SOVEREIGN RARITIES AUCTION 6 HIGHLIGHTS

Sovereign Rarities are pleased to present to the numismatic community their sixth auction - taking place on the 28th June 2022 - consisting of 327 lots of Ancient, World, Historic and Modern British coins. The sale features many choice Ancient, British and World coins, and is Sovereign Rarities' inaugural timed auction open for bidding at www.sovr.co.uk from now until 10 am BST on the 28th.

The sale begins with lots 1-16, Ancient Greek, Roman and British coins, with a run of gold, silver and bronze material. Lot 1 is perhaps the highlight of this section, a silver 10 Litrai of Syracuse dating from 215-214 BC, graded by NGC as AU 5/5, 4/5. However, the prize for eye appeal may go to lot 3, a Skithian gold Stater of Koson from the mid-1 st century BC graded by NGC as MS 5/5 4/5.

 
Lot 3, Skithia, Geto-Dacians, Koson, mid-1st century BC, gold Stater, MS 5/5 4/5 NGC

After the Ancient section, we move on to the hammered British coins running from lots 17-27. This section kicks off with a short run of hammered Anglo-Saxon Pennies, then going on to the only medieval coin in the sale – and a great rarity at that. Lot 20 is a Halfgroat of Edward IV struck in Limerick, Ireland c.1470-77. This denomination is almost never encountered from this mint and is one of only a few specimens known.

 
Lot 20, Ireland, Edward IV, Halfgroat, Limerick

The sale then continues with a short run of Tudor and Stuart silver, with a notable lot being 22, a Henry VIII ‘old portrait' groat boasting the highest numerical grade assigned by NGC or PCGS, MS61. Lot 25, an Elizabeth I One Testern, a denomination often underrated for its rarity, also stands out for its top numerical grade of AU50.

 
Lot 22, Henry VIII, Groat, c.1544-47 MS61 NGC

 
Lot 25, Elizabeth I, One Testern, c.1600, AU50 NGC

Lots 28-112 follow the British milled series from gold down to base metal. Lot 29 is a proof Guinea of George III dated 1774 and graded as PF63 by NGC, a very rare and appealing piece. After the Guinea series we proceed to Sovereigns and their multiples, beginning with an exceptional 1937 4-coin gold proof set graded PF64 CAM to PF66 UCAM. Single Sovereigns follow, with many high-grade examples of every monarch from George III through to Elizabeth II's Gillick head coinage represented. Perhaps the most beautiful coin in the auction is lot 84, a Gothic Crown of Victoria dated 1847 and graded PR63 CAM by NGC. This is one of the most popular Crowns in the British series and has a wonderful cameo contrast; it is certainly conservatively graded. A run of Halfcrowns and Shillings follow, then onto the base metal section. One interesting lot is 112, a 1970 proof set graded by NGC. Despite being a common set, this offering is the single highest graded set known with two out of the 8 coins achieving PF70 grades.

 
Lot 29, George III 1774 proof Guinea, PF63 NGC

 
Lot 84, Victoria 1847 Gothic Crown, UNDECIMO, PR63 CAMEO PCGS

After the historic British section come lots 113-240, a run of gold, silver and base metal Modern British coins. This group begins with the modern Sovereign series, starting with a 1982 Five Pounds graded as an impressive PF70 UCAM; however, the highlight is surely lot 153, an example of the rare 2022 5-coin proof pattern piedfort set, all graded PF70 Ultra Cameo First Releases by NGC. Only 70 of these sets were released. After the modern Sovereign series we come to modern special releases, featuring many of the most popular types available today including the 2019 Una and the Lion gold 2oz. Lot 161 represents an example of this sought-after type graded by NGC as PF69 UCAM.

 
Lot 153, Elizabeth II 2022 gold 4-coin proof pattern piedfort set, PF70 UCAM First Releases

 
Lot 161, Elizabeth II 2019 gold 2oz Una and the Lion, PF69 UCAM

Finally, a group of superior World coins conclude the sale. Some highlights include lot 281, an extremely rare Half Sovereign struck in Perth in 1918 and graded MS62 by NGC, and lot 298, a Honduras pattern Real struck in cupro-nickel in 1870 and graded MS63 by NGC. The auction will be open for pre-bidding from the 14th of June and will finish from lot 1 at 10am BST on the 28th June. Enquiries are welcome to info@sovr.co.uk, and we wish our bidders the very best of luck.

 
Lot 281, Australia, George V, 1918-P Half Sovereign, Perth Mint, MS62 NGC

 
Lot 298, Honduras, 1870 cupro-nickel pattern Real, MS63 NGC

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