Auction 89 Highlights

Welcome to Smalls Auctions Sale 89.

In this Sale we have included an interesting selection of historical medals which capture moments in time that affected the societies for whom they were struck.

The Silver Medal struck in 1650 to commemorate the 'Siege of Amsterdam' by the Prince of Orange is one of the rarest medals we have handled. William II, the Prince of Orange, was attempting to raise an army to attack the English who in 1649 had beheaded his father-in-law King Charles I and felt thwarted by the penny-pinching burghers of Amsterdam. He was able to convince his followers that Amsterdam was in league with the English and he launched an unsuccessful attack to conquer the city. There are plenty of ‘Siege of Amsterdam’ medals but only a few which were individually cast with engraved reverses that read “GODT HEEFT ONS BEWAERT” or ”GOD HAS SAVED US.” The most famous of these medals sits in the British Museum and was donated to the museum in 1825 by King George IV who had inherited it from his father George III.

Another intriguing medal is the early Australian Schools Medal. Issued in 1851 by the Hobart Town High School to Ninian Mackersey for his English Essay with the captivating title of ‘the Studies and Prospects of Colonial Youth.’ There are also two silver prize medals from the 1870s for the New South Wales Academy of Art including one for a crayon study of the cast of ‘the Gladiator’ which perhaps later inspired Ridley Scott.

There are also three pivotal silver medals from the reign of Queen Anne and a Silver Medal of 1725 celebrating the 'Revival of the Order of the Bath' under George I.

There is a good selection of quality Australian and World coins as well as some black market Australian ‘Armitage - McFarlane’ £10 notes put away and left untouched in 1943.

The sale concludes with some interesting autographs of some of the U.S political heavyweights of the 1950s, 60s and 70s which should interest the political junkies amongst us.

Smalls Auctions