12/2/2023 0 Comments Coin depicting simon bolivarAlthough the coin is undated, the inscription COS III gives us a clue that the coin was produced between AD119 – 138 when Hadrian was CONSUL TERTIUM, or Roman consul for the third time. This imagery may simply have represented a guarantee of the quality of the coinage and Hadrian’s command over the economy however it is also possible to see the depiction of Aequitas as communicating Hadrian’s commitment to fairness and justice in a more general sense. The reverse of this sestertius depicts Aequitas, the Roman personification of fairness, holding a pair of scales in her right hand, and a sceptre in her left. Hadrian is often remembered for the construction of the eponymous wall which divided the Roman province of Britannia from the wild lands to the North inhabited by the Picts and unconquered tribes, but he was also a keen administrator who used coins to promote his pietistic and artistic interests. Lot 6 – Roman Imperial, Hadrian (117-138AD) Æ Sestertius The reverse features the name of the moneyer who struck the coin, Anderbode, and the simple message PAX (peace), perhaps an unfortunate design considering the bloody nature of Harold’s reign. This silver penny minted during Harold’s short reign depicts the crowned head of the king facing left, holding a sceptre - both important symbols of Royal authority in Late Anglo-Saxon England. The disputed nature of his accession launched England into a devastating conflict with rival foreign claimants to the throne until William the Conqueror’s triumph at the battle of Hastings secured the future of the country as Norman. Harold II, more commonly known via his patronym as Harold Godwineson, was proclaimed king by England’s council of ealdormen (the Witan) following the death of Edward the Confessor in 1066. Lot 26 - Late Anglo-Saxon, Harold II (1066) Silver Penny We are lucky to be offering four examples for sale in our May Coins, Tokens and Banknotes auction, two in proof condition - each as part of a 2009 specimen set - and the other two graded Brilliant Uncirculated. With a limited mint run of just over 200,000, obtaining an example of the Kew Gardens 50p soon became something of a holy grail to modern decimal coin collectors. Struck by the Royal Mint to commemorate the 250 th anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Botanical Gardens, the reverse features the pagoda at Kew entangled by vines, accompanied with the dates 17. Everywhere across the country old ladies search their purses, cashiers check their tills in the vain hope of glimpsing the iconic design by Christopher Le Brun. The ‘Kew Gardens’ 50p has gained household recognition as a collectable coin capable of commanding prices many times greater than its nominal face value. Lot 411 - Elizabeth II, ‘Kew Gardens’ 50p 2009 The coin reflects this tentative peace by dropping the word FRANC (a contraction of REX FRANCORUM meaning King of the Franks/French) from the coin’s legend and substituting in its place Edward’s less controversial claim to the Duchy of Aquitaine, appearing in the coin’s legend as the abbreviation ACT. This example, a gold half noble equivalent in value to 40 silver pennies, was struck during the brief cessation of hostilities following the Treaty of Bretigni, where Edward renounced his claim to the throne of France. The totalising nature of the Hundred Years War is keenly illustrated in the design of this new coinage, which not only played upon the allegory of the Ship of State - presenting the king standing imperiously across his warship with sword in hand - but also drew upon the recent English victory at Sluys in 1340, where the French fleet was all but destroyed by a much smaller English navy. Lot 44 - Edward III (1327-1377), Gold Half Noble, Treaty Period 1361-1369Įdward was the first king of England to issue coins in gold as part of the national currency, copying the success of continental examples like the French écu which were freely traded in England despite the ongoing war with France. Coins offer a fascinating insight into our history, and Oliver Yarwood picks his ten favourite lots from the Coins, Tokens & Banknotes Sale on 4th May and explains their historical context.
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