Lot 52 was a George III Crown of 1818, made famous by the St George and dragon scene by the artist Pistrucci. This was one of over 100 lots of coins that were a huge success in the auction. We continue to thrive in this area and have handled several collections over the last few sales.

The 1818 crown was of superb condition and was left with a fine lustre and colour that impressed buyers. The demand for historic coinage is still superb as well as the continued trend of interest in more modern silver proof coinage. This was demonstrated in many lots of this type selling for well over estimate particularly Royal Mint commemorative issues. When these first started reselling on the market the expectation was always with the fluctuation of the silver price. However there are real signs that these modern coins are gathering a real following in themselves and a collectible market is being created as I write this. However the long standing interest in British coinage both hammered and milled through to Queen Victoria is leading the way for the coin market. This auction saw some Roman silver coins and several early milled lots of Cnut and Edward I. These did particularly well.

The majority of buyers in the room were for the coins, bucking the trend of decreasing numbers ‘in the room’. A problem that has cursed all auction houses throughout. However it goes to show that people are still willing to make the effort to attend an auction if the interest is still there. This of course does not take away the importance of internet buyers as the web of interest can only grow with increased buyers online.