This Queen Anne (1702-1714) five guineas piece from 1705 sold for £220,000 (estimate £100,000- 120,000) to top the Stratos collection of English gold coins sold by Spink on September 15.
At the time of the Whetmore dispersal in 1943, the 1705 Five Guineas piece was thought of as a ‘proof’ striking and deemed more valuable than the renowned 1703 Vigo issue.
This example, graded by NGC MS62+ ‘Proof Like’, had last been sold by Stack’s Bowers Galleries in New York in January 2012 for $43,709 ($54,625 including premium).
The Stratos collection coupled with the Ennismore collection of Anglo-Saxon and Viking coinage, provided Spink with ‘a once in a blue moon auction’.
Together the 321 lots took over six hours to sell generating more than £3m with only one lot failing to sell. “We are at a crossroads where the veteran collector meets the technologically savvy investor resulting in explosive auction results,” said Spink.
