15th October 2025 Coins, Medals, Militaria and Banknotes Auction had some very interesting lots and strong live bidding through www.easyliveauction.com, plus commission and telephone bids.
The Medals and Militaria section had performed extremely well, starting with lot 10, an 1815 Waterloo Medal to Allan Stewart, 1st Lieut, 1st Battn Rifle Brigade, which sold for £1,950!
Our next and highest selling lot is lot 17, an interesting 'Mafeking' husband and wife group to Lieut Col. Gordon Chesney Wilson, ADC to Baden-Powell during the South African War and later killed in action at the First Battle of Ypres, and Lady Sarah Wilson, daughter of the 7th Duke of Marlborough and aunt to Sir Winston Churchill, who served as a nurse during the South African War and WWI, which sold for a grand total of £12,000! You can find more of this heroic duo’s accomplishments by reading the full description on our website.
Next, we have lot 23 - Medal group to C.P.O. Henry Symons with QSA with 2 clasp Tugela Heights, Relief of Ladysmith to 146687 P-O: H. Symons, H.M.S Terrible, China War Medal with Relief of Pekin clasp to H. Symons, Act. Ch. P.C., H.M.S Terrible., ‘Bluejacket’ Medal with clasp inscribed H. Symons, C.P.O and top suspension bar inscribed H.M.S Terrible. Year 1900 to H. Symons C.P.O. H.M.S. Terrible. Champion. Medals were awarded to two gun’s crews from Terrible in 1900 because they both produced equal scores in the Prize Firing that year, with 6 hits from 6 rounds in one minute from the 6-inch gun. Chief Petty Officer H. Symons and Petty Officer J. Metcalfe were the recipients of the silver medals in 1900, Edward VII Royal Navy LSGC to 146687 Henry. Symons, C.P.O., H.M.S. New Zealand, WW1 trio to 146687, H. Symons. C.P.O., R.N. This unique set of medals achieved an impressive hammer price of £1,800!
Moving on to the coin section of the sale, we had a fantastic collection of ancient coins, our first mention is lot 187 - Ancient Greece. Thrace. Black Sea Area. Istros. c400-350 BCE silver staters, obverse two young male heads facing, side by side, one upright, one inverted, reverse IETPIH sea eagle standing left on dolphin left, attacks with beak, different varieties, sold for an impressive £900.
Lot 193 - Ancient Greece. Thrace. Black Sea Area. Istros. c400-350 BCE silver stater, obverse two young male heads facing, side by side, one upright, one inverted, reverse IETPIH sea eagle standing left on dolphin left, attacks with beak, beneath monogram, weight 5.80g, fine, achieved a final hammer price of £220.
Our last mention of ancient coins is lot 209 - Ancient Rome. Roman Republic. Later Denarius Coinage, C. Junius C.f., 149 BC, obverse helmeted head of Roma right, X behind to left, reverse Dioscuri galloping right C IVNI C F below, ROMA in exergue, weight 4.17g, about extremely fine, sold for £220.
Moving on to our gold section, lot 390, a 1989 cased set of 3 with double sovereign, sovereign and half sovereign proofs FDC sold for £290.
A Chile 1797 8 escudos sold for £1,950 and was lot 426.
Our final mention is lot 450A, a USA 1924 $20 very fine, achieved a final hammer price of £2,400.
Overall, the auction was a huge success with many unique and interesting lots. Our next coin auction will be held on Wednesday, 10th December 2025. Look out for the full catalogue for this sale, which will appear on our website in the next few weeks. Also, keep an eye on our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook pages, which will include updates of our latest auction news. Are you thinking of selling your entire coin collection or part of it? Would you like us to value your coins and give you advice on how best to market them? Visit our coins and banknotes department page for more information or call us on 01926 499 031 and speak to a valuer.
Daniel Smith
