The special 50th anniversary auction of Australia’s oldest and most respected numismatic auction house, Downies Australian Coin Auctions (ACA), will be held between the 29th and 31st of October, 2013.
Following hot on the heels of Sale 314 which boasted an 80+% clearance rate and approaching $1 million in gross sales, Sale 315 is set to be a blockbuster.
Despite being relatively early in the cataloguing process, Downies ACA has already received:
• a 1966/1967 Type One Specimen banknote set comprising two each of One, Two, Ten and Twenty Dollars Coombs-Wilson and laid in Five Dollars Coombs-Randall with additional related ephemera
• Two Dollars Phillips-Randall consecutive run of four star notes, fresh and original aUnc-Unc
• A stunning group of Australia rules football and cricket items including player passes and season tickets all named to the same individual with some dating from the mid 1880s – new to the market and in sensational condition
• And much more!
This final auction of the anniversary year is to be held at the auction rooms in the Block Arcade, located in the Melbourne CBD. Marked by a remarkable array of crowd-drawing lots already consigned, and special vendor commission rates for the sale, Auction 315 is set to be one of the most exciting in Downies long history.
Consignments close soon, so if you would like to have your own treasures offered in this special 50th anniversary auction, and take advantage of the inevitable interest that will be triggered by such a major milestone, please call ACA on (03) 8677 8800 or visit www.downies.com/ACA online as soon as possible.
Company Profile:
Holding its first auction way back in 1963, Downies Australian Coins Auctions has established a formidable reputation for expertise, enthusiasm and professionalism. This reputation led to Downies ACA being called upon to host what was arguably the most exciting public sale in the history of Australian numismatics – the Auction of the Gold australian Coins of the Reserve Bank of Australia in 2005. This garnered intense worldwide interest and resulted in $4.7 million realised in sales, well above the $3 million projected by the RBA, as well as a remarkable 100% clearance rate.
Downies has been a trusted name in numismatics for over 80 years and is the largest australian coins dealer in the southern hemisphere. The company was established in 1932 by Phil Downie, who was just 16 years old at the time. Some 31 years later the first Auction was held in October, 1963. Since founded, Downies ACA have held over 300 successful sales and the Downies company has expanded to serve numismatists and collectors worldwide at www.downies.com. Downies is now managed by Phil Downie’s son, Ken, and remains a wholly Australian owned family-run business.
Selected individual highlights of Sale 314, held in July, 2013:
• Lot 516; One Cent 1978 test strike in aluminium, As Struck; estimate $3,500 realised $5,500
• Lot 726: Waterloo Medal 1815 edge impressed to Daniel Conolly 10th Royal Reg Hussars, Fine and scarce; estimate $750 realised $2,600
• Lot 832: WWII Hay Internment Camp Penny in brass struck without hole, EF and very rare; estimate $1,000 realised $2,200
• Lot 936: Aboriginal gorget or breastplate c.1850-1870, hand executed in brass with chain, engraved lettering to “King Peter, Peels River”, VF; estimate $4,000 realised $6,000
• Lot 1090: 15ct gold cricket appreciation fob with local hallmarks dated 1895; estimate $500 realised $1,600
• Lot 1304; Adelaide Pound 1852 Type II, brooch mount removed from reverse, VF; estimate $1,750 realised $3,200
• Lot 1376; Sovereign 1876M, obverse P1 reverse MT/BP (M153var) superb choice Unc; estimate $$1,000 realised $1,600
• Lot 1512: Pattern Twenty Cents in Cu/Ni struck on what appears to be a British Twenty Pence blank dated 1977, reverse “Testing R.Aust Mint” Unc and extremely rare; estimate4 $6,000 realised $11,500
• Lot 1513: Pattern Fifty Cents 1966 double bar die pressure adjustment strike with peripheral softness, Unc and very rare; estimate $7,500 realised $9,400
• Lot 2162; Twenty-Five Gulden 1930 (KM150) some bag marks on reverse else prooflike Unc and scarce; estimate $2,750 realised $4,000
