Baldwin’s Launches New Fixed Price List

The 6th March will see the launch of Baldwin’s new spring fixed price list, an opening numismatic salute to spring, which will be recorded as an unprecedented season of numismatic delights here at Baldwin’s. We will hold a private view of the 2019 Spring fixed price list in our iconic 399 Strand store’s private viewing area, and there will be a presentation by our specialist Jeremy Cheek on his new book ‘Money, Monarchy, Medals’ which features a foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales.

One of the standout pieces from the upcoming fixed price list is a recent Baldwin’s purchase a very rare coin which is also probably the most ‘blue blooded’ piece we have ever had, a gold Half-Angel of James I.  Its pedigree is without equal as it has been in all the most important collections in the last 150 years! Four of these collections are the finest and most extensive English coin collections ever assembled and has been the prize example of its type in all of these.   In its most famous collection, the Lockett collection, auctioned in 1956 by Glendinings, its quality was illustrated by the description of the coin in the sale catalogue as ‘in beautiful state for this excessively rare coin’ where it was bought by Spink for £190, which was £30 more than a Spur Ryal of the same king that has fetched (in auction) in excess of £85,000!

Issued between 1613 and 1615 it was tariffed at 5 shillings (and then a couple of years later at 5 shillings and 6 pence after the currency reform). It was the last series of Half-Angels to be minted and with the currency reform in 1619 the denomination was discontinued for ever.  In these final years of issue, under James the output was very small and these little coins are excessively rare. No other of this quality has come up for sale for many years and this particular specimen is probably the best condition piece in existence.