A 1874 Gold Burgers Pond from the Republic of South Africa sold for £78,000 during Coinex 2014, UK's premier international numismatic show. The final part of the record breaking Åke Lindén Collection sold by A. H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd bring the total collection for US$10 million.
Dimitri Loulakakis, World Coin Specialist at A. H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd commented after the auction:"The numismatic world has indulged in the Lindén collection over the past year. The collection has offered exceptional rarities and sublime coins, whilst at the same time sparking the interest of new budding numismatists. The depth and breadth of his collection has come to monumental and worthy climax. It has been a pleasure to handle and disperse Lindén's collection and we are delighted with the reception it has received from numismatists, collectors and investors worldwide."
Coins from Africa achieved some of the day's best prices. The first gold coin from the Republic of South Africa, the 1874 Gold Burgers Pond, stole the show selling for £78,000 (US$127,000). The example was of the rarer 'coarse beard' variety and is one of the finest known examples of this very rare type.
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| Lot 3395: 1874 Gold Burgers Pond |
When President Thomas François Burgers (1872-1877) first approached the Heaton Mint, Birmingham, in 1874 to begin production of the first indigenous coinage, they proposed two designs, 695 were issued with a 'fine beard' and 142 were issued with a 'coarse beard'. The legislators objected to Burgers use of his own profile on the coin and so rejected both designs. As a result the proposed coinage became obsolete and were sold on as mementoes. It was not until the revival of the Pond in 1892 that interest in the Burgers Pond was reignited, by which point many had been lost, altered or mounted into jewellery.
Other top lots in the Africa section included two Zanzibar coins, a Sultan Barghash ibn Sa'id, Gold 2½-Riyals, 1299AH (1881-188) which sold for £42,000 and a Gold 5-Riyals, from the same year, which achieved £36,000.
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| Lot 3209: 1916 Oaxaca State 60 Pesos Gold Coin |
The opening section of Central & South American coins proved extremely popular with bidders in the room who had travelled from overseas specifically for the auction. Most examples in the section soared past their pre-sale estimates, with a number doubling the start price. A Mexican Revolutionary coinage of Oaxaca State, Gold 60-Pesos, 1916, estimated at £12,000-15,000, achieved £55,200 (US$90,000), proving an exceptional upward trend in the current market from coins of this type. It is very rare to find pieces of this high grade from the Mexican Revolution (1913-1916), as although a huge variety of coins were struck, production was generally of low quality due to the stressful and chaotic conditions.
Further evidence of this market frenzy was a United States of Colombia, Gold 10-Pesos, 1886/74, that achieved £15,600 (US$25,500) against an estimate of £5,000-8,000, and a Republic of Costa Rica, Gold 20-Pesos, 1873 GW, that sold for £28,800 (US$47,000) against an estimate of £8,000-12,000.
Other stand-out lots in the Central & South American section included a Republic of Peru, Transitional Coinage, Gold 4-Escudos that achieved £14,400 (US$23,500).
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| Lot 3493: Meiji 10 Mutsuhito 2 Yen Gold coin |
Following the success of Linden's Chinese coins in Hong Kong earlier this year, many of his rarities from South East Asia achieved top prices. A Japan Mutsuhito, Gold 2-Yen, Meji 10, sold for £74,400 (US$121,000). Only 39 of these pieces were struck and this example was in mint state with brilliant mirror fields.
Mutsuhito transformed Japan into an industrial world power with his monetary reforms and revolutionary government. Other coins minted under him that achieved top prices included a Gold 10-Yen, Meiji 9 (1876), which sold for £67,200 (US$109,500) and a Gold 20-Yen, Meiji 9 (1876), which reached £57,600 (US$94,000).
The sale also included a collection of Crusader coins that sold for a total of £52,302 (US$85,000) and a collection of Indian coins that totalled £218,088 (US$355,000).
This auction was part of a two day calendar taking place on the 24-25 September. Catalogues are available online at www.baldwin.co.uk.
