Baldwin's auction 71, the second of two official Coinex auctions, contains an array of high quality, interesting pieces from the Indian, Ancient and Islamic worlds and is set to be one of the most spectacular sales of the Coinex season.
It will be held in the CIPFA Conference Centre on September 29. Ian Goldbart, Baldwin's Managing Director commented, "We are delighted to be have been chosen to auction a selection of Indian coins at our Coinex auction that includes so many high quality examples and great rarities."
The first section of the auction comprises The Yashoda Singh Collection of Indian Coins. A collection collated over the course of 25 years by a collector with a true passion for the history of the coinage of India.
Twenty five years ago when Yashoda Singh first started to collect coins there were no coin shows, auctions or dealers specialising in Indian coins.
The Singh collection is formed of historically significant and artistically beautiful coins from every period of Indian coinage, all of which have an emotional resonance with the current owner.
In the introduction to his collection Mr. Singh draws particular attention to the coins from the mints of Patliputra (also known by other names in different periods - Patna or Azimabad or Hazrat Rasulpur), Rajgriha, Chunar, and Tirhut.
All these mints lay in the state of Bihar or eastern Uttar Pradesh, the region in which Mr. Singh was born.
 Yashoda Singh two Mohurs coin |
He says of his collection "I did not collect these coins specifically for profit but for my emotional satisfaction. It so happens that Indian coins are now sought by Indians and non-Indians from all over the world and prices have skyrocketed."
Lots 1228 and 1233 are the two main pieces in the collection. The first, an 1835 Proof Restrike Gold Mohur is an unusually nice piece estimated at £3,000-5,000. The second, an 1835 Gold Proof Re-strike 2-Mohurs is estimated at £5,000-8,000.
Other highlights from this collection include lot 1005, a Vima Kadphises, gold Dinar in extremely fine condition, estimated at £1,200 - £1,500 and lot 1147, a Bengal Presidency Gold Mohur, Year 31 in extremely fine condition, listed at £1,000-1,500.
Lot 1221, a 1939B Silver Rupee, is expected to reach £1,000-1,500 and lot 1226, an 1870 Gold Early Proof Restrike 10-Rupees, £1,500-£2,500; whilst lot 1238, one of only 10 known specimens this Marathas, Silver 1/5-Rupee or "Velli Fanam" is estimated to sell for £1,000-1,200.
The expected top lot of the sale, however, comes from outside of this collection.
This is lot 1609, a 1949 Republic of India Pattern set by Patrick Brindley was a set for an entirely new proposed coinage for the new republic. This is a highly important and excessively rare set of eight pattern coins, only four sets in total are recorded as having been struck.
 Rare coin from the Patrick Brindley set |
No coins were struck for circulation dated 1948 or 1949. However a distinct new series of designs were, required due to partition and Independence.
After partition in July of 1947 and the achievement of Independence by both India as well as the newly-created Pakistan, both countries thought to create new and distinctive coinages. The initial Pakistani pattern coinage, comprising two different designs of Rupee coins, was the first to be completed.
These patterns, prepared at Lahore by the Mint Master (and former Calcutta Mint Master) Mr Bernard Sinclair-Jones, were literally prepared in the days immediately after partition by a man of vision whose achievements among others included flying the first airplane in India.
During 1946 in India rupee coinage in nickel had been introduced, this comprising the ½- and ¼-Rupee struck in that year, as well as in 1947 a 1-Rupee coinage, together with additional ½- and ¼-Rupees of a similar design being struck again with the 1947 date.
The initial coinage of approximately 460 million pieces apparently sufficed until 1950 when new designs were introduced. However in 1949 a fine pattern coinage was prepared by artist/engraver Patrick Brindley.
It is not known whether final dies were actually prepared for these patterns, or whether the master matrices were used to strike the coins. It is estimated at £100,000-150,000 ($238,200).
Watch this space for more news of this exciting sale.
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