Numismatists from the around the world gathered at Spink in London yesterday to bid on one of the most exciting offerings of coins and medals to come on the market for some time. When the hammer dropped on the 753rd and final lot, the sale had realized a staggering total of £1,914,747. Several items sold for as much as twenty times their estimates in the end.

English coins and Russian medals stole the show with fantastic prices achieved. The highlight of the sale was the Charles II ‘Petition’ Crown by Thomas Simon which sold for an astounding £207,100. Spink last sold a ‘Petition’ Crown in May 2003 which realized £138,000. This numismatic masterpiece is the creation of the great engraver, Thomas Simon. Following the Restoration of the Monarchy Charles II ordered trials for a milled coinage from the Royal Mint. Simon, aggrieved that he had not been given the commission, was determined to win the King over and be chosen as the official designer with his clever concepts.

Thomas Simon engraved the dies for this Crown featuring a bust of Charles II on the obverse with “Simon” engraved just below the King’s clothed neckline. The “Petition” is two hundred raised letters in two lines around the coin’s rim which is only 35mm in depth and reads:

THOMAS SIMON MOST HVMBLY PRAYS YOVR MAJESTY TO COMPARE THIS HIS TRYALL PIECE WITH THE DVTCH AND IF MORE TRVLY DRAWN & EMBOSS’D MORE GRACE; FVLLY ORDER’D AND MORE ACCURATELY ENGRAVEN TO RELIEVE HIM (more…)

by Greg Reynolds for CoinLink

An 1879-S Double Eagle ($20 gold coin) is ‘in the news’ as the finest certified piece is being offered by Heritage tonight, Friday, Sept. 28, 2007. Heritage is conducting the official auction of the Long Beach (CA) Coin, Stamp and Collectible Expo. Although I could not attend the Long Beach Expo this time, I did have the pleasure of closely examining this exact same coin in the past.

Numerous abrasions and contact marks are almost always expected on gold coins, especially large ones. Gold is a very soft metal. This 1879-S has very few light, short hairline scratches. Sure, a coin expert would notice these very few scratches, even without a glass. I have seen, however, many certified MS-65 grade Double Eagles that have more scratches. Furthermore, almost all Double Eagles have at least a few small, circular contact marks, often from contact with other coins. This Double Eagle does not seem to have almost zero such contact marks. Besides, no one expects a MS-64 grade coin to look perfect. Even a MS-67 grade Double Eagle would typically have a few marks and light scratches.

This coin is sharply struck. Certainly, Miss Liberty on this coin has more hair detail than do most of her cousins on other San Francisco Mint Double Eagles of the third design type, minted from 1877 to 1907. (more…)

WASHINGTON - The United States Mint announced today that the Secretary of the Treasury has reappointed Mitchell Sanders as the Chairperson of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) for a one-year term effective October 1, 2007.

Dr. Sanders of Rochester, New York, was first appointed as a CCAC member in 2003 to represent the interests of the general public. He has served as its Chairperson since 2005. (more…)

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Collectors Universe, Inc. , a leading provider of value-added authentication and grading services to dealers and collectors of high-value collectibles, and dealers of diamonds and colored gemstones, reported that the Appellate Court in the William Miller Case has issued an order granting a motion, filed by Miller, for a rehearing of the Appellate Court’s ruling issued in August 2007. In its August 2007 ruling, the Appellate Court had rejected Miller’s claim that he was entitled to statutory damages of approximately $10.5 million. (more…)