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First Gold Coin Struck in the Name of an English King to be Sold by Spink June 14, 2010 at 1:09 PM [CoinLink News] The UK auction firm of Spink has announced the upcoming sale of an Anglo-Saxon gold Shilling of King Eadbald of Kent dating from c.620-635. This is the first gold coin struck in the name of an English King and a rare and important piece of English history. Found near Deal Kent in 2010, this coin will be sold at auction on June 24th and is expected to fetch upwards of £8,000. (Editor: Seems very Inexpensive) This type was long known to be amongst the earliest of Anglo-Saxon gold coins with a single example present in the important Crondall hoard found in Hampshire in 1828 and dating from c.670. The conclusive attribution of these coins to king Eadbald of Kent, reigned 616-640, though was only made in 1998. This followed the emergence of new finds which enabled the obverse inscription to be confirmed as avdvarld reges, and translated as 'of King Audvarld'. The name 'auduarldus' appears in Bede's Historia Ecclesiastica completed in 731 in which he wrote about king Eadbald of Kent. Given this and the presence of one of these coins in the Crondall hoard, the attribution to Eadbald is now accepted While the Kentish Shilling or Thrymsa seems to have sought to match the Merovingian Tremissis, the design of this coin is peculiarly Anglo-Saxon using neither motifs found on Merovingian coins nor seeking to copy Roman types. In common with some other coins (e.g. the so called 'Witmen' and 'Londiniv/Londeniv' types), this coin has an inscription on the reverse. This can be clearly read on a example in the Ashmolean Museum as containing the word londenv indicating London as the mint or die source for these coins all of which share the same obverse die. The real significance of these coins though is in the obverse inscription naming the historical figure of king Eadbald. This is exceptional for a coin of this period and is only certainly found again at the end of the seventh century with the Sceattas of Aldfrith of Northumbria (685-705). As such the Eadbald Thrymsa is the earliest coin issued in the name of an English king. Eadbald succeded Aethelberht as king of Kent in 616. Aethelberht is principally remembered for having accepted St. Augustine into his kingdom and his subsequent conversion to Roman Christianity. It seems, according to Bede, that after his accession Eadbald fell foul of the young Church, rejecting Christianity, ejecting its Bishops and incurring the wrath of the Church committing 'such fornication as the Apostle Paul mentioned as being unheard of even among the heathen, in that he took his father's (second) wife as his own.' Whatever Eadbald did, this situation did not last for he repented and was duly baptized, rejecting his wife and thereafter favouring the Church within his kingdom. These events reflect the conflict and confusion amongst the Anglo-Saxon elite at this time as Christianity sought to assert itself over the Pagan religion. This struggle is best known from the mix of Pagan and Christian artefacts in the Sutton Hoo ship burial, which is contemporaneous to Eadbald and this coin. As to the date of these named Thrymsas or Shillings of Eadbald, the presence of Christain iconography dates them to after his conversion and a date to between 620 and 635 is thought appropriate. Six coins other than this example are recorded with five of the six in insitutional collections. Only one example other than this specimen is therefore in private hands. 1. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, 1.26g, AV 69%, Crondall Hoard, 1828. Dies A/a 2. American Numismatic Society, New York, 1.29g, AV 64%, formerly Norweb, SCBI 16/42, ex Lockett I lot 206, Grantley 595a, Ponton D'Amecourt 658, Robert = Belfort 6527. Found Pas de Calais. Dies A/b 3. Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, 1.27g, AV 72%, BNJ Coin Register 1998, 37. Found Tangmere, West Sussex, 1997. Dies A/c 4. The British Museum, London, 1.28g, AV 74%, BNJ Coin Register 1998, 38. Found Shorne, Kent, 1998. Dies A/d 5. Stewartby, 1.28g, AV 67%, Bonhams 1610, 2007 lot 3255. Dies A/d 6. Hunterian Museum, Glasgow, 1.30g. See Bateson and Campbell, 1998, p171, and plates 28-29, no. 1. Ex. Hunter, possibly an eighteenth century find. Dies A/e A further similar Thrymsa in the name of Eadbald, 1.29g, found at Goodnestone, Kent, from a different obverse die and with a reverse mint signature thought to be for Canterbury rather than London, is now in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Related posts: The World's Most Expensive Asian Banknote Sold at Spink Today Spink Auction Sets Record for Highest Grossing One Day coin Sale in the UK with nearly £2million sold 1943-S Lincoln Cent Struck in Bronze sold by Heritage for $207K   Original 1867 Rays Proof Shield Nickel to be offered by Heritage at Summer FUN Coin Show June 14, 2010 at 4:44 AM The 1867 Rays Shield nickel business strikes are conditionally rare coins in the highest Mint State grades, but they are generally obtainable for a price. The 1867 Rays Shield nickel proof coins, however, are celebrated rarities, well-known to series specialists and advanced numismatists. Heritage will be offering a cameo Gem example in the upcoming 2010 July Orlando, FL (Summer FUN) Signature US Coin Auction #1142, taking place July 8-11. John Dannreuther, director of research at PCGS, has delved extensively into the die diagnostics and Mint history surrounding the 1867 With Rays and No Rays proof issues — and reissues. Much of what follows is from the summation in the Bowers Shield and Liberty Head nickels Guide Book and from Dannreuther's PCGS article, published in the June 2007 PCGS Rare Coin Market Report and reprinted on www.shieldnickels.net, titled "Third Obverse Die Identified for Proof 1867 Rays Nickel." Dannreuther has established that three different obverse dies were used for the 1867 Rays proofs, which were restruck at various times, all paired with a single reverse die that was lapped on each reuse. The first obverse used, Dannreuther-1, shows the left base of the 1 in the date over the right side of a dentil. The earliest state of this die, as on the present coin, shows numerous markers, including: All leaves are complete; none are "hollow." The 7 in the date is clearly recut and has not yet faded. No die polish is evident in the lower vertical shield stripes. All berries are complete and attached, with those at the inner right recut. The lowest inner-right berry shows a tiny die polish line to the adjacent leaf. A die line runs from the seventh horizontal stripe, angling down through several stripes. A curly die line from the 10th horizontal stripe runs down through the left side of the shield, ending in the circle or ball ornament (a.k.a. terminal volute). The left fletchings are detached at the lower right (lower front) portion (where they join the shield), but the detached part has not yet degenerated into a small lump or dot as on later die states. The appearance of "hollow" leaves, a lump or dot at the lower-left forepart of the fletchings, the absence of visible recutting on the 7, etc. would indicate later die states and presumably coincide with a lesser degree of the marked field-device contrast also evident on this coin. The Reverse A, also from the earliest die state, displays: A slightly weak center ray below the second T of STATES. Full, rounded dentils from 3-5 o'clock, with no space between them. In total, Dannreuther outlines six different striking periods for this coin, with different dies and die markers evident for each. Mint Director Henry R. Linderman (1867-69, 1873-79) was known not to be averse to lining his pockets when the call came from his numismatist friends outside the Mint for a special coin or two. Dannreuther speculates that perhaps the original Dannreuther-1 obverse die had been destroyed when more examples of the 1867 Rays proofs were asked for, leading to the production of the Dannreuther-2 and -3 dies, each time paired with the successively lapped Dannreuther-A reverse. To summarize, although there may be more 1867 Rays proofs known than originally thought, many are later restrikes. The coin Heritage is offering in Orlando, however, bears every hallmark of being one of the few (10-15) true originals struck, both in die diagnostics and the heavy cameo contrast and lack of die polishing notable on both sides. Itis fully struck throughout, with reflective, untoned surfaces. The only mentionable flaws are some minor handling marks seen in the obverse field at 2 o'clock. Related posts: Absolutely Spectacular Proof Shield Nickel Modern Coins – No-S Proof Coin Set to be offered by Heritage at CSNS Mint State 1832 Half Eagle to be Auctioned by Heritage at Summer Fun