“The raft not only represents a suppressed culture and a forgotten ceremony, it also marks the beginning of a story rivalling the legend of Atlantis: El Dorado, the fabled lost city of gold.” The reverse of the Colombian 2 Pesos Oro banknote proudly depicts the Balsa Muisca, a votive artefact sometimes referred to as the […]
THE MUISCA RAFT AND THE LEGEND OF EL DORADO Read Article »
A HENRY VIII CUT COIN “The metal detecting bug bit me hard after I found my very first Civil War minnie ball. I remember clearly when I pulled it out of the dirt, seeing this small but powerful instrument of death.” I will begin by sharing my interest in metal detecting and how it came
ALL THE WAY FROM AMERICA Read Article »
“THE UNTOLD STORY OF A REAL LIFE NUMISMATIC “GOLDEN TICKET” “Few however could have predicted the rapidity by which general currency usage would decline domestically, and with it the once-dependable staple of their entire business.” The second decade of the 21st Century is a chapter that few in Britain will forget. From the “Pasty Tax”
THE COINS THAT NEVER WERE: SURVIVORS OF THE 2019 BREXIT “MELTDOWN” Read Article »
“The Number One” For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, New Zealand’s monetary system was shaped by the now-unfamiliar practice of private trading banks issuing banknotes for public circulation. The Union Bank of Australia, established in 1840 in Petone (then known as Britannia), was the first trading bank in New Zealand. Over a
THE FIRST RESERVE BANK OF NEW ZEALAND BANKNOTE ISSUED Read Article »
‘Daikokuten embodies Japan’s cultural evolution through his unique and multifarious blend of culture, religion, and philosophy.’ As the excitement of the New Year gives way to the inevitable January blues, many of us find ourselves in an all too familiar slump. Following a season of indulgence, we have full stomachs and empty wallets by spring,
Daikokuten: THE JAPANESE GOD OF WEALTH Read Article »
PART 3 FROM JAMES I TO JAMES V “He also issued gold coins which he named the demy and the half-demy, based on the English half- and quarter-noble and approximately equal in size, though of slightly reduced fineness” Introduction This article continues the story of Scottish money with a survey of the intriguing coin is-
THE HISTORY OF SCOTTISH MONEY Read Article »
STAMPS FORTHCOMING SALES Spink looks forward to a busy auction schedule from April through May, following the Europhilex International Stamp Exhibition held in Birmingham from 7th to 11th May. Having already offered the British Solomon Islands from the Greenwood collection, Lionheart Part XXI and Michael Medlicott’s Trinidad and Tobago, the Stamp Department launch into their
FORTHCOMING SALE Read Article »
WORLD BANKNOTES – E-AUCTION London, 27th March – 10th April 2025 Following a thrilling start to the year with our January online auction, The Robin Benke Collection of English Banknotes and an incredibly successful live sale at NYINC, the excitement of remarkable banknotes continues! Our current online auction presents a notable collection of Bank Polski
FORTHCOMING SALES Read Article »
IN MEMORIAM: GEORGE MÜLLER (1926-2025) Georges (George) Ernest Müller, former Director of Spink’s Ancient Coin Department, passed away on 6th January, at the age of 98, surrounded by loved ones at his family home in La Rippe, Switzerland. Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris on 6th December 1926, George was educated at the Lycée Pasteur, and later
the alfred leonard fuller of bath collection of english silver coins and tokens 17th December 2025 Cold though it may have been in London, Spink London’s Coin Department is far from hunkering down in hibernation. In the week leading up to Christmas, we held The Alfred Leonard Fuller of Bath Collection of English Silver Coins
SPINK NEWS – PART 3 Read Article »
