‘Her Majesty for this quarrell is to sustayn a greater warr than ever in any memory of man it hath done’
Nov 18 2011

'Her Majesty for this quarrell is to sustayn a greater warr than ever in any memory of man it hath done'   By Richard Bishop Three extremely fine silver medals, recently acquired by Spink, illustrate with great force and originality the decade or more of constant warfare that was the dominant feature of the closing years of the long reigns of both Elizabeth of England and Philip of Spain. They also provide an opportunity to consider other aspects of life in the rebellious Dutch Provinces...

Portraits of Greek Coinage - 'Metapontum'
Nov 18 2011

By Robin Eaglen The remains of Metapontum lie on the instep of the tall boot that is Italy. It was founded in the seventh century BC by colonists from Achaea in the north-eastern Peloponnese, as were a number of other settlements in Southern Italy, beginning with Sybaris in 720 and Croton in 708 BC. The fertile soil of the countryside beyond the city was ideal for growing grain and rearing livestock, and resulted in the ear of barley being chosen as the badge of Metapontum. The Augustan geogra...

Portraits of Greek Coinage - 'Perseus'
Nov 03 2011

By Robin Eaglen   Perseus was the last king of Macedon. His father, Philip V named his son after the popular Greek hero, who also figured on the obverse of some of his coins.2 In the course of his long reign (221-179 BC) Philip tried to extend the dominion of Macedon, bringing him into opposition with Rome especially through his alliance with Hannibal in 216 and his attempt to supplant its influence along the eastern shores of the Adriatic.3 The Roman Senate e...

Portraits of Greek Coinage - 'Larissa & Facing Heads'
Jul 12 2011

By Robin Eaglen   Fig A. Fig B.   AR drachm, c. 365-356 BC. Obv. Head of the fountain nymph, Larissa, three-quarters facing l., with freely flowing tresses of hair bound with a fillet above her forehead, wearing earring. Rev. Grazing horse r., with a long tail; left foreleg raised, possibly as a prelude to rolling over. ..A...... above horse and AION below line representing the ground. 6.10g ( 17/19 mm). Die axis 315. Author's collection. Ex Spink, NCirc, F...

Historic British Coins Part 1
Jun 22 2011

By WIlliam MacKay This series of short articles takes as its subject a British coin which neatly enscapulates an important moment in history of the British Isles.      No. 1. 'Whilst I Live, I Hope'- 1648 Pontefract Siege piece and the last days of the Royalist cause.  An octagonal Shilling from the coinages of the English Civil War struck at Pontefract, Yorkshire, whilst  besieged February-March 24th 1649, after the execution of Charles I, in the name of Ch...

Staff Profile - Stephen Goldsmith
Jun 01 2011

Spink is pleased to introduce a new member of the Spink international team, Mr Stephen Goldsmith. Stephen has an incredible history with the world of numismatics and we are honoured to have him join our Spink USA operations in New York. In order to properly introduce Stephen we sat down and asked him a few questions we thought you might want to know the answers to. Without further ado, here's a record of our chat with Stephen Goldsmith from the Spink New York office…   Stephen...