The main feature of the sale was the dispersal of the Edward Judson collection of British coins beginning with William I.
Judson died in 1976, thus his coins had not been available for study for at least a quarter of a century and he had assembled his collection over some 40 years. It is a general principle that art objects regain their virginity with the passage of time and the prices achieved demonstrated this.
English medieval silver pennies were struck at mints all over the country and the mint is specified on the coin, as is the moneyer. This results in there being literally hundreds of varieties. There is a natural tendency for collectors to desire coins of a mint local to them and county museums mostly aspire to obtain everything of their county.
In this context a William I penny
of Hereford (a rare mint), and perhaps one of the best examples existing, was prudently estimated at £200-250 but realised £440.
Going back further in time; to the late Bronze Age (c.700BC) the gold spirally twisted gold ring of a type which is found in places as dispersed as Scotland, Ireland and Eastern Europe. They are, within their rarefied context, relatively common and they are usually offered in coin sales. Indeed, it is thought they were used as portable currency. On offer was a particularly attractive example broadly estimated at £500-1000. It made £1350.
One of the more attractive English coins is the gold Angel bearing an image of a standing St. Michael slaying the dragon (St. George does it on a horse). There was a nice Henry VII one in this sale estimated at £800-1000. It attracted a winning bid of only £750. It pays to attend even enthusiastic sales. Someone was lucky.
The Roman pot that contained the Langtoft (Yorkshire) Roman hoard that was previewed in Antiques Trade Gazette No. 1530, March 16, realised £360 (estimate £60-80) and quite right too. The sale total for 1333 lots offered was £205,645.
Judson back on the market
The March 13 sale held by Dix Noonan Webb (17.625 per cent buyer’s premium) was one of the best general sales for quite some years. There is a general shortage of interesting material and the clientele is clearly well aware of this. The room was packed, there was hardly a seat for latecomers and prices were accordingly buoyant. This is very good news for the trade as a whole.
