NOONANS SELL RARE COIN FROM THE REIGN OF LUDICA IN BRITISH COIN SALE

A chipped and ragged edged penny from the reign of Ludica who was King of Mercia between 825-7, that had been discovered in August 2016 near Beeston in Nottinghamshire sold for a hammer price of £7,500 against an estimate of £1,500-2,000 to an American Collector at Noonans Mayfair in their auction of British Coins on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. It was sold by the finder.

Following the sale, Bradley Hopper, Coin Expert at Noonans added: “Ludica was a very shadowy figure, and little is known about him other than what we can learn from these rare coins.” [Lot 98].

Also of interest was a fine penny from the reign of Alfred the Great (871-99) – this came from a collection that was amassed in the 1970s and was bought by a US dealer. It had been estimated at £2,000-2,600 but fetched a hammer price of £5,000 [Lot 104].  

An excessively rare penny from the first coinage of Edward III (1327-1377) that had been minted in Reading realised a hammer price of £3,000 against an estimate of £500-600. It again was bought by a collector in the USA [Lot 186].

After the sale, Nigel Mills, Coin & Artefact Specialist, Noonans added: “The Reading penny is the first coin issued by John Stoke de Appleford, the Abbott of Reading after the royal charter of Edward III granted rights to produce silver pennies, halfpennies, and farthings in November 1338. The only other known example is damaged, so this is the only complete example that has survived. The use of a scallop shell on the coin is the symbol of St James to whom the Abbey was dedicated. His hand was an important relic on show at the Abbey which attracted many pilgrims. The coat of arms of Reading Abbey was a blue shield with three yellow scallop shells.”