LONDON.- A single owner collection of English Coins was the highlight of International coins, medals, banknotes and jewellery specialists Dix Noonan Webb’s recent live online auction of Coins on Wednesday, May 6, 2020.

The highest price in the auction was paid for a Proof Crown dating from 1847 and the reign of Queen Victoria. It sold for an inclusive price of £9,920, against an estimate of £7,000-9,000.

The next four highest prices were all English Coins from the collection formed by the late Dr John Hulett which was comprised 80 lots and was 100% sold. The collection, of which was no less than the 18th part sold by DNW, fetched £69,254.

Many rare halfcrowns were in the collection. The highest price paid was for an issue from the Hereford mint, depicting King Charles I on horseback. The reverse is unique among the silver coins of Charles I, showing an oval shield within a garter, supported by a lion and unicorn - a design normally reserved for use only on the gold coinage. Around two-dozen specimens are known to exist in private and public collections. It fetched £8,680 against an estimate of £6,000-8,000.

An extremely rare example of the so-called Welsh Marches Halfcrown, struck at an uncertain mint on the English-Welsh border, dates from 1644 - a year earlier than the Hereford example – and this made £6,820 against an estimate of £4,000-5,000. Bought by a private collector, it shows a horseman on one side and on the reverse three plumes. About a dozen of these coins are listed in the standard reference book on the series.

As Peter Preston-Morley, Specialist and Associate Director, Dix Noonan Webb, commented: “Despite the global problems caused by the pandemic and its associated effect on world economies, the Coin department’s 596-lot sale of coins on continued to demonstrate the current numismatic market's strength in depth for good pieces, especially from old collections.

This auction, DNW’s 15th of the calendar year 2020, achieved a sell-through rate of 96% on the day and the two collections anchoring the auction, both of British coins, were once again both 100% sold.”

Dix Noonan Webb are donating 5% of their Buyer’s Premium to NHS Charities Together, and a total of £15,445 is being donated to the charity from the first four auctions since the lockdown due to COVID-19. The ongoing total can be seen on the homepage of DNW’s website. NHS Charities Together works with over 250 charities across the UK helping the NHS do more to look after people.