| Spink > Auction 24004 | Auction date: 4 April 2024 |
| Lot number: 133 Price realized: 2,600 GBP (Approx. 3,268 USD / 3,035 EUR) Note: Prices do not include buyer's fees. | Show similar lots on CoinArchives Find similar lots in upcoming auctions on  |
| Lot description: Charles I (1625-1649), Civil War Issues, Royalist Cornwall and Devon, Exeter (under Sir Richard Vyvyan), Halfcrown, 1644, (m.m.) CAROLVS • D G • MA • BR • FR • ET • HI • REX, horseman King trotting left, sword upright, sash in bow, with "twisted" tail, rev. (m.m.) CHRISTO AVSPICE • REGNO 1644, oval garnished shield, 13.92g [214.8grns], 3h, m.m. rose (Brooker 1052; North 2568; Spink 3075), scuffs below horse's body, with typical striking softness in parts, otherwise a most pleasing example of this scarce Provincial issue, the King's armour particularly well-defined, the 'Twisted' tail wonderfully clear, excellent for type, good very fine thus, very rare, a recent single-find close to the discovery of the Crediton Church (1896) Trove. Provenance, "Found in an orchard, on the historic lands of the Bishop of Exeter", near Crediton (Devon), Sunday, 4 February 2024, , , The story of the Crediton Church trove is little known, and worth repeating here. "On Thursday afternoon WIlliam Body, in the employ of Mr. W B Berry, who is carrying out alterations, was digging down the ceiling close to a large beam, when his hammer struck something. Body put his hand over the beam to ascertain what it was, and pulled out a large leather bag. A number of coins fell out of it. Boddy immediately gave information of the discovery. The coins about the room were collected and placed in the bag with the rest, and removed to the vestry below, and the vicar (Prebendary Smith) was sent for. The bag was found to contain many hundreds of silver coins, the dates of some being as far back as 1472 and various dates up to nearly 1700. The coins consist of sixpences, shillings, florins and crowns [sic], large numbers of which are in an excellent state of preservation ; some of the crowns are in almost perfect condition. The coins were handed over by the vicar to the chaplain (Rev. E. Knight), who immediately deposited them at the Devon and Cornwall Bank. The coins found weighed over 20lbs. and the number is estimated at nearly a thousand. Later on, Mr. Berry made another search of the room, and amongst the debris 52 more coins were picked up, many being considered of great value." (West Somerset Free Press, 17 October 1896, refers.) , , H A Grueber, in documenting the find for the Numismatic Chronicle in 1897 (pp. 159-172), made several important observations. The first being at least 1,884 coins were recovered from the vestry. Critically all of this issue are worn, suggesting the trove must have been amassed in a private capacity from around 1665 until final deposition shortly after 1683. Around 120 coins were retained by the British Museum with some 1,700 returned to the finders. In May 1897, it was elected that the coins should be offered at public auction and be catalogued by Major Montague. Estimate: £2400 - £3000 |  |
