Exotic and alluring Zanzibar, located
just south of the equator off the coast of modern Tanzania, occupies a special place in both the imagination and in Africa’s long history.

Hot on the heels of our Cask 88 whisky auction last November, the Insider spoke to vintage spirits expert Edgar Harden about his particular interest in this area, and how he turned his love of vintage spirits into a thriving business.

‘No visit to Oporto is complete without some detail about the wines for which the region is famous’

I suppose this story begins around 45 years back. As a child I was fascinated by our history, tales of King Alfred on the Somerset
levels, stories of the Roman invasion and marauding Vikings.

I will always remember the moment when I opened an email from Spink coin specialist Gregory Edmund, and learnt that a gold coin of King Henry III from 1257 or 1258 had been dug up by a metal detector in a field near Hemyock in Devon.

The Queen’s platinum jubilee is a cause for celebration not only in the United Kingdom but around the world. Much has been written – and will continue to be written – on the service that the Queen has given
over seventy years.

When a true collector sees a
stamp, or a cover, that is ‘impossible’ – too good to be true, out of this world – he or she would love to possess it, even if only as a temporary custodian.

Indeed, we could hardly have had a better start to 2022, with no less than 25 auctions held worldwide in January across all Spink locations

“Unlike stamps, coins are designed to be handled, unlike fossils they have a tangible human connection”