Baldwin’s is delighted to announce the addition of yet another rare collection to their May 2010 auction, to be held on the 4 th and 5 th May at the CIPFA Conference Centre, Robert Street, London.

The Strickland Neville Rolfe Collection is an amazingly conserved compilation of Ancient, British and World coins, tokens and Commemorative medals that has been untouched and out of circulation since 1852. This numismatic collection has remained in the hands of Rolfe’s descendents since his death and brilliantly represents a snapshot of the tastes and interests of an educated English country gentleman and divine of the Victorian era.

Strickland Charles Edward Neville Rolfe was born in 1789, eldest son of General Neville of the Royal Artillery. He assumed the name and arms of Rolfe by royal warrant in 1837, upon receiving the bequest of the estates at Heacham and Sedgeford, from Edmund Rolfe, a distant relative who had no issue.

Educated at Wadham College, Oxford, BA 1812, MA 1816, he was ordained in 1814. He became domestic chaplain to the Duke of Kent in 1814 and to the Duke of Somerset in 1825. He was appointed vicar of Heacham in Norfolk in 1838. His first wife, Agnes, was the only daughter of Henry Fawcett, MP for Carlisle. They married in 1814 and had five sons and four daughters. In 1833 he married Dorothy, widow of the Rev TT Thomason, Chaplain to the Honourable East India Company.

It is known that he was an enthusiastic collector of both natural and archaeological items, as well as having a keen interest in art. Rolfe had had a number of artists staying for long periods to study artistic endevours at Heacham Hall. It is said that he had a large coach built in which he took these artists on excursions to draw and paint buildings or articles of interest in and around the area.

He was especially interested in the area of Norfolk and part of his collection of portraits of Norfolk celebrities, original drawings, topographical and antiquarian, were sold by Sotheby’s. Some of these pieces were used to extra illustrate ‘Blomefield’s History of the County of Norfolk’ (compiled by Francis Blomefield and published in 1805). Later, in 1929, a number of water-colour drawings from the collection were also used to illustrate a publication compiled by his great grandson, Clement Rolfe-Ingleby, and entitled ‘A supplement to Blomefield’s Norfolk.
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Strickland Rolfe died in 1852. Heacham Hall was destroyed by fire in 1941, whilst being occupied by the
RAF.

The English coins from the collection span three centuries and include some key rarities, such as the pattern “Incorrupta” crown (lot 1405), one of only eighteen known to have been struck, and the “Three Graces” crown, one of the most important and majestic coins of the English series (lot 1406, pictured above). Both the “Incorrupta” and the “Three Graces” crowns were struck by the renowned medallist, William Wyon. (more…)

On March 2nd and 3rd, Stack’s will present items from The Eliasberg & Krause Collections, along with many other important numismatics properties at the Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland.

The sale includes items from over 80 consignors and offers over 2,500 lots of coins, tokens, medals, and currency.

In addition to the pieces offered from the Eliasberg & Krause Collections, Stack’s will proudly feature the Peter Scherff Collection of Colonial Coins, the Alan Bleviss Collection of Civil War Tokens Part IV, and selections from the Collection of Jerry Byrne, Sr.

Session One: U.S. Tokens, Medals, and Americana; U.S. Coins

Lot 40 – Ohio, Ashland. (1861-65) Ella Buchanan. Watchmaker. Fuld Rarity-9. MS-62 (NGC).

A modest selection of Hard Times tokens leads us into Part IV of the Alan Bleviss Collection of Civil War Tokens. This particular offering from this immense collection features nearly 300 lots of Ohio store cards. One interesting piece is a rare brass Ella Buchanan token from Ashland that was struck over a McClellan for President token! Cleveland issues include a rare A. & H. token, a Rarity-9 copper piece that is graded MS-63 BN by NGC. Following this piece is a somewhat cryptic Brattin token in copper-nickel; these were probably issued by the watchmaker as repair receipts and not intended as a currency substitute. Urbana tokens feature a copper C. McCarty token in MS-63 (NGC) and an MS-64 RB (NGC) example of the rare Walker’s Ale Depot issue in copper.

Lot 505 – 1855 large cent. N-10. Rarity-5. Slanted 55.
Proof-66 BN (PCGS).

The second half of Session One is comprised of U.S. coins from half cents through quarters, silver and gold commemoratives, sets and errors. Half cents feature a wonderfully appealing and desirable 1794 C-2a example in AU-55 (PGS) from the Pittman Collection and large cents provide a startling high grade Proof 1855 N-10 example. This Slanted 55 variety is graded Proof-66 BN by PCGS, and no Proof of this date has been certified finer in any color designation by PCGS. (more…)

Holabird-Kagin Americana has released its newest catalog in their series on pioneer minor coinage. Mint State Pioneer Minor Coinage is a 168-page catalog of certified tokens, all graded MS 60-plus. Fred Holabird, author of the catalog and partner in Holabird-Kagin Americana, stated that this catalog is the first of its kind in what he calls the “Last Frontier of Numismatics” to be professionally certified.

The catalog contains images of the obverse and reverse of each token, as well as short interesting stories on many of the pieces, particularly those from California and Nevada. The catalog’s introduction discusses a number of fascinating issues surrounding mint state tokens, including populations, hoards, manufacturer collections and restrikes.

The field of collecting tokens in mint state is new, according to Holabird, and real rarities of uncirculated pieces are still not known. As an example, many pieces rated common, with perhaps 25–50 pieces known, have no known uncirculated pieces. “This can be confusing while the dust settles on this new frontier,” stated Holabird.

Collectors have the chance of obtaining MS 65 pieces for little money, compared to their Civil War counterparts. But they might find the opportunities lacking — NGC has graded fewer than 150 pieces MS 65 thus far.

Interested collectors can contact Holabird-Kagin Americana for a catalog, $15 or free with a purchase, at info@holabirdamericana.com or call 775-852-8822.