Rare Australian Gold Coins, Militaria, & Other Collectables

November 13, 2022 12:00 PM AEDT
Timed Auction

236 Lots

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Smalls Auctions

Location: Paddington, Sydney, Australia

Phone: +61 (0)2 9357 5492

Payment

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  • Accepts online payments
Accepted Forms of Payment: American Express, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Other, Paypal, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

AUSTRALIA :

Purchases within Australia will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $10.00 and will be sent by Registered Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense.

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

OVERSEAS :

Overseas purchases will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $35.00 and will be sent by standard International Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

If we are unsure of the bona fides of a successful bidder we may request identification such as a Passport Photo or Drivers's Licence that matches the Credit Card details registered with Invaluable before we despatch an item.

Both Australian and International packages are traceable in transit and may require a signature on delivery.

Welcome to Smalls Auctions Sale 194. The theme of this Sale is ‘Gold’ and particularly ‘Gold Sovereigns.’ When Britannia ‘ruled the waves,’ Gold Sovereigns were the ultimate currency of Britain and its colonies paying for goods and services in the far-flung corners of the Empire. Through the centuries silver had traditionally underpinned Britain’s currency and even the lower classes knew that pounds, shillings, and pence were denominated in specific quantities of pure silver. This was the ‘bottom-up’ view of money where the workers and criminal underclasses surreptitiously clipped the edges of their silver coins in a cunning attempt to make their money go further. Gold on the other hand was the currency of the successful and offered the ‘trickle-down’ view of money and wealth. And, with vast amounts of ‘filthy lucre’ being generated across the Empire it began to usurp the role of Silver. But first the price of Gold needed to be stabilised which started in the early 1700s when a de facto currency standard began to emerge. The value of a Gold Guinea when left unregulated had rocketed to 30 Silver Shillings in 1695 and continued to fluctuate wildly causing the Government to step in in 1717 and peg its value at 21 Shillings. This intervention along with a continuing dearth of silver coinage eventually led to an implied gold standard coming into operation around 1776, and so when the Gold Sovereign replaced the Guinea in 1816 it too had a pegged value of 20 Shillings. Sovereigns became the standard currency of the Empire and were produced in large numbers at all the branches of the British Royal Mint in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and India. They flowed freely across the Globe between Britain, its colonies and other trading nations as is evidenced by the cargo of the Royal Mail Steamer Douro which was shipwrecked off the coast of Spain in 1882. The ‘Douro’ ran a regular passenger route between Buenos Aires and Southampton and when it was salvaged by treasure hunters in 1995 over 28,000 Gold Sovereigns were found scattered in the wreckage of its holding safe. In our Sale we have the only extant piece of the iron safe which has subsumed into its surface fourteen visible sea-salvaged Gold Sovereigns. It is surely the ultimate paperweight for your desk - if you can trust your friends and neighbours. Some of the more fascinating Sovereigns were those produced at the Sydney Mint in the 1850s, 60s and 70s. Unlike British Sovereigns which were 22 carat gold alloyed with copper, the Sydney Mint Sovereigns while also 22 carat were alloyed with silver and so it didn’t take long before wily traders began to hoard them to book an intrinsic gain of sixpence. To this day there are probably more Sydney Mint Sovereigns that have survived in India than in Australia with large quantities of them coming home in the 1970s to feed the numismatic market. In the Sale we have examples of Sovereigns ranging from around bullion value to the scarcer dates and higher-grade coins for which collectors will pay a substantial premium. But the Sale is not all sovereigns, and we have on offer our usual selection of diverse collectables. Of particular note is a collection of Meerschaum Pipes assembled by a local enthusiast. If you need to smoke, then why not do it in style. There is also another choice selection of Australian Modern Coin issues rounded off by some lots of Militaria and a three decades long run of Australian Stamp Year Books. We hope you will find our Sale of interest. Smalls Auctions
Buyer's Premium
$0-99: 20.0%
$100-499: 20.0%
$500-999: 20.0%
$1,000-4,999: 20.0%
$5,000+: 20.0%
Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
A$0 A$249 A$5
A$250 A$999 A$10
A$1,000 A$4,999 A$25
A$5,000 A$9,999 A$50
A$10,000 + A$100

Conditions of Sale

VAT and taxes: The Buyer's Premium is inclusive of the Australian G(oods) & S(ervices T(ax) incurred by our service.

Shipping Terms: AUSTRALIA :

Purchases within Australia will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $10.00 and will be sent by Registered Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense.

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

OVERSEAS :

Overseas purchases will be charged a MINIMUM SHIPPING FEE of $35.00 and will be sent by standard International Post.

Additional insurance is optional at the buyer's expense

Larger lots may incur an additional charge.

If we are unsure of the bona fides of a successful bidder we may request identification such as a Passport Photo or Drivers's Licence that matches the Credit Card details registered with Invaluable before we despatch an item.

Both Australian and International packages are traceable in transit and may require a signature on delivery.

Buyers Premium: All purchases are subject to an all inclusive 20.0 % Buyer's Premium on the hammer price.

Tax Details: Taxes, Duties and Customs Charges that apply in the country of delivery are the express responsibility of the buyer.

Please notify us if you require a specific description on the outside of the package for customs purposes.