On September 26 Baldwin’s Auctions obtained £210,000 (plus 15% buyer’s premium) for this unique gold medallic triple unite of Charles I – proof that the rarities in the English coin market are now attaining trophy status.
Described as "a unique opportunity to acquire a piece of
history", the bidding for this piece - the highlight of a sale of
"One Hundred Numismatic Rarities - opened at £160,000. An anguished
pause in the room was filled by bidding between a member of
Baldwin's staff and a telephone, before it fell to the latter at a
price that is the second highest paid at auction for an English
coin.
ATG understand that both bidders were likely to keep this piece in
the country, so an application for an export licence currently
looks unlikely. The price exceeds by £10,000 that obtained by Spink
for an Anglo-Saxon gold coin in November 2004. The record for an
English coin stands at £400,000 for the Edward III double Leopard
at Spink in June which was bought by Baldwin's for the Avarae fund
which they manage.
Baldwin's 100 sale realised a total of £626,950. The concept of a
100-lot rarity sale derives from a series incepted by Jean-Paul
Divo in Zurich over the last decade. The idea is to present
spectacular numismatic items to a wide public.
By Richard Falkiner
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