A ‘Petition Crown’ of Charles II has been sold for 949,375 Swiss Francs ($1 million, £815,000) to become the most expensive British silver coin ever sold at auction. The coin was included in the May 8 joint sale of the Cope Collection of prized British and Roman coins by Numismatica Ars Classica, Classical Numismatic Group and Numismatica Genevensis The collection realised a total of CHF8 million ($8.8 million, £6.9 million), while the auction as a whole realised CHF 20 million ($22 million, £17.1 million) across three days.
The Petition Crown of Charles II is so called because it was struck by celebrated medallist Thomas Simon in 1663 to petition the King to rehire him as the sole Chief Engraver at The Royal Mint.
See COIN NEWS July 2024, On sale on Wednesday, June 26, for more details!