Lot 1860

Description

World War I, trench coin art, France, one franc, reverse smoothed, 'N.M Somme 1916' inside a heart, all within ornate engraving, pierced twice and set on a bracelet; another similar, 'Battle of Somme 1916' in four lines, pierced four times for suspension; 'France 1918' engraved on smoothed reverse of Napoleon III one franc; England, penny, 1902, bust with crown engraved, halfpenny, 1906, obverse altered with a hat, cigar, beard etc; Australia, penny, 1913, reverse smoothed and engraved, 'To Elsie from Cyril' in four lines, 'May 18th 1913' around; Melbourne, Thomas Stokes, penny token, 1862, struck by shrapnel. (7)

Ex Alan McRae Collection, the last with a descriptive provenance ticket explaining the Stokes Penny saved the life of ANZAC P. Smith in Gallipoli, who carried it in his top pocket, and deflected shrapnel.