Silver English Crowns

Collection at our Auction, 4th February 14:00

The next sensational Coins Auction at Wilson55 is now online to view and leave bids.  This exceptional sale features a stunning selection of silver Crowns and gold guineas and sovereigns ranging from the first silver hammered Crown of 1551 through to Queen Elizabeth II.

Highlight lots of this sale include two early hammered silver Crowns from the reign of Edward VI (Lot 4) and James I (Lot 6) before moving to the later milled coins of the Commonwealth with Lot 10 - a very high-grade Oliver Cromwell Crown, 1658/7 paired with an Oliver Cromwell Shilling (Lot 9).  Lot 26 – the much sought after and rare Queen Anne, 1703 VIGO Crown again in high grade is matched with several beautiful Guineas from this era. 

This is a recurring theme throughout the sale as silver Crowns from various monarchs are then matched by gold Guineas from the same eras.  The collection then moves through to the House of Hanover with Lot 37 – a beautiful King George I 1726 D. TERTIO Crown in very high grade complemented with many other gold guineas and sovereigns from the reign of George I through to Elizabeth II.

The crown, originally known as the "crown of the double rose", was an English coin introduced as part of King Henry VIII's monetary reform of 1526, with a value of five shillings. The first such coins were minted in 22 carat "crown gold", and the first silver crowns were produced in 1551 during the brief reign of King Edward VI.

The silver crown was one of a number of European silver coins which first appeared in the 16th century, all of which were of a similar diameter (about 38 millimetres) and weight (approximately one ounce), so were more or less interchangeable in international trade.  English silver crowns were minted in all reigns from that of Elizabeth I. 

The composition of the silver crowns was the sterling silver standard of 92.5 per cent silver and 7.5 per cent copper, established in the 12th century by Henry II.  This was harder-wearing than fine silver, yet still a high grade.  The hardness discouraged the practice of "clipping", and this practice was further discouraged (and largely eliminated) with the introduction of the milled edge.

With the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, the English crown was superseded by the British crown, which is still minted, although since 1990 with a face value of five pounds. 

 

Collectors of twentieth century gold proof sets are also well catered for in this sale with a strong selection including Lot 86 - A stunning George VI 1937 Gold Proof Four Coin Specimen Set in its original red leather case of issue. 

The sale then moves on to a strong selection of very high grade foreign gold coinage from Lot 92 – a French, Napoleon I, 40 Francs, gold coin of 1811 through to modern Krugerrands with Lots 97-99 providing interesting and very high grade examples of the three different emperors (Wilhelm I, Frederick III and Wilhelm II) who ruled over Germany during the year 1888 (The Year of the Three Kaisers). 

The sale will feature on numerous live bidding platforms to include Wilson Live, Invaluable and the Saleroom.  Due to the lack of viewing for this sale but the essential need to view these coins first-hand in natural light I will be adding numerous videos for any requested lots over the coming days to allow people to fully appreciate this stunning collection online from the comfort and safety of their homes. 

If you have any silver or gold crowns that you wish to sell at auction contact our specialist at stephen.sparrow@wilson55.com or submit an online valuation form.

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