Cara Collection of British Rarities Among Featured Attractions in Heritage's CSNS World & Ancient Coins Auction

Tucked in among the more than 500 lots in Heritage's CSNS World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature^® Auction May 1-2 will be The Cara Collection of highly provenanced British Rarities, an assortment of nine British coins with outstanding lineage.

"This is a remarkable collection, small in number but exceptional in quality," says Cris Bierrenbach, Executive Vice President of International Numismatics at Heritage Auctions. "Several of the coins in this selection would be undeniable highlights of any collection, and those focusing on British coins often seek out elite pedigrees, as well. Those collectors will be very pleased with what they find in this collection."

Among the top highlights in the collection is an Oliver Cromwell gold Proof Pattern Broad of 20 Shillings 1656 PR63 PCGS that is one of the most sought-after British gold types — in part because of its inarguable rarity, and also because of the historical implications from its time of origin, during one of the most tumultuous eras in English history. Once a part of the Selig Collection, the example offered in this auction is exceedingly rare, and is among the upper echelons of certified specimens.

Also from the Cara Collection of highly provenanced British Rarities is a Charles I gold Triple Unite 1642 AU53 PCGS, a trophy from the English Civil War that proclaims the king's allegiance to Protestantism, the laws of England and the liberty of Parliament. Further legitimizing Charles's claim to the throne was the sheer heft of the coin, then the largest gold type to date issued in England. The provenance of this coin is remarkable: It can be traced to one of the most famous English collections started in the 1600s, almost contemporary to its minting, and was assimilated later in the 17^th century into John Egerton's famous Bridgewater House Collection, which he largely completed in 1740. It remained in Egerton's family through successive Earls of Bridgewater. The collection was auctioned in 1972, and again in 2013.

An Anne gold Pattern Guinea 1702 AU55 NGC is a treasure of English numismatics that once held a spot in the H.W. Collection, the Virgil Brand Collection and the J.G. Murdock Collection. It also is the first Guinea Pattern ever struck by the Royal Mint, and one of fewer than five known examples and the finer of just two on the NGC census. Part of the intrigue of this design stems from the fact that it was minted under the management of physicist and then-Mint master Sir Isaac Newton.

Another fascinating coin in the auction is an Edward VIII bronze Matte Proof Pattern 1/2 Penny 1937 PR64 Brown NGC that is presumed to be unique and is just the fourth example of any Edward VIII coinage that has come through Heritage in the last half decade. The controversial behavior for which Edward VIII was known extended to his proposed coinage, which broke centuries of convention, such as when he emulated his father by facing to the left. This coin is believed to be unique, in part because no other Matte Proofs of this denomination have surfaced, eluding even the British Museum and Royal Mint collections, where only brilliant Proofs reside. Other top lots include, but are not limited to:

  • A Victoria gold Proof "Una and the Lion" 5 Pounds 1839 PR62 Ultra Cameo NGC

  • A Louis XIII gold 10 Louis d'Or 1640-A AU Details (Cleaned) NGC from the Georges de Manteyer Collection

  • A Victoria gold Proof 5 Pounds 1887 PR66+ Deep Cameo PCGS

  • A LYDIAN KINGDOM. Croesus (561-546 BC). AV stater (15mm, 8.05 gm). NGC Choice MS 5/5 - 5/5

  • An Umayyad Caliphate. Abd al-Malik (AH 65-86 / AD 685-705). AR drachm (30mm, 3.51 gm, 9h). VF

  • A Louis XIV 15 Sols (1/4 Ecu) 1670-A XF40 PCGS

  • A MACEDONIAN KINGDOM. Philip II (359-336 BC). AV stater (18mm, 8.61 gm, 11h). NGC MS 5/5 - 4/5, Fine Style

  • A spectacular George V gold Proof 5 Pounds 1911 PR67 Cameo PCGS

Images and information about all lots in the auction can be found at HA.com/3123.