The Coin that Never Was

August 21, 2022 12:00 PM AEST
Timed Auction

228 Lots

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Smalls Auctions

Location: Paddington, Sydney, Australia

Phone: +61 (0)2 9357 5492

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Welcome to Smalls Auctions Sale 183 What happens when you fall out of favour with ‘the Firm’ as did Princess Diana and the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson. The conspiracy theorists still push the line that there was something very fishy about the car accident death of Diana in a Paris tunnel which also killed her then boyfriend Dodi Fayed. Dodi was the son of Mohammed Fayed the owner of the exclusive London institution `Harrods of Knightsbridge’ who certainly pushed the conspiracy line that the British Government, if not the Royal Family itself, were responsible for their deaths and he set up a garish monument in the foyer celebrating the lives of the doomed fairy-tale couple. In August 1992, Sarah of course was caught in her own tabloid inspired scandal when she was photographed having her toes sucked by her American ‘financial advisor’ Texan millionaire John Bryan while lying poolside at a resort. She was promptly given the ‘Royal Order of the Boot’ and a quick reshuffle was required in Australia to omit the coin of Sarah Ferguson from the Royal Ladies Silver Masterpiece Collection that the Australian Mint was on the brink of releasing. Diana of course stayed in, even though she herself had separated from Prince Charles in 1992 eventually divorcing him in 1996. Like her husband, the Prince of Wales, she too had taken on various lovers during their loveless marriage, and people still wonder about the remarkable likeness of Prince Harry to her riding instructor Captain James Hewitt. The idea of the 1992 Royal Ladies Set came about in 1991 when the renowned Australian Silversmith Stuart Devlin was commissioned to design the coins. Stuart Devlin was the go-to person for Australia’s coin designs and was responsible for its unique fauna being advertised to the World on its first Decimal coinage back in 1966. In July 1991 all the Royal Ladies had come together at Buckingham Palace for a State Banquet for President Mubarak of Egypt and Devlin took the opportunity to photograph them in the Queen’s study. He later met up with them individually for private sittings to fine tune his designs. In our Sale we have the unique plaster coin model of Sarah Ferguson the Duchess of York executed for ‘the coin that never was.’ Also on offer is the plaster coin models for the ‘coins that were’ including the iconic HRH Diana Princess of Wales and the much-loved HRH Elizabeth The Queen Mother as well as HRH Princess Margaret and HRH Princess Anne, the Princess Royal all resplendent in tiaras borrowed from the Crown Jewells Collection. All but the coin model of Diana come with the source photograph taken by Stuart Devlin on which he based his designs. These are a unique offering in our Sale for the avowed Monarchist to hang on the walls of the study in their replica Buckingham Palace. Tony Abbott or perhaps Kerry Jones nee Moran should take note. Also in the Sale are a diverse offering of rare World Proof Coins. Some of these coins are Proof Record coins struck at the Royal Mint. It was the custom of the Royal Mint to strike coins for Britain’s major collections as well as for the reference collections established by its branch mints. Most Proof Record coins number less than 10 and were only procurable by private collectors when the museum collections of the branch mints were either culled or sold off on their closure. They are incredibly rare especially the Iceland 1946 Proof Set, the first set of the new Republic, which likely has a much smaller mintage as it is missing from all the institutional collections held in Great Britain. The Sale also has a cameo selection of everyday items used in the Ancient World. The fishing hook used by the Romans is not that different in shape than those in use today although the Fibula while still useful for Toga parties has been overtaken by buttons and Velcro. The Ancient Roman Spatulas are also not too dissimilar from modern medical instruments and were used by ‘barbers’ with gruesome effect to treat diseases such as syphilis which was prevalent at the time. Just the thought makes you shudder! I hope you find something in the Sale of interest in your sphere of collecting. 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.