Baldwin's Auction 64 & 65

Baldwin’s Auction 64 & 65 

Baldwin’s auction 64-65, held in London on the 4 th -5 th May this year, promised to be an exciting and animated sale, 

packed full of high quality rare items. It was one of the most diverse auctions conducted by Baldwin’s in recent 

years and the results didn’t disappoint. This landmark auction lived up to and exceeded all pre-sale expectations 

with 95% of the 1882 lots selling for a total of £1,968,241(nearly double the pre-sale estimate). The sale, which 

included part one of The Michael Hall Collection, The Bishop’s Wood Hoard of Roman Coins and The Strickland 

Neville Rolfe Collection attracted 846 different bidders over the two days and achieved some exceptional 

individual results. 

Baldwin’s principle auctioneer, Seth Freeman, was elated by the result of the auction, commenting “It is an 

immense pleasure to have an auction where every section is a success and sells over estimate – vendors are happy, 

bidders are happy and Baldwin’s goes from strength to strength” 

The first day of the two-day auction was devoted almost entirely to part one of The Michael Hall Collection of 

Renaissance and later medals. Pre-sale interest in the collection was exceptional with buyers flying in from all over 

the globe, as well as logging in online, to participate in this extraordinary sale. The entire collection has been 

promoted as the largest sale of Renaissance medals since the Max and Maurice Rosenheim (Sotheby 1923) and 

Henry Oppenheimer (Christie’s 1936) sales. This auction attracted such large numbers of people during the public 

viewing that potential buyers were already queuing when the doors were opened at 10.00am. 

Amongst the 686 lots in the auction were some outstanding pieces of medallic art. The most prominent items 

included lot 7 the 1447 cast bronze medal depicting Cecilia Gonzaga which was the work of the famous painter 

Pisanello, and lot 418, the 1544 Trinity silver medal produced by Hans Reinhart the Elder. Both pieces had 

numerous bids and were sold to very happy buyers at £64,900 and £56,640 respectively. Other notable items 

included lot 14, a Bartolommeo Pendaglia cast bronze medal of 1462 which doubled its estimate to achieve 

£25,960 and lot 240, a cast bronze medal depicting Paolo Giordano II Orsini and sculpted by Giulio della Greca in 

1631. Lot 166, a fascinating uniface medal depicting a double portrait of a woman, a piece that illustrates the crossover 

between renaissance medallic art and renaissance art in other media. 

Additional highlights include, lot 256 a 1550 Silver-gilt medal depicting Henri II of France, estimate: £200-300 

(sold for £ 4,248), lot 648, 1660 Charles II and Charles I Silver Medal, estimate: £1,000 - £1,200 (sold for £5,192) 

and lot 681, a 1779 Silver Medal of John Paul Jones, estimate: 3,000-5,000 (sold for £10,620). 

The Michael Hall collection achieved, in total, £511,666 (including Buyer’s Premium) against the pre-sale estimate 

of £321,320 with only three lots remaining unsold. 

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The first day of the sale concluded with session one of auction 65, a selection of 132 British and World medals. 

The most prominent lot sold of the section was lot 1131, an 1848 Silver Slave’s Medal for Good Conduct, which 

achieved £944 against an estimate of £200-250. 

The Bishop’s Wood Hoard of Roman coins was amongst the lots in the Ancient section which opened the second 

day of the sale. The 1,661 coins and the restored jar that contained them were sold in 10 lots including the purpose 

built cabinet in which they were housed. The lots drew worldwide interest amongst the ancient numismatic 

community prior to the auction as the coins had remained uncirculated and had been in the family of the landowner 

since their discovery in 1895. In total the 10 lots (lots 1152-1162) achieved £46,964. The lots were all won by the 

same bidder so we are very happy to report that this part of the hoard remains intact. 

A fine selection of 98 British coins comprised the middle section of the morning session with lot 1243, a superb 

example of the 1650 Commonwealth Gold Unite selling for £11,800 and paving the way for some exceptional 

results from the final section of the first Session, The Strickland Neville Rolfe Collection. 

The Reverend Neville Rolfe spent a lifetime accumulating and immaculately preserving his numismatic collection 

which brilliantly represented a snapshot of the tastes and interests of an educated English country gentleman and 

divine of the Victorian era. The entire group of items remained untouched and in the hands of his descendants 

since his death in 1852. The strength of the coin market for quality pieces and fresh material ensured that the presale 

estimate was smashed with every one of the 258 lots in the collection selling for a total of £259,845 against a 

pre-sale estimate of £107,210. The most notable lots included key rarities, such as the pattern “Incorrupta” crown 

(lot 1405), one of only eighteen known to have been struck, and the “Three Graces” crown, one of the most 

important and majestic coins of the English series (lot 1406), which sold for £25,960 and £29,500 repectively 

against estimates of £10,000-£15,000. Lot 1452, an undated Charles II, St. Patrick’s coinage Farthing, achieved an 

exceptional hammer price of £3,776. Lot 1474, a collection of 239 Norfolk 17 th Century tokens, complete with 

accompanying notebook, sold well over estimate for £14,750. The notebook itself pre-dates any of the reference 

works on which we rely today and exposes Rolfe as somewhat of a pioneer in this field, which is sure to have 

contributed to the excellent result achieved for the lot. By far the most compelling piece in the collection was a 

stunningly preserved 1776 Continental Dollar (lot 1588, pictured above) which sold in the room for a staggering 

£63,720. 

The second session of the day began with a strong World coin selection which included a small group (lots 1738- 

1749) of fantastic Polish gold coins which more than doubled their estimate, realising £122,508. Other highlights 

of the world coin section included lot 1622, a Sultan Selim I Gold Altin and lot 1665, a Chandragupta II Gold 

Dinar which sold for £5,900 and £8,024 respectively. A small collection of Japanese Oban and Koban comprised 

part of a collection of coins of the Orient. Lot 1905, a 1725 Kyoho Oban Kin, was one of the unique and valuable 

pieces in the auction and attained a price of £23,600 while lot 1939, a rare and very fine Korean 1906 Kuang Mu 

Gold 20-Won, achieved £37,760. 

Bidding in the final session of the day was fierce and exceptionally lively both in the room and online as 256 lots of 

Russian coins from a Nobleman’s Collection went under the hammer. Confirming that the Russian market is still 

remarkably robust the 256 lots sold for a total hammer price of £429,402 with high achieving results on a number 

of lots. Most notable amongst them were lot 1973, the classic Russian rarity, a Novodel 1736 Hedlinger type 

Rouble which went for £23,600 and lot 2058, and extremely fine and rare 1797 Gold Ducat which sold for £52,510, 

against its estimate of £15,000-20,000. 

Baldwin’s, now in their 16 th year of trading as an auction house, have built on their exceptional reputation as a long 

standing coin dealer to produce auctions that achieve remarkable results. Due to the increasing costs of organising 

auctions and the additional promotion that Baldwin’s undertakes on behalf of its vendors the decision was taken to 

increase the buyer’s premium from 15 to 18%. This is the first rise in buyer’s premium at Baldwin’s for more than 

10 years Baldwin’s is proud that this fee of 18% is still less than many of our UK counterparts but is sufficient to 

allow Baldwin’s to continue to offer the high levels of expertise that their customers have become used to over the 

years. 

Full sale results can be found online at www.baldwin.co.uk or at www.sixbid.com 

For press enquiries please contact Caroline Newton on +44 (0)20 7930 9808 or at carolinenewton@baldwin.co.uk. 


Tel: +44 (0)20 7930 6879 Fax: +44 (0)20 7930 9450 


Sale Highlights 

7 Renaissance Italy. Antonio de Pucci, called Pisanello (c.1394-1455). Cecilia Gonzaga (1426-1451), cast 

Bronze Medal 1447, half length bust of the sitter left, her hair tightly bound with a ribbon, wearing an embroidered 

gown and pleated skirt, CICILIA VIRGO FILIA IOHANNIS FRANCISCI PRIMI MARCHIONIS MANTVE, rev in a 

rocky landscape below a crescent moon, a semi-nude young woman rests her hand on the head of a unicorn lying 

beside her, to the right, a stele, with a floral ornament fixed to its top, bears the inscription OPVS PISANI PICTORIS 

M CCCC XLVII [the work of Pisanello the painter 1447], 72.5mm (Hill, Corpus 37; Arm I, 5, 12; Currency of Fame 

7a, this piece; Pollard 20; Kress 17; Syson & Gordon 3.31a, b). An extremely fine original cast of the highest quality, a 

masterpiece of renaissance medallic art. 

Cecilia Gonzaga was celebrated as a scholar despite her few years. Wishing to pursue her studies rather than marry she 

elected to join a convent but this met with opposition from her father who had independently arranged for her to marry 

Oddantonio da Montefeltro of Urbino. Oddantonio reportedly financed his debauched and excessive lifestyle by 

imposing heavy taxes and was commonly despised. Cecilia refused to marry him. He was ultimately assassinated. The 

medal’s meaning is clear in its intention to portray the innocence and chastity of the sitter, and the representation of a 

unicorn in the form of a goat alludes to her acquisition of knowledge. The composition of the medal, the simplicity of the 

obverse and the symbolism of the reverse, make students of Italian art consider it one of the very best renaissance medals. 

Estimate: £60,000-80,000 

Hammer: £55,000 

14 Renaissance Italy. Sperandio da Mantova (c.1425-1504). Bartolommeo Pendaglia (d. 1462), cast Bronze 

Medal c.1462, bust in profile to the left, wearing flat-topped hat and pleated robe, BARTHOLOMAEVS PENDALIA 

INSIGNE LIBERALITATIS ET MUNIFICIENTIAE EXEMPLV[M], rev nude male figure seated right, on cuirass 

and arms, holding spear and sphere, perhaps a large pearl, a thin drape across his shoulders, his left foot resting on a 

sack overflowing with coins, CAESARIANA LIBERALITAS, and BELOW OPVS SPERANDEI, 88mm (Hill, Corpus 

356; Arm I 71, 32; Pollard 78). An extremely fine contemporary cast. Pendaglia was one of the wealthiest 

men in Ferrara. When the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III visited Ferrara in 1434 he attended the wedding of 

Pendaglia and Marcherita Costabili giving her a large pearl and him a knighthood. The reverse type draws on this 

event and the Liberalitas Augusti type in Roman coinage. Sperandio da Mantova (c.1425-1504). Sperandio was the son 

of a goldsmith and worked in cities throughout northern Italy, including Venice where he died. He was prolific and a 

master of the portrait medal. From The Micheal Hall Collection. 

Estimate: £8000-10,000 

Hammer: £22,000 

166 Renaissance Italy. Alfonso Ruspagiari (1521-1576). Bust of a Woman viewed by a face in profile, uniface 

Lead Medal, sculptural bust of a woman shown in three-quarter profile, in the centre of an oval field, wearing a 

narrow girdle around which a veil is intertwined, she wears earrings and a pendant hanging on a ribbon from her 

neck, her hair is wound with a twisted cord, the artist’s signature AF can be seen on the sitter’s truncated right 

arm, from the scrolled frame a viewer’s face is depicted opposite the face of the sitter (Pollard 519; Kress 450; 

Arm I 216/5; Currency of Fame 73, this piece). Nearly extremely fine and an original cast. Writing in The 

Currency of Fame, Mary L Levkoff notes that this piece is not technically a medal. As such it illustrates the crossover 

between renaissance medallic art and renaissance art in other media; consider also the medals that follow this lot. 

Levkoff suggests that the theme of the work calls to mind a painting by Fra Filippo Lippi in the Metropolitan Museum 

of Art, in New York, and discusses the themes of Pygmalion and Vanitas. All of these factors strongly support the 

opinion that these pieces were designed for artisitic display not as historical references. The present ambiguous double 

portrait continues to fascinate the student. 

Estimate: £2000-3000 

Hammer: £7,800 


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240 Renaissance Italy. Giulio della Greca (active 1618-1633). Paolo Giordano II Orsini (1591-1656), Duke of 

Bracciano, Principal of Piombino, Seigneur of Elba, antiquarian, numismatist and musical patron, large cast Bronze 

Medal, 1631, bust right wearing ruff collar over armour with Orsini bear’s head decoration on breast- and shoulderplates, 

PAVL IORD II BRACC DVX D G ANG COM S R I P, rev boat rowed hard to left by four oarsmen and a 

coxswain, Fame above and cherub blowing wind, CONTRA VENTOS ET VNDAS, dated in exergue between sprays 

of roses, 1631, decorative border to both sides of diminutive rose heads, 98mm (T&V, Bargello, 40-43, 19; Mazz II, 

pl.CXI, 6; Clifford 253). An exceptional cast, extremely fine and well patinated. Pollard, in La Medaglia con ritratto 

di epoca barocca in Italia, was the first to identify the signature “Iul D Gra” below the truncation. The medal was at 

one time believed to have been by Bernini and then by Cormano. Clifford suggests that the reverse could represent a 

competition between the Orsini and their rivals the Colonna family. The use of the rose probably derives from the 

tradition established by Pope Leo IX in 1052, to present a rose to the Orsini family at each Pentacost. Further 

references may be found in Clifford. Giulio Della Greca (active 1618-1633). Neapolitan artist working in Rome 

Estimate: £1200-1500 


256 FRANCE. Attributed to Jacques II Rouaire (before 1520-1571). Henri II (1519-1547-1559), the 

Cession of Boulogne by the English to the French, solid cast Silver-gilt Medal, 1550, draped bust left, HENRICVS 

II FRANCORVM REX, rev Perseus rescuing Andromeda from the sea-monster, 8L8; −,8 50?∗60, 48mm (BMC 

Jones Vol I, 54-56; Pollard [2007] 626; Kress 545; Mazz II, 140; Arm II, 248, 2). An early and possibly 

contemporary cast, very fine. Pollard leaves the attribution as “probably French with Italian or Netherlandish 

influence”. Boulogne was sold to the French for 400,000 Crowns. 

Estimate: £200-300 


418 Germany and Bohemia. Hans Reinhardt the Elder (active 1535-1568). Hans Reinhart the Elder (c.1510- 

1581), The Trinity or Moritz-pfennig, Silver Medal 1544, on an ornate throne decorated with floral design, God 

the Father, seated facing, holding orb and sceptre, wearing an imperial crown and jewelled cope, before him Christ 

on the crucifix, surmounted by a Dove representing the Holy Spirit, angels attend in prayer on clouds either side of 

the throne, above them the heads of cherubim ascending to the heavens, PROPTER SCELVS MEI PERCVSSI 

EVM ESAIAE LIII [I have smitten him for my people’s transgression, Isaiah 53], rev two angels standing on a 

cloud support a tablet inscribed with an excerpt from the Athanasian Creed and a prayer to the Trinity, around 

REGNANTE MAVRITIO D G DVCE SAXONIAE ZC GROSSVM HVNC LIPSIAE H R CVDEBAT AN O 

MDXLIIII MENSE IANV [in the reign of Maurice, by the grace of God, Duke of Saxony etc. Hans Reinhart cast 

this medal in Leipzig in the month of January 1544], 100mm (Habich 1962, pl.207, 1 and pl.209, 1; Scher 127). 

Beautifully cast and finely chased, iridescently toned, the lightest wear to some high points and without damage, a 

medal of the finest quality. This medal is without question a masterpiece of Northern European Renaissance art. In 

work produced for Maurice’s cousin, Johann Friedrich, Reinhart had incorporated symbols and references 

sympathising with the Lutheran movement, clearly stating the Elector’s religious affiliation. In this piece, through the 

incorporation of the Athanasian Creed with its theological relevance to both Protestants and Catholics alike at this 

juncture, Maurice attempts, through art, a reconciliation between the two churches. Highly prized then as now, copies 

of the medal were cast in 1556, 1561, 1569 and 1574, the last three in the name of Elector August, Maurice’s 

successor. 

Estimate: £60,000-80,000 

Hammer: £48,000 

648 Great Britain. Charles II (1660-1685). Charles II and Charles I, Silver Medal, 1660 in two plates, by Peter 

van Abeele, three-quarter facing bust of Charles I, in lace collar, CAROLVS D I, rev facing bust of Charles II in plain 

collar with medal on riband, CAROLVS D II, both fields richly decorated with a floral design, 70mm (MI i 449/33; 

Frederiks 23/24). Toned, extremely fine and very rare 

Estimate: £1200-1500 



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681 American Interest. John Paul Jones (1747-1792), The Capture of the British Frigate HMS Serapis by the 

USS Bonhomme Richard, Silver Medal 1779, for the ‘Comitia Americana’ series, by Augustin Dupré, uniformed 

bust right, his hair tied behind en queue, JOANNI PAVLO JONES CLASSIS PRAEFECTO, COMITIA 

AMERICANA, rev the naval engagement, HOSTIVM NAVIBVS CAPTIS AVT FVGATIS, AD ORAM 

SCOTIAE XXIII SEPT M DCCLXXVIIII, 55mm (Betts 568; Adams & Bentley, Ch 8; BHM 222, R2; MH 580; 

CP 105/22; Ford XIV, 203). Extremely fine. 

Estimate: £3000-5000 


1131 Commemorative Medals By Subject. Slavery [Brazil], Morro Velho Gold Mines, Silver Slaves Medal for 

Good Conduct, c.1848, bare-footed slave stands with one hand outstretched, the other resting on anchor, rev MORRO 

VELHO – PREMIO DE BOA CONUCTA, 38mm (Cavalcanti 59). Very fine with deep tone, ‘clip’ mark to top edge 

from where suspension loop has been removed, extremely rare. A note with the medal states, “Morro Velho slave 

medal of Freedom … given by dying slave to a missionary. Given to me by an Old Lady as a parting gift when 

leaving Chiswick”. The image of the slave derived, perhaps, from C F Carter’s 1834 medal to commemorate the 

Abolition of Slavery. Viscondessa de Cavalcanti’s Catalogo das Medalhas Brazileiras, lists the medal under 

“Abolition of slavery” and attributes it to 1848. She also quotes “Sr Hopkin, president of the company in 1888” who 

said that by 1882 all but 28 had been emancipated. Morro Velho is a complex of gold mines located near the city 

of Nova Lima in the Minas Gerais state of Brazil, in operation since 1835, it is the world’s oldest continuously worked 

mine. The English-owned St John del Rey Mining Company was the largest slaveholder in the Brazilian province of 

Minas Gerais during the second half of the nineteenth century. The explorer Sir Richard Burton and his wife Lady 

Isabel, visited the mines and his account, Explorations in the Highlands of Brazil, published in 1869, tells of the 

fortnightly Slave Muster. He describes how on every other Sunday, early in the morning, over a thousand slaves, men, 

women and children, all dressed in a special wardrobe assigned by the superintendent (but bare-footed), gathered in 

front of the Casa Grande (big house) where the selected few were given medals, awards, and public recognition by the 

overseers. 


Hammer: £800 


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1152 Ancient Coins. Roman Coins From The Bishop’s Wood Hoard. Brazilian Mahogany Cabinet, purpose-built 

by Spink & Son, drop-front, bevelled-glazed lifting lid, with two interior compartments, the left with five coin trays, 

each with the capacity to hold 100 coins, and two deeper drawers, the right with space to house the pot; the cabinet on 

stand with carved claw-and-ball feet; cabinet dimensions 70cm x 36cm x 38cm; together with the heavily 

reconstructed pot, not of local (possible east Midlands) manufacture, that contained the hoard; also with offprints of 

the articles by Mary Bagnall-Oakeley, Numismatic Chronicle, vol XVI, 1896, pp.209-237, and Transactions of the 

Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, vol.XIX, 1895, pp.399-420, the latter including the author’s 

handwritten list of institutions that had received parcels of coins from the hoard, dated March 1898. The trays 

of the cabinet containing 500 coins as follows: Divus Claudius Gothicus (d. AD 270), REQVIES OPTIMOR MERIT, 

emperor seated on curule chair, Rome, 317-318 (RIC 106) (1); Diocletian (AD 284-305), CONCORDIA MILITVM, 

Prince receiving Victory on globe from Jupiter, Antioch, c.296 (RIC VI 60a var) (1); Maximian (AD 286-305), 

CONCORDIA MILITVM, similar type, Alexandria, c.296-297 (RIC VI 46b) (1); Constantine I (AD 307-337), 

Treveri, 330-331 (RIC 525) (17), (RIC 526) (18), 332-333 (RIC 537) (46), (RIC 538) (12); BEATA 

TRANQVILLITAS, globe on altar inscribed VOT/IS/XX, Treveri, 321 (RIC 303) (1); SARMATIA DEVICTA, 

Victory, with trophy, Treveri, 323-324 (RIC 435) (1); CONSTAN/TINVS/AVG in three lines, Treveri, 326 (RIC 485) 

(1); SOLI INVICTO, Sol, Treveri (RIC -) (1); SOLI INVICTO COMITI, Sol, Lugdunum, 316 (RIC 53) (1); 

CONSTANTINI AVG around VO/TIS/XX in three lines, Lugdunum, 320 (RIC 91) (1); VIRTVS EXERCIT, VOT / 

XX, Lugdunum (uncertain mark) (1); Helena (mother of Constantine I), SECVRITAS REI PVBLICAE, Securitas, 

Treveri, 326 (RIC 481) (1), 327-328 (RIC 515) (1); Licinius I (AD 308-324), IOVI CONSERVATORI AVGG, 

Jupiter, holding Victory, Heraclea, 321-324 (RIC 52) (1), (RIC 54) (1); Nicomedia (RIC 44) (2), (RIC 49) (1); Cyzicus 

(RIC 18) (1); Alexandria (RIC 28) (2), (uncertain mark) (1); Urbs Roma (c.AD 330), wolf and twins, two stars above, 

Treveri (RIC 522) (4), (RIC 529) (85), (RIC 542) (41); Constantinopolis (c.AD 330), Victory on prow, with spear and 

shield, Treveri (RIC 523) (6), (RIC 530) (106), (RIC 543) (45); Constantine II (AD 337-340), Treveri, 330-331 (RIC 

527) (38), 332-333 (RIC 539) (19); IOVI CONSERVATORI AVGG, Cyzicus, 321-324 (RIC 19) (1); Constantius II 

(AD 337-361), Treveri, 330-331 (RIC 528) (18), 332-333 (RIC 540) (22); PROVIDENTIAE CAES, camp gate, 

Treveri, 326 (RIC 480) (1). Extremely fine or nearly so. (500) 

Estimate: £4,000-5,000 

Hammer: £10,200 

1243 British Coins. Commonwealth (1649-1660), Gold Unite, 1650, English shield within laurel and palm 

branch, initial mark sun, .THE.COMMONWEALTH.OF.ENGLAND., toothed border both sides, rev English and Irish 

shields, value above within beaded circle, date at top, .GOD.WITH.VS., 9.02g (N 2715; S 3208). A broad full round 

specimen with original mint bloom, a superb example, original die-engravers guide line still visible on the obverse 

encircling the legend, one light scratch above the obverse shield, otherwise extremely fine and a rarer date, all dates 

are very rare in this high grade. 

Estimate: £8000-10,000 

Hammer: £10,000 


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1405 The Strickland Neville Rolfe Collection. British Coins. George III, Pattern Crown, the “Incorrupta”, 1817, 

struck in silver, by William Wyon, laureate and draped bust right, date below, W.WYON: below rear of drapery, 

GEORGIUS III D:G: BRITANNIARUM REX, last letter obscured by drapery, toothed border both sides, rev struck en 

medaille, crowned quartered shield of arms with a crowned escutcheon of the Arms of Hanover, INCORRUPTA 

FIDES VERITASQUE, edge plain (ESC 229 R4; L&S 159). Attractively toned with a few tiny blotches, mint state 

FDC, attractive and extremely rare. Lot 1199 from the J T Brockett auction in June 1823 is the first known record of 

one of these patterns being sold and a note there shows a total mintage of only 25 pieces. According to a manuscript 

note in one of the surviving copies of this sale, this may include the seven specimens struck in gold, leaving only 18 

struck in silver. Strickland Charles Edward Neville Rolfe was born in 1789, eldest son of General Neville of the 

Royal Artillery. He assumed the name and arms of Rolfe by royal warrant in 1837, upon receiving the bequest of the 

estates at Heacham and Sedgeford, from Edmund Rolfe, a distant relative who had no issue. Educated at Wadham 

College, Oxford, BA 1812, MA 1816, he was ordained in 1814. He became domestic chaplain to the Duke of Kent in 

1814 and to the Duke of Somerset in 1825. He was appointed vicar of Heacham in Norfolk in1838. His first wife, 

Agnes, was the only daughter of Henry Fawcett, MP for Carlisle. They married in 1814 and had five sons and four 

daughters. In 1833 he married Dorothy, widow of the Rev TT Thomason, Chaplain to the Honourable East India 

Company. Strickland Rolfe died in 1852. Heacham Hall was destroyed by fire in 1941, whilst being occupied by the 

RAF. The numismatic collection has remained in the hands of descendents and represents a snapshot of the tastes 

and interests of an educated country gentleman and divine. The English coins span three centuries and include some 

key rarities, such as the pattern “Incorrupta” and “Three Graces” crowns, as well as some rare and interesting coppers. 

It is amazing to think that these were probably acquired soon after they were issued, which would account for their 

remarkable state of preservation. 

Estimate: £10,000-15,000 

Hammer: £22,000 

1406 The Strickland Neville Rolfe Collection. British Coins. George III, Pattern Crown, the “Three Graces”, 

1817, struck in silver, by William Wyon, laureate head right, date below, W.WYON. below truncation, 

GEORGIUS III D:G: BRITANNIARUM REX F:D:, beaded border and linear circle both sides, rev struck en 

medaille, the Three Graces, personifying England, Scotland and Ireland, with national emblems, W.WYON to left 

of harp, FOEDUS INVIOLABILE, palm branch and paddle in exergue, edge plain (ESC 223 R2; L&S 152). 

Attractively toned with a few tiny blotches, a little cabinet friction to high points, good extremely fine, attractive 

and extremely rare. 

Estimate: £10,000-15,000 

Hammer: £25,000 

1452 The Strickland Neville Rolfe Collection. Ireland. Irish Coins. Charles II, St Patrick’s Coinage, Farthing, 

undated, first issued in 1670s, St Patrick with Patriarchal Cross driving away reptiles, church to right, QVIESCAT 

PLEBS, rev King David strumming harp, crown above, .FLOREAT REX., brass plug inserted at top, toothed border both 

sides, edge milled (DF 342; S 6569). Toned, about extremely fine for issue and very rare this nice. 



1474 The Strickland Neville Rolfe Collection. British Tokens. Norfolk 17 th Century Tokens. The main collection 

as listed in the accompanying notebook (237 pieces). A few tokens are in fact not from Norfolk but are included here 

because they are listed. These misattributions are hardly surprising, as the reference works we rely on today were far 

in the future. Strickland Neville Rolfe was very much a pioneer in this field, and did an astonishing job amassing such 

a good collection, presumably working without a checklist. Items listed in the Notebook but no longer present are 

listed at the end of the lot. The Notebook also lists 39 18 th Century tokens which are now missing from the collection. 

Estimate: £4000-6000 

Hammer: £12,500 


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1588 The Strickland Neville Rolfe Collection. World Coins. Pre-Federal America. Continental Dollar, 1776, 

pewter currency type, die axis ↑↑, twin olive leaf edge device, rarity 3, struck from late stage obverse die but with all 

details showing, 18.49g (N 1C; H 1A.3). Uncirculated. vastly superior to the J J Ford specimen (Part I, 14 October 

2003, lot 4) which realised US$46,000 (£27,750) . Strickland Charles Edward Neville Rolfe was born in 1789, 

eldest son of General Neville of the Royal Artillery. He assumed the name and arms of Rolfe by royal warrant in 1837, 

upon receiving the bequest of the estates at Heacham and Sedgeford, from Edmund Rolfe, a distant relative who had no 

issue. Educated at Wadham College, Oxford, BA 1812, MA 1816, he was ordained in 1814. He became domestic 

chaplain to the Duke of Kent in 1814 and to the Duke of Somerset in 1825. He was appointed vicar of Heacham in 

Norfolk in1838. His first wife, Agnes, was the only daughter of Henry Fawcett, MP for Carlisle. They married in 1814 

and had five sons and four daughters. In 1833 he married Dorothy, widow of the Rev TT Thomason, Chaplain to the 

Honourable East India Company. Strickland Rolfe died in 1852. Heacham Hall was destroyed by fire in 1941, whilst 

being occupied by the RAF. The numismatic collection has remained in the hands of descendents and represents a 

snapshot of the tastes and interests of an educated country gentleman and divine. The English coins span three centuries 

and include some key rarities, such as the pattern “Incorrupta” and “Three Graces” crowns, as well as some rare and 

interesting coppers. It is amazing to think that these were probably acquired soon after they were issued, which would 

account for their remarkable state of preservation. 

Estimate: £10,000-15,000 

Hammer: £54,000 

1665 India. Gupta, Chandragupta II (c.375-414 AD), Gold Dinar, 7.80g, Lion-slayer/Lion retreating type, legend 

above king standing to front, head left, legs apart and with long sash at his waist, he holds an arrow in his left hand and 

with his right thrusts his bow towards a lion which has turned its back on him and is retreating, rev Sinhavikramah at 

right, tamgha above left, goddess seated facing on a lion walking to right, she holds a lotus flower in raised left hand 

and a riband in her right (BMC pl.IX, 12, published from the Mirzapur Hoard, Lucknow Museum; see also NC 1910 

p.406). An attractive coin, good very fine and extremely rare. 

Estimate: £4000-5000 


1905 Japan. Kyoho Oban Kin, c.1725, 165.4g, 153mm x 94mm, with JNDA Guaranty Certificate 20494, issued 

2007 (JNDA 09-08; F 5). Calligraphy restored, extremely fine and toned, rare. 

Estimate: £20,000-25,000 

Hammer: £20,000 

1939 A Collection Of Coins Of The Orient. Korea. Kuang Mu (1897-1907), Gold 20-Won, year 10 (1906), 

dragon, rev denomination within wreath (KM 1131; JNDA 18-13; F 1). Good very fine, rare. only 2506 

pieces struck 

Estimate: £25,000-30,000 

Hammer: £32,000 

1973 Anna (1730-1740). Rouble 1736 (St Petersburg), 26.81g, Hedlinger type, Novodel (Bit H228 (R3) var; Ilyin 

(50-Rubl); JRNS, 63, fig.12; Sev 1236A (RR); Uzd 0727 (RR)). Golden tone over prooflike surfaces, some reverse die 

rust and edge filed, otherwise good extremely fine, a classic Russian rarity. 

Estimate: £10,000-15,000 

Hammer: £20,000 

2058 Russian Coins. Paul I (1796-1801). Gold Ducat 1797 СМ-ГЛ, 3.49g, edge 6 (Bit 13 (R1); Fr 143; Sev 

363A (R); Uzd 0174 (S)). Minimal waviness, as its typical, wonderful mint lustre, good extremely fine and rare, 

especially with this edge variety. 


Tel: +44 (0)20 7930 6879 Fax: +44 (0)20 7930 9450 


Estimate:£15,000-20,000 

Hammer: £44,500 


Tel: +44 (0)20 7930 6879 Fax: +44 (0)20 7930 9450 


Notes to the Editor: 

• Established in 1872 A. H. Baldwin & Sons Ltd has over 100 years experience in servicing the numismatic 

industry. 

• Baldwin’s auction department was established in 1993 and has grown to hold between ten and twelve sales 

annually in London, New York and Hong Kong and specialise in all areas of Numismatics. 

• Baldwin’s broadcast all of their main auctions over the internet and provide a live bidding service through 

www.the-saleroom.com/baldwins 

• Prices quoted in the main body of the release are inclusive of Buyer’s Premium at 18%. 


Tel: +44 (0)20 7930 6879 Fax: +44 (0)20 7930 9450

Baldwin's Auction 64 & 65

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