New Stock March 2024

The discovery of Iceland, according to medieval sources, took place in the second half of the 9th century A.D. when Norwegians on their way to the Faroes were driven off course and came upon an unknown land further to the west. There they found Irish Christian hermits who left soon after the Norsemen arrived. On the 1100th anniversary of the settlement, the Central Bank of Iceland issued commemorative coins to mark the occasion. The coins were designed by an Icelandic artist but struck at the Royal Mint in the UK. The two coins in this set are the 1000 Kronur showing two Norsemen beside a large fire and the 500 Kronur depicting a woman leading a cow by her side. The reverse of both coins shows Iceland’s guardian spirits, a bull, a bird, a dragon and a giant. A beautiful pair of large-size Sterling silver proof coins in the case of issue, now 50 years old but as perfect as the day they were struck.

During the reign of George III there were several issues of copper halfpennies, the last of which was dated in 1805. Minted in England, the coins show the bust of the king facing right, while the reverse shows the traditional Cláirseach or Irish harp between HIBERNIA and the date below.

During the reign of George III there were several issues of copper halfpennies, the last of which was dated in 1805. Minted in England, the coins show the bust of the king facing right, while the reverse shows the traditional Cláirseach or Irish harp between HIBERNIA and the date below.

In 1957 the island of Jersey authorised a new threepence coin, or quarter of a shilling, which unlike its counterpart in the rest of the United Kingdom was round. On the obverse of the coin is the image of a crowned portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II, while the reverse shows the island’s coat of arms with the value written underneath. These inexpensive coins come in Brilliant Uncirculated condition.

The 1992 Mint Set is one of the most important that the Royal Mint has issued. That is because four of the coins in it, were not struck for circulation. For this is the set here the Mint changed over from bronze 1p & 2p coins to copper plated steel. They also reduced the size of the 10 Pence coin. You get the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p large and small, 20p, Britannia 50p and EU 50 Pence all in a full colour presentation case. The 1p & 2p are struck in bronze and were not issued for circulation. You get the large sized 10p which was not issued for circulation. Finally you get the Britannia 50 Pence which was not issued for circulation. This is a very important set because it contains three coins that were radically changed and the 50 pence which was not issued.

A dealer sold us a small bag of very nice condition Victorian Threepences. Now they have been cleaned in the past, so they are very bright and shiny, but some of us like our silver shiny! The Jubilee Heads are all dated 1887, the Old or Veiled Head could be any date from 1893 to 1901. They are being offered as a pair in Extremely Fine condition, some of the 1887s are better. At least 123 years old and made of sterling silver, these Victorian threepences are great.

Postumus was the governor of Germany in A.D. 260 when the emperor Valerian was captured in the East. With the Roman world in crisis the rebel Postumus was left in control of Britain, Gaul, Spain and parts of Germany, forming what was called the ‘Gallic Empire’. Like many emperors at the time Postumus was murdered by his own troops in A.D. 269. At the start of his reign Postumus minted coins that were about 20% silver, at least twice as much silver than the coins being made by Gallienus’ central government in Rome. Later in his reign as he ran out of resources he lowered the silver content to about 5%, the same as the rest of the empire. This is the 20% grade Very Fine meaning an ancient person has used it.

Postumus was the governor of Germany in A.D. 260 when the emperor Valerian was captured in the East. With the Roman world in crisis the rebel Postumus was left in control of Britain, Gaul, Spain and parts of Germany, forming what was called the ‘Gallic Empire’. Like many emperors at the time Postumus was murdered by his own troops in A.D. 269. At the start of his reign Postumus minted coins that were about 20% silver, at least twice as much silver than the coins being made by Gallienus’ central government in Rome. Later in his reign as he ran out of resources he lowered the silver content to about 5%, the same as the rest of the empire. This is the 5% silver grade Extremely Fine meaning they’ve had very limited use since they were struck.

Since India gained its independence in 1948, there have been over 30 different 1 rupee coins struck for general circulation, many of them commemoratives. Here we have put together a set of 5 such 1 rupee coins, selected randomly from our stock. The coins come in several grades and have been struck in a variety of metals such as nickel and copper-nickel, though more recent ones are made of stainless steel. Please note that the coins supplied may diff er from the sample set in the photograph.