SCOTTISH TOKENS EXCEED EXPECTATIONS AT NOONANS

Two intriguing Scottish tokens exceed expectations in the sale of British Trade Tokens, Tickets and Passes on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at Noonans Mayfair (16 Bolton Street). The highest price of the sale for an individual token was for the last lot in the sale – a very rare silver medal from Duddingston (Midlothian) Curling Society (Est. 1795) which depicted a view of a curling party on the ice that fetched a hammer price of £700 – more than double its pre-sale estimate of £200-£260. It was bought by a collector from Glasgow [lot 550].

Peter Preston-Morley, Special Projects Director (Numismatics) at Noonans added: “Duddingston Curling was a very prestigious society in the 19th Century, meeting at the Loch that had been epitomized in the iconic painting of the Ice-Skating Vicar by Sir Henry Raeburn. I am not aware of another of these medals coming up at auction so to see it fetch over three times its pre-sale estimate and return to Scotland was a pleasing end to the sale!”

Also being sold by the same London-based vendor was another interesting Scottish-related lot. A very fine and rare token for the Royal Academy Antique School bearing the name Elmslie William Dallas was bought for a hammer price of £360 – against an estimate of £200-£260 by a US Collector. Artist Dallas (1809-79), who was admitted 26th April. 1831, was born in Cantray, Inverness-shire, and was based for some years in Rome as well as exhibiting at the Royal Academy and the Royal Scottish Academy. He subsequently lived at Stockbridge, Edinburgh [lot 540].

The sale which. comprised 550 lots, was 100% sold and fetched a hammer total of £81,855.
Included were several collections such as the 70-lot Collection of 17th century tokens formed by Keith Johnson which featured one of the surprises of the sale. A scare halfpenny from Rochdale (Lancashire) sold for £550 - almost seven times its higher of £60-80. Bearing the name Richard Kenion and dated 1667, it was bought by a collector from the USA, which is unusual for a domestic series [lot 160]. Overall, the collection realized a hammer price of £9,545.

From the 100-lot collection of 18th century tokens formed by the late Arvid Frank was a penny depicting the Old Bailey from the Prattent’s London and Westminster series dating from 1797 which fetched a record hammer price of £700 against an estimate of £150-£200. It was bought by a collector from the UK against strong interest from buyers in the USA [lot 284]. The collection fetched a hammer total of £17,915.

Elsewhere, a delightful and very rare early 19th Century shilling from Gainsborough in Lincolnshire bearing the name William Jerrems and dated 1811 fetched a hammer price of £650 after being estimated to fetch £240-£300. On one side, it showed a ship sailing, while on the other a windmill., it was fought over by two windmill enthusiasts with a collector in the USA being the successful bidder [lot 501].