Auction Results: Lockdales Auction a resounding success – 12 September

Lockdale’s last auction of coins, medals and militaria (12-13 September) was a resounding success, with the total sale prices adding up to an impressive £417,330. Amongst the English coins was lot 154, a Henry V quarter noble, which notched up £1,300; lot 87, a Commonwealth crown piece (£2,100), lot 225, a 1934 crown piece (£2,600), and lot 371, an extremely rare 1863 penny with die number 3 below the date.  The latter was only in about Fine condition but it had taken the previous owner a lifetime to find it; despite not being in good condition, the final bid on the penny was a whopping £2,400.

Chinese Coins

The highlight in the foreign section was a group of early Chinese coins, which came direct from the descendants of a Royal Marine who settled in Shanghai in the early 1900s. Highest prices were £7,000 and £6,800 for two Chinese silver dollars (Lots 519 and 520); A couple of small silver coins, Lot 514, a Chihli 5 cents and Lot 514, a Kiangnan 10 cents, sold for £1,100 and £1,350 against pre-sale estimates of £50 and £60. It seems that at the moment there is an exceptionally strong market for Chinese coins and the figures quoted in relatively recent priced catalogues can be way off the mark.