (CORRECTION)

Viking Gold goes on display in Mold

RUSSIA AND ENGLAND GO HEAD TO HEAD AT SPINK

Charnwood Forest Hoard 1841

Forest of Dean Roman Coin Hoard 1847

Saxon Gold

What a lovely day.................if you're not in work!!!!

Pettiogoe Hoard 1852

Coin of Beorhtric

What a cracking coin???

Spain, Britain to dive for treasure on 1694 wreck

New life for castle that has kept its secrets for 900 years

Buried treasure is yours for the taking

Unearthing Derby's medieval past

Museum unveils rare collection of gold

South Lancs and Cheshire Metal Detecting Club March 2007 Finds

Combermere Abbey Rally

Spink buy brutus denarius, commemorating the murder of julius caesar

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