Sale 121 Realises $5.125 Million

Sale 121 Realises $5.125 Million

This public auction was a great success with 87 percent of the lots sold at 107 percent of estimate overall. The outstanding highlight was the Collins/Allen (1914) one hundred pounds banknote from the John Wilson Collection (lot 4074; est. $350,000) that realised a world record $500,200 (or hammer price $410,000 plus 22 percent buyer’s premium with GST $90,200 as are all the following quoted prices realised) for a one hundred pounds banknote or any issued Australian banknote.

In decimal coins, a 2001 proof set in gold (lot 409; est. $5,000) realised $7,881 and a 2005 proof set in gold (lot 410 ; est. $5,500) realised $7,747 and a Perth Mint proof two ounce gold  kangaroo nugget coin, 1994 (lot 484; est. $3,200) realised $4,880. A PCGS graded New Zealand proof set 1935 with original case (lot 542; est. $12,000) realised $14,030, while a Waitangi crown (lot 545; est. $4,000) realised $5,734. In the fourth session an Adelaide pound (lot 869; est. $7,000) realised $10,492, a choice 1883 Melbourne shield reverse sovereign (lot 922; est. $3,250) realised $5,124 and an 1885 Melbourne half sovereign (lot 1090; est. $1,000) realised $2,684.

In the fifth session, in Proclamation coins, a Brazil 6,400 reis or half Johanna 1792R (lot 1149; est. $900) realised $1,586. A worn NSW fifteen pence or dump 1813 from the Dr. Flynn collection (lot 1166; est. $2,500) realised $4,392 and another very worn example but with Chinese chop marks (lot 1168, est. 1,500) realised $3,416. The cracked die or first type Adelaide pound 1852, from a Tasmanian collection (lot 1171, est. $40,000) realised $41,480, while the second type from the same collection (lot 1172; est. $14,000) realised $18,300. An 1856 sovereign from the same collection (lot 1180; est. $6,000) realised $9,760, and an 1857 sovereign (lot 1181; est. $4,000) realised $5,978. The 1922 Sydney sovereign (lot 1271; est. $15,000) realised $15,860, while the 1923 Sydney (lot 1274, est. $15,000) realised $13,420. A 1918 Perth half sovereign (lot 1315; est. $4,000) realised $5,612.

The uniface pattern 1937 penny (lot 1317; est. $50,000) realised $70,760. A 1923 florin, ex Heathcote Collection (lot 1349; est. $3,500) realised $4,270, a 1926 florin (lot 1351; est. $3,700) realised $4,514 and a 1932 florin (lot 1355, est. $2,500) realised $4,392. In shillings, a 1913 (lot 1365; est. $3,000) realised $3,904, a 1915 (lot 1366; est. $6,000) realised $7,320, and a 1915H (lot 1367; est. $9,500) realised $9,760 and a 1933 (lot 1372; est. $5,500) realised $7,808. A 1930 penny (lot 1411; est. $20,000) realised $21,960 to a collector of military medals and badges who has always wanted to own one. The Indian die dropped 1, 1931 penny (lot 1414; est. $2,000) realised $2,928.

The next morning, the highlights in Miscellaneous went to the carved mammoth tusk (lot 1578; est. $7,500) that realised $15,860. The outstanding result in historical medals went to the Bushranger medal by Thornthwaite (lot 1643; est. $70,000) that realised a record $68,320 to a collector on the phone. A convict love token (lot 1638; est. $5,000) realised $7,320 and a silver convict token depicting  the Royal Charlotte (lot 1642; est. $4,500) realised $4,880. The Aboriginal breastplate (lot 1652; est. $3,500) realised $6,588. A silver Clarke Medal of the RHSA (lot 1674; est. $5,000) realised $9,272.

The British gold section saw some strong results, the ancient British stater (lot 1729; est. $3,000) realised $6,100; the Edward III noble (lot 1730; est. $3,000) realised $6,832, the Henry VIII angel (lot 1731; est $1,000) realised $4,148, the gold crown (lot 1732; est. $700) realised $2,806, and the Edward VI half sovereign (lot 1733; est. $1,200) realised $4,636, these last three from the D. Simpson Collection. The 1937 four coin proof set (lot 1808; est. $12,000) realised $18,300 and the Scottish James VIII guinea (lot 1818; est. $5,000) realised $17,080 to a phone bidder. In British silver, the Edward the Confessor and William the Conqueror pennies, ex Shelley Collection, were keenly fought over by a collector in the room and a phone bidder in the UK, eventually they were evenly divided between the two. The coins came from the Oulton, Staffordshire hoard of 1795. Top price went to lot 1825, est. $400 at $2,440. The highlight of the session was a Charles I silver crown (lot 1893; est. $6,000) which realised $15,860 after a bidding war between two UK phone bidders. This coin realised $4,600 in Noble’s Sale 48 (July 1995) (lot 4446). A choice Gothic crown was close behind at $14,640 (lot 2101, est. $10,000).

In World Silver and Bronze a choice Yuan Shi-Kai facing head dollar (lot 2367; est. $2,000) realised $8,540. A pair of choice uncirculated French Indo China piastres 1913A and 1922H (lot 2411; est. $300) from the Flynn Collection realised $1,342. A Hong Kong twenty cents 1880H (lot 2464; est. $250) realised $2,318. A Norway silver krone 1879 (lot 2530; est. $150) from the Flynn Collection realised $1,464.

In World Gold Coins top price went to the set of International Year of the Child (12 coins) (lot 2676; est. $7,500) which realised $13,664. Highest priced single coin in this section went to the Burgers pond 1874 with coarse beard (lot 2738; est. $6,000) at $11,590. In US silver coins, a half dollar 1809 (lot 2816; est. $1,200) realised $3,294. In the scrimshaw top price went to a 19^th century tusk (lot 3031; est. $200) at $2,074. Next best went to a sperm whale tooth with engraving of a ship (lot 3037; est. $150) at $1,708.

Near the end of the session in the Indian Coins the outstanding highlight was the Sagittarius Zodiacal Mohur of the Emperor Jahangir (lot 3146; est. $150,000) at $219,600.

The Military Medal Session had several highlight lots. Top price went to the DSC RAN Helicopter Flight Vietnam group of seven (lot 3319; est. $35,000) at $42,700. A DFC group of seven for Korea (lot 3317; est. $20,000) realised $25,620. The Anglo-Boer War group of five to a medical officer and a highlight of the Bill Woolmore Collection (lot 3263; est. $25,000) realised $29,280. A single QSA for the Australian Commonwealth Horse from the Woolmore Collection (lot 3242; est. $500) realised $3,904. Another QSA from the Collection to the Tasmanian Mounted Rifles (lot 3232; est. $2,500) realised $4,148. A China War Medal 1900 to the H.M.S. Protector (lot 3266; est. $7,000) realised $10,370. A pair of Swiss percussion dueling pistols (lot 3424; est. $2,000) realised $4,758.

World Banknotes commenced at 2:30pm in the thirteenth session with an early highlight being an Algeria twenty francs 1903 (lot 3457; est. $1,000) realising $4,880. A group of Shah of Iran notes (lot 3603; est. $1,500) from the Ian Laing Collection realised $3,294. The top price in the Laing Collection went to the Iraq half dinar (1942) (lot 3611, est. $1,500) at $5,124. The Solomon Islands five shillings 1926 (lot 3721; est. $5,000) realised $6,100. A Swiss fifty franken 1907 (lot 3735; est. $650) realised $4,026. A bulk lot of world notes mainly Russia (lot 3794; est. $1,500) realised $1,708. In Australian decimal notes a first prefix Phillips/Wheeler (1974) five dollars (lot 3890; est. $250) realised a record $2,074. In documents a complete set of Scanlen’s Football Gum cards, 1963 (lot 3953; est. $2,500) realised $8,540. The Beatles autographed postcard went to a phone bidder from the UK at $4,636 (lot 3955; est. $1000).

The fifteenth session at 7:30pm commenced with the importantseries of Australian Commonwealth Banknotes formed by the late John Wilson. The first lot sold over estimate of $30,000 (lot 3998 – the red serial Collins/Allen (1913) ten shillings) realising $40,260 to a phone bidder against another phone bidder and a floor bidder. The black serials issue ten shillings (1915) (lot 4000; est. $15,000) realised $17,690. The red serial Collins/Allen one pound (lot 4019; est. $20,000) went to a phone bidder at $24,400, a T prefix black serial type one pound (lot 4020; est. $18,000) went to a room bidder at $18,300. The WWI emergency superscribe one pound (lot 4023; est. $30,000) realised $25,620 while the rainbow one pound (lot 4024; est. $42,000) realised $51,240 to a bidder in the room. The Collins/Allen (1914) twenty pounds (lot 4067; est. $55,000) realised $53,680, while the Cerutty/Collins (1918) twenty pounds (lot 4068; est. $65,000) realised $57,340. The X suffix twenty pounds (lot 4069; est. $50,000) realised $48,800, all three went to the same bidder on the phone. The fifty pounds (1918) (lot 4071; est. $35,000) went to another bidder on the phone at $36,600. The specimen Collins/Allen one hundred pounds (lot 4073; est. $75,000) went for $71,980 to the same bidder who successfully won the next lot at $500,200 after a protracted bidding duel that ended with a round of applause. The best price of the star notes went to the Coombs/Randall five dollars ZNC prefix (lot 4292; est. $3,000) at $8,540.

The final day commenced with Ancient Gold Coins. The Sicily gold fifty litrae (lot 4322; est. $7,000) realised $9,150. The Ptolemy III oktadrachm (lot 4323; est. $15,000) realised $17,690 as did the next lot, the Nero pair, the Faustina aureus (lot 4326; est. $5,500) realised $7,320. The following Session featured the late Dr. Chris Haymes Collection. Highlights were an aureus of Vespasian (lot 4590; est. $4,000) at $5,856 and a Domitian aureus (lot 4592; est. $5,000) at $7,320. A Carausius silver denarius (lot 4850; est. $1,500) realised $4,270 after strong bidding by room bidders.

The final session was devoted to stamps. The first lot an error strip of four NSW 1^d carmine 1852 (lot 4877; est. $4,000) realised $16,470 after a protracted bidding duel between two bidders on the phone. A halfsheet of 1^st watermark 2 ½ ^d kangaroos (lot 4884; est. $5,000) realised $8,540. A sheet of 1^d red kangaroos (lot 4904; est. $1,500) topped the group of sheets at $3,172. A mint two pound 1^st watermark kangaroo (lot 4896; est. $10,000) realised $15,860. An imprint pair of C of A watermark two pound roos (lot 4968; est. $8,000) realised $14,640. A Sarawak $2, $5 and $10 from the Malcolm Burrells Collection (lot 5093, est. $1,500) realised $3,904. A collection of Malaysian States stamps from the same collection more than doubled estimate at $5,368 (lot 5105; est. $2,000).

The next sale takes place on the 19^th-22^nd of November, and consignments can be received up until the 20^th of September.

Jim Noble

August 2019