DIX NOONAN WEBB TO SELL REV. RICHARD PLANT COINS

More than 300 lots of British, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic Coins from the Collection of the late Richard Plant will be offered in a live/online auction of Coins and Historical Medals on Tuesday March 2, 2021 by International coins, medals, banknotes and jewellery specialists Dix Noonan Webb via their website www.dnw.co.uk. Comprising thousands of individual coins, the collection is expected to fetch more than £100,000.

The Reverend Richard J. Plant (1928-2020), who died peacefully at his home in Bawtry, South Yorkshire, on 2 August 2020, had a distinctive approach to writing about coins which arose from a life-long quest to make them accessible to collectors who lacked his own classical education. His articles and books, typically illustrated by his own meticulous hand-drawn illustrations brought coins to life - he focused on making connections to the history, myths, places, objects and people on them.

Plant was born in Wandsworth, London, on 6 July 1928. His first coin, acquired at the age of six, was a 1916 zinc issue from the German occupation of Belgium; he subsequently explored the Caledonian (Tower Bridge) and Portobello Road markets for coins. A keen student of Latin and Greek, he built his collection up by identifying coins for dealers on the Portobello road in London in exchange for a few coins.

His writing career began in 1965, with an article for Seaby's Coin & Medal Bulletin on the coat of arms of Lorraine. But it was in 1973, with Arabic Coins and How to Read Them, that he really broke through. The book won him the Royal Numismatic Society's Lhotka Memorial Prize in 1975. This was followed in 1979 by Greek Semitic Asiatic Coins and How to Read Them (reissued in 2013), followed by guides to Roman Base Metal Coins (2000) and Roman Silver Coins (2005), both of which proved popular and became standard tools for identification for collector and specialist alike. The last substantial book was A Numismatic Journey Through the Bible (2007), which originated as a series of illustrated talks for church groups.

As his son Stephen commented: "My Father always thought that clergy without a hobby tended to be over earnest and a bit too intense for their own good. Coin collecting and writing nearly always played second or third fiddle to his long and faithful Christian ministry, served in the West Midlands, London and Yorkshire, and to his family – wife Ann, sons Peter and Stephen and his five grandchildren. But his hobby kept him sane; through it he made friends around the world with whom he enjoyed emailed conversations, especially as his physical world contracted. His unconventional writing will be missed by many, as will his extensive knowledge, his winsome charm and his defining modesty."

Philip III

Among the British coins is a fine coin from the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547), which is estimated at £800-£1,000, while within the Greek section is a very fine example from the reign of Philip III (323-17) which is estimated at £800-£1,000.

Solidus of Julian II

Byzantine coin of Michael VII

Roman coins include a rare solidus from the reign of Julian II (as Cæsar), dating from 355-7 which is expected to fetch £300-£400, while Byzantine Coinage includes a very fine coin from the reign of Michael VII, which is estimated at £200-£300 and among the Byzantine coins is a group of four fine Ottoman examples from the reigns of Suleyman I, Murad III, Ahmed I, and Ahmed III that are estimated at £500-£700.

Ottoman coins from the reigns of Suleyman I, Murad III, Ahmed I, and Ahmed III

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
RICHARD J. PLANT (1928-2020) (https://www.coinbooks.org/v23/esylum_v23n36a08.html)

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