15-10-2014 – 01-01-1970
The Christopher Foley, F.S.A., Collection Of Early English Medals
The Christopher Foley, F.S.A., Collection Of Early English Medals
Woolley and Wallis, auctioneers in Salisbury, Wiltshire, will be selling The Christopher Foley, F.S.A., Collection of British Medals of the 15th – 17th Centuries on Thursday October 16th 2014 at 10.00am.
With just under 600 pieces, this is probably the largest such collection to come on the market in the last 100 years and contains many exceedingly rare examples.
Lot 366: The Naval Reward for Captains, gold medal, 1653, by Thomas Simon, the so-called Blake Medal. A superb gold medal, extremely fine and excessively rare. Estimate: £30,000 – 40,000.
Of particular interest is the Naval Reward for Captains, a gold medal dated 1653, by the greatest of medallists, Thomas Simon. This example is one of perhaps eight of nine surviving out of some 80 that were awarded to those involved in the Battle of Texel on 31st July, the last of the great naval battles of the First Dutch War and is estimated to fetch £30,000 – £40,000.
The collection also includes no fewer than 10 of the oval portrait medals, by Simon De Passe, made by some long-lost process that makes them seem as if they were engraved.
Lot 127: Elizabeth I, silver oval portrait medal by Simon de Passe, circa 1616. Estimate: £8,000 – 12,000.
His first ever purchase in the field was the rare oval uniface portrait medal of Elizabeth I. He had recently bought and sold the famous George Gower ‘Sieve’ portrait of the Queen, and acquired the medal as little more than a personal souvenir of that transaction, later he purchased a portrait medal of Elizabeth I by Simon de Passe which is a staggering image and estimated at £8,000 – 12,000.
Lot 238: Charles I, the Anglo-Dutch Fishing Treaty, cast silver medal, 1636, by Hans Reinhardt. A superb example of this handsome medal, extremely fine and very rare. Estimate: £4,000 – 6,000.
Every lot is illustrated online and in the catalogue in actual size.
The collection will be available to view:
During Coinex: 26th & 27th September 10am – 5pm. I the Grosvenor Suite, Millennium Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London W1K 2HP
Salisbury Salerooms: Tuesday 14th October 10am – 4pm, Wednesday 15th October 10am – 4pm, Thursday 16th October 9am – 10am.
For enquiries please contact Lucy Chalmers by phone (+44 (0) 1722 424594) or by email.
You may find all lots of the sale online on the Woolley and Wallis website.