A collection of English silver coins from the reign of Edward VI in the 1550s sells for £331,000
A collection of 180 English silver coins from the reign of Edward VI in the 1550s sells for £331,000 after auction war
- David Hoover amassed a decade-long collection with a fascination with money
- American collector has examples from the reign of Edward VI in the 1550s
- The best seller was the English Civil War 1643 Charles I ‘Silver Pound’ for £11,250
One man’s impressive collection of 180 silver English crowns spanning over 470 years has sold for £331,000 after a bidding war.
American collector David Hoover has amassed the coins over the past decade and is fascinated by this type of currency.
It acquired examples from the British Museum and had rarities from the reign of Edward VI in the 1550s through to Queen Elizabeth II.
The pieces had been estimated at £220,000 but fetched over £100,000 more with London auctioneers Spink & Son on Wednesday May 4.
The highest performing was a 1643 Charles I ‘Silver Pound’ minted at Oxford University during the English Civil War which fetched £11,250.
American collector David Hoover’s impressive range of 180 silver English crowns spanning over 470 years has sold for £331,000 at auctioneers Spink & Son after a bidding war. Pictured is the top performer 1643 Charles I ‘Silver Pound’ which fetched £11,250
A 1662 Charles II crown for her restoration fetched £9,375, while a 1552 Edward VI crown fetched £3,375.
A 1603 James I crown from the year he ascended the throne of England fetched £3,750, with another Welsh silver James I coin fetching £5,750.
The collection also included a 1703 Queen Anne’s Crown minted by genius mathematician Isaac Newton from silver captured at Vigo Bay by the Spanish. It sold for £1,625.
A 1662 Charles II crown (pictured) for restoration fetched £9,375 at auction on Wednesday May 4
A 1746 George II crown produced from Peruvian silver captured by Admiral Anson fetched £3,000, and an 1877 Victoria crown minted in his Golden Jubilee year fetched £2,325.
More recent examples were a 1953 Elizabeth II coronation proof crown which sold for £400, while a silver proof crown marking the birth of Prince George in 2013 cost £600.
Gregory Edmund, specialist at Spink & Son, said the staggering figure achieved by the auction of the collection was due to the awakening of numismatics thanks to the pandemic.
He said: ‘The impressive collection has been amassed with dedication and skill over the past decade by an American collection and included great rarities from the reign of King Charles I, examples of which are known only from this sale and from parts of the British Museum.
The pieces had been estimated at £220,000 but fetched over £100,000 more with London auctioneers Spink & Son on Wednesday May 4.
“David advised us that once he had completed the ‘date run’ the few remaining pieces became prohibitively expensive and so he opted to sell at this point.
“He was very pleased with the results which show the strength and enthusiasm for numismatics that has been awakened by the pandemic.
‘Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee coin sold for a European record £2,375.
“In 2019, the same coin would have barely fetched £200.”
A 1603 James I crown from the year he ascended the English throne, in Welsh silver, fetched £5,750 (pictured)
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