Rare 17th century Ulster penny sold at auction for record £6,200

A very rare penny struck in Co Antrim in the 17th century has set a worldwide auction record.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th May 2020, 14:53 BST
Both sides of the rare 17th century Carrickfergus pennyBoth sides of the rare 17th century Carrickfergus penny
Both sides of the rare 17th century Carrickfergus penny

The penny from Carrickfergus fetched £6,200, a record in the sale category of 17th century British trade tokens according to its auctioneers.

The live online auction of ‘Tokens and Historical Medals’ took place on Tuesday, run by Dix Noonan Webb, international coins, medals, banknotes and jewellery specialists.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The penny bearing the name ‘Andrew Willoughby’ on one side and ‘of Carrickfergus’ on the other was expected to fetch £240 to £300 and after selling for more than 20 times its pre-sale top estimate, it achieved a worldwide auction record for a 17th century British trade token.

It was bought by a collector in the United States, with the underbidder being from the UK.

The highest price in the same auction was for a rare 19th century copper halfcrown, dating from 1812 which had been struck in Sheffield.

It sold for £8,680 to a private collector for 17 times its presale estimate of £400 to £500.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Dix Noonan Webb are donating 5% of their Buyer’s Premium to NHS Charities Together, and a total of £24,879 is being donated to the charity from the auctions since the lockdown due to Covid-19.

The ongoing total can be seen on the home page of DNW’s website.

NHS Charities Together works with over 250 charities across the UK helping the NHS.

Related topics:UlsterCarrickfergusNHSUnited States