10 Coins We Love From Our Valentine's Day Coin Sale

From ancient gold to modern Royal Mint collectables, coronation medals to hammered Pennies, there's lots to love in our 14 February coin sale. Our newly launched catalogue is packed with pieces sure to sweep any collector off their feet.
Before we light the candles and strew the rose petals for viewing days, we're writing a love letter to ten swoon-worthy lots, all worth a box of chocolates and a bunch of flowers.
Savernake Wheel Gold Quarter Stater (Lot 25)
Dated to the late 1st century BC, this East Wiltshire 'Savernake Wheel' type Quarter Stater is one of only seven known examples. The tiny Celtic gold coin, weighing just 1.22 grams, was found by a metal detectorist within a couple of miles of Royal Wootton Bassett.
Like many early British coins, this example features abstract designs and no writing. One side shows markings that historians interpret as a wreath and crescents, while the other shows the body of a horse with a six-spoked 'sun-wheel' beneath. Sun wheels are said to symbolise the sun's diurnal journey across the sky, while the horse indicates the important role these animals played among Celtic peoples.
Update: Lot 25 sold for £4,928 (including Buyer's Premium)
1480-1483 Edward IV Tower Mint Angel (Lot 80)
This stunning gold Angel from the second reign of King Edward IV with a heraldic cinquefoil mintmark that dates the coin to sometime between the years 1480 and 1483.
Angels get their name from the dynamic image of the Archangel Michael slaying a dragon that is featured prominently on one side. These were traditionally given to people afflicted with 'the king's evil' (also known as scrofula) as part of a royal ceremony. Pubs called 'The Angel' are named in reference to these iconic gold coins.
The other side of the coin shows a masted ship at sea with a cross and a royal shield of arms in the centre.
Update: Lot 80 sold for £4,704
1555 Philip And Mary Facing Busts Shilling (Lot 95)
This 1555 hammered silver Shilling features facing busts of Queen Mary I and her husband, Prince Philip of Spain.
After her accession in 1553, Mary's coinage featured a portrait showing the Queen with long flowing hair. In July 1554, Mary married Philip, who in 1556 became King of Hapsburg Spain. Their joint English coinage, issued between their marriage and Mary's death in 1558, shows both monarchs, a feature repeated on the coinage of William and Mary more than a century later.
The reverse of this Shilling displays the English and Spanish royal arms as well as the legend 'POSVIMVS · DEVM · ADIVTOREM · NOSTRVM ·' which translates from the Latin as 'we have made God our helper'.
Update: Lot 95 sold for £336
1686 King James II Milled Twopence With Errors (Lot 211)
This 1686 King James II milled silver Twopence features two notable errors in the legend around the laureate bust of the King, engraved by John Roettier.
The obverse inscription reads 'IACOBVS · II · DEI · GRATIA', and close inspection shows that the 'A' in 'IACOBVS' is unbarred (an inverted V) and the 'O' is noticeably smaller than the other letters. These variants make this early milled coin, issued as Maundy Money, particularly desirable.
Just two years after this Twopence was minted, James II was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. After an unsuccessful attempt at claiming back his throne, James retired to France, dying in 1701.
Update: Lot 211 sold for £112
1727 King George II Small Silver Coronation Medal (Lot 432)
King George II was crowned at Westminster Abbey in October 1727 following the death of his father, George I.
Towards the end of the coronation ceremony, peers and peeresses were presented with commemorative gold medals featuring engravings attributed to John Croker. Silver medals like this example were supposedly scattered through the congregation.
The obverse of this medal shows the armoured and draped bust of George II, facing left and wearing a wreath of laurel leaves. The reverse shows the King being crowned by a saucily dressed Britannia with the legend 'VOLENTES · PER · POPULOS' ('By a willing people') above.
Update: Lot 432 sold for £269
1813 King George III Gold 'Military' Guinea (Lot 142)
This 1813-dated gold coin is one of the last Guineas struck for circulation.
These final issues are known as 'Military Guineas' as they were minted specifically to pay British soldiers fighting under the Duke of Wellington on the Iberian Peninsula. At this time, gold was scarce, with banknotes in widespread usage in Britain, but locals in the Pyrenees would only accept gold in payment.
Some £519,722 worth of gold coins were struck by the Royal Mint between February and June 1813, producing about 361,473 'full' gold Guineas on new steam-powered presses supplied by Matthew Boulton.
Update: Lot 142 sold for £7,280
1887 Queen Victoria Large Bronze Golden Jubilee Medal (Lot 494)
In 1887 Queen Victoria became only the second British monarch to celebrate a Golden Jubilee. To mark the fiftieth year of her reign, the Royal Mint issued a range of official medals, available in gold, silver and bronze.
This large bronze medal shows all the fine detail on Joseph Edfgar Boehm's portrait of Victoria to the obverse. This crowned and veiled effigy is very similar to Boehm's controversial 'Jubilee Head' used on British coinage from 1887 until 1893. The reverse shows the Queen enthroned, attended by seven gods and goddesses, representing arts, industry, and commerce, while cherubs hold wreaths overhead.
The elaborate reverse design is attributed to Frederic Leighton, the famed Victorian painter and sculptor.
Update: Lot 494 sold for £134
1953 Brass Threepence Graded PF 69 Ultra Cameo By NGC (Lot 213)
Graded PF 69 Ultra Cameo, this 1953 brass Threepence is the finest known example in NGC's archive.
This 'Top Pop' proof coin would originally have been part of a 1953 specimen set. These collector's sets were issued in Queen Elizabeth II's coronation year and feature examples of the coins that would have been in circulation in that year, plus a commemorative Crown coin.
The obverse shows Mary Gillick's beautiful first portrait of Elizabeth, crowned with laurels. The reverse features the crowned Tudor portcullis with chains to either side: a motif today associated with parliament. Both of these designs were introduced in 1953 and can also be seen on circulating coins with the same date.
Update: Lot 213 sold for £2,016
2014 Lord Kitchener Mule £2 With No Denomination (Lot 330)
The Royal Mint struck some 5,720,000 Lord Kitchener £2 coins in 2014 to mark 100 years since the start of the First World War but only a handful feature this rare error.
While this £2 might look quite ordinary at first glance it's actually what's called a 'mule' coin, meaning that the one of the dies used to strike it does not match. In this case the wrong heads design was stamped onto the coin during production meaning the coin lacks a denomination.
Only a few examples of this scarce error £2 coin are known to exist making it one of the rarest coins you can find in your change. This example has been examined by staff at The Royal Mint Museum and comes with a signed letter, confirming its authenticity.
Update: Lot 330 sold for £1,120
2021 Gothic Quartered Arms 5kg Gold Proof (Lot 253)
This remarkable 5kg gold coin is the crown jewel of The Royal Mint's Great Engravers collection, which recreates historic British coinage designs for a modern audience.
Made from 24 carat solid gold, this extraordinary piece is one of only two of its kind, made using a combination of 21st century technology and age-old techniques. The design comes from an 1847 Crown coin, engraved by William Wyon, then Chief Engraver to the Royal Mint. His 'Quartered Arms' design incorporates symbols of England, Ireland and Scotland in an elaborate Gothic Revival-style design.
Very few coins of this size are produced by The Royal Mint and they are rarely available at auction.
This 2021 Gothic Quartered Arms gold proof 5kg coin is offered in the original bespoke box of issue with the coin itself encased in a protective clear case.
Update: Lot 253 was unsold.
Register To Bid For RWB Auctions First Coin Sale
We encourage anyone looking to bid on our 14 February coin sale to register in advance of the sale. Please contact our admin team if you are having any issues with your registration or would like to submit your bids by telephone.
Lot viewings for this sale are by appointment only. Please get in touch with our admin team if you would like to book a slot on one of the following viewing days:
Tuesday 6 Feb, 10 am to 3 pm
Thursday 8 Feb, 10 am to 3 pm
Saturday 10 Feb, 10 am to 1 pm
Tuesday 13 Feb, 10 am to 3 pm
All winning bids submitted inside the saleroom or via our website are subject to our industry-leading 10% Buyer's Premium, plus VAT at the prevailing rate as relevant. Other auction platforms may apply additional fees. We recommend using our online bid calculator to work out the total price you can expect to pay.