Sale 95 auction preface
Friday, 12 November 2010
The general catalogue, 95A, offers a broad range of material to suit all tastes.
The outstanding highlight is the offering of the WWI Victoria Cross Group to the 1,000 recipient, Henry Dalziel of Far North Queensland, on American Independence Day, 4th July, 1918 at the Battle of Hamel in France, the first at which Australians fought alongside Americans. The Victoria Cross is one of the last still held by an Australian family. We feel honoured to have been asked to offer this important lot to the public.
Another exciting and unique item is the recently discovered ‘Success to Borrowdale’ First Fleet memento, the handcrafted silver seal for the master of the Borrowdale.
In the Australian series we are pleased to offer the finest 1925 pennies in the Jeremy Glick Collection as well as his collection of mis-strikes; the high grade threepences, pennies and halfpennies collected by Michael McHugh with many sourced from Laurie Nugent; the outstanding collection of halfpennies acquired by Dennis Gardner in the 1970’s featuring a high grade 1923 and the 1916I mule - the rarest circulating Australian coin.
Two Sydney collectors have contributed outstanding quality young head Queen Victoria sovereigns, both shield and St George reverse issues.
We are pleased to offer, on behalf of his widow Jean, the late Pat Boland’s small but interesting collection of ancient, British and Australian coins plus his extensive military badge collection and library. A long term client is offering his Roman and European coins (supplied with extensive handwritten notes) under his family name Coppenolle. The McHugh Greek and Roman coins have added appreciably to this area in the sale.
Many interesting bulk or albums lots of world coins come in this form from the late Professor Keith Bullen’s Collection. This collection has remained virtually untouched since passing on to the late Alex Boden (founder of the Science Press) who was inspired to acquire many choice and significant Australian coins from us in the late 1970’s. Another large collection with album lots is that formed by the late Jack Wallace of Sydney, two highlights of the collection are a 1930 penny and a Waitangi proof set.
A Queensland collector has consigned his French gold coins and a Sydney collector his English gold. Significant Police Gallantry medals come from a Melbourne collection.
It is with honour and great pride that we offer for auction The Robb Family Collection of New Zealand Banknotes, in a catalogue of its own - the first time a New Zealand banknote collection has achieved this importance.
Alistair Robb, who began collecting New Zealand banknotes seriously in 1971, has done more than any other collector to add to our knowledge and awareness of the significance of New Zealand Trading Bank notes. He has always been willing to share his knowledge with others and to publish his findings.
The rarity or census information for each note which he has supplied to the cataloguer forms an integral part of the catalogue, thus making it an important reference work for the future.
I have known Alistair since the 1960’s and first visited he and Pauline in 1971, in Wellington. When our company presented its first auction in Sydney in October 1977 Alistair was there bidding in the room and secured one of his prizes, the Colonial Bank of New Zealand one pound of 1891, with a strong bid yelled out from the back of the room at the Wentworth.
For that first sale we had brought together a very significant selection of New Zealand notes which did not go by unnoticed by the astute collector in Alistair. So, now too, on this auspicious occasion astute collectors should not miss this once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire significant New Zealand banknotes.
Alistair could not have collected so successfully without the support of his wife Pauline and his three sons Stuart, Dean and Lincoln. The decision to disperse the collection has been made, I am sure, with mixed feelings, however it is for the good of collectors and the appreciation of the notes themselves that has won the day.