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    • Posts Tagged ‘NOONANS MAYFAIR’

    ARGUABLY THE FINEST SET OF IRISH BANKNOTES EVER AT AUCTION

    Wednesday, July 1st, 2026

    A Currency Commission Royal Bank of Ireland Ploughman’s note dated May 6, 1929. UPDATE: THIS MADE £6,500 AT HAMMER

    Noonan’s of Mayfair say that three extremely rare banknotes at their sale on July 8 are arguably the finest set of Irish notes ever offered at auction. The trio of extremely special notes – a set of Ploughman notes (£10, £5 and £1) issued by the Royal Bank of Ireland, all bearing serial number 000001 are expected to fetch £8,000-10,000; £6,000-7,000 and £4,000-5,000 respectively. Lots 405-407 all bear the serial number 000001. They will be among the highlights of Noonans auction of British and Irish Banknotes.

    Ted Edmunds, banknote specialist at Noonans commented: “Given the rarity, condition and serial number, we believe this set of £1, £5 and £10 are arguably the finest set of Irish notes ever offered at auction.” Describing it as about uncirculated and a fantastic banknote in scarcely believable condition the catalogue description continues: …a glorious example of a £10 Ploughman with an incredible serial number 1, a joy to see one of the most iconic banknotes in the world in all its glory, magnificent!

    UPDATE: The three banknotes made a combined hammer price of £34,500  (€40,482). They had been estimated in the region of £20,000 (€23,470).   Noonans said they were all bought by the same overseas buyer.

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    RARE IRISH FREE STATE £50 NOTE AT NOONANS IN MAYFAIR

    Saturday, June 21st, 2025

    UPDATE: THIS MADE £14,000 at hammer

    A rare early Irish £50 note dated September 10, 1928 and featuring Lady Lavery could make up to £15,000 (€17,600) at Noonans in Mayfair on June 25.  That was the month when legal tender notes, pegged in value to the pound sterling, came into circulation. It followed a determination by the then Irish Free State in the mid 1920’s to design its own coins and banknotes.  Until the advent of the euro three series of legal tender notes were issued by Ireland. The Irish Free State £50 note is considerably rarer than the £100 note. This particular one was described by Andrew Pattison of Noonan’s as: “one of the finest-known examples of this first date for the iconic Lady Lavery series”.  A proof £100 note from 1978-79 featuring a vignette of 16th century pirate Grace O’Malley (Granuaile) is estimated at £2,000-£2,600 (€2,350-€3,052).

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    RARE IRISH FLORIN COULD MAKE £10,000 AT NOONANS IN LONDON

    Thursday, May 22nd, 2025

    A rare Irish Free State pattern florin dating from 1927 discovered in an antiques market in Italy over 40 years ago by an Italian collector could fetch up to £10,000 when it is offered at Noonans Mayfair in a sale of Coins, Historical Medals and Numismatic Books on May 29. UPDATE: THIS MADE £10,000 AT HAMMER

    Oliver Hepburn of Noonans explained: “This rare copper florin was designed by Publio Morbiducci (1889 -1963) a leading Italian sculptor, medalist and painter in the early and mid-1900s. Morbiducci was among
    a group of international artists who were asked to submit designs for Ireland’s first coinage. The competition was won by the British engraver Percy Metcalfe.”

    “It is very exciting that this particular example was discovered in a market in Morbiducci’s home country, and these patterns only come up for auction once in a blue moon. Fewer than a dozen examples have sold in the last 20 years. This penny was never put into circulation and obviously the dealer in the market, didn’t quite appreciate its rarity. It is decorated with a harp on one side and a salmon on the other and officially only two sets were minted for presentation to the Irish Currency Commission. However, after the competition, it is thought that Morbiducci minted several more sets for private use, though exact figures are unknown.”

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    A PENNY FROM KING SITRIC AT NOONAN’S IN MAYFAIR

    Wednesday, May 1st, 2024

    UPDATE: THIS MADE £2,400 AT HAMMER

    This extremely rare penny from the Reign of King Sitric comes up at Noonan’s in London on May 9. It is part of a selection of 100 Irish coins from the collection of US based Michael McKeever. The penny from the reign of Sitric imitating the English Long Cross coinage, was made by a moneyer named Aelwine and carries an English mint signature although it was struck in Dublin. It is in extremely fine condition. The estimate is £2,000-2,600. Sitric, who died in 927, was King of Dublin and King of Northumbria.

    Another highlight is a rare groat (a silver coin worth four pence) from the reign of King Richard III who was on the throne for just two years. Struck at the Dublin mint is estimated at £1,200-1,500. The cover of the catalogue features a very rare example of a Crown Groat from the Dublin mint, struck during the reign of Edward IV (1461-1470). It is estimated at £1,500-2,000.

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    A CORK SILVER FREEDOM BOX AT NOONAN’S

    Tuesday, March 5th, 2024
    George IV Irish provincial silver-gilt City of Cork freedom box. UPDATE: THIS MADE 3,000 AT HAMMER

    This George IV Irish provincial silver-gilt City of Cork freedom box by Richard Garde comes up as lot 501 at Noonans in Mayfair, London on March 12. It is  engraved with a presentation inscription reading:  “The Freedom at Large of the City of Cork was unanimously voted to Liet. Gen. Lord Combermere. Commanding His Majesty’s Forces In Ireland. Sept. 18th, 1824.” The hinged cover is engraved with Cork City coat of arms with garter and the Latin motto ‘STATIO BENE FIDA CARINIS’ (a safe harbour for ships). It is flanked by thistles, flowers and harps, with coronets to the corners. The inscription is engraved on the base. There is an equestrian statue of Lord Combermere outside Chester Castle and the freedom box has remained in his family since. It is estimated at £3,000-£4,000.

    Richard Garde was registered at 18 Broad Lane, Cork, in 1824, and in 1833 at 17, Broad Lane. He was registered at Dublin in 1827, continuing until 1838.

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    AN IRISHMAN’S VICTORIA CROSS AT NOONAN’S IN MAYFAIR

    Friday, February 9th, 2024
    A fine Indian Mutiny ‘Clause 13’ V.C. to Rough Rider Edmond Jennings, 1st Troop, 1st Brigade, Bengal Horse Artillery, for gallantry during the Relief of Lucknow in November 1857. UPDATE: THIS MADE £55,000 AT HAMMER

    An Indian Mutiny Victoria Cross awarded to Edmond Jennings of Ballinrobe  will come up at Noonan’s in London on February 14.  It is estimated at £20,000-£30,000 (€23,400-€35,100).  It was awarded for rescuing a wounded officer while under attack and taking him to safety on his own horse.  After the event 42 year old Jennings was nominated by his fellow non-commissioned officers. Jennings enlisted in the East India Company’s service in Tullamore in 1836.

    Two Victoria Crosses are known to this recipient, the one offered for sale here, and a second one which is held by the “F” (Sphinx) Battery, 7th Parachute Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery (the successor unit to Jennings’ original unit), together with his campaign medals. Whilst the exact reason for two Victoria Crosses named to this man is a matter of some conjecture, the most likely reason is that the first-named V.C. was sent out to India for presentation to him there (as were the other Bengal Artillery Victoria Crosses), but that once it was known that he was returning home to the U.K. Queen Victoria herself expressed a wish to personally decorate him with the V.C. at an Investiture at Windsor on 9 October 1860, and a second Cross was consequently named up (in the event Jennings’ ship had been delayed in departing India, and he did not arrive in time, thereby missing the Windsor investiture).

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    TRINITY GOLD MEDAL MAKES RECORD PRICE AT NOONANS

    Thursday, October 19th, 2023

    A 1915 gold award medal from Trinity College, Dublin presented to pioneering biochemist William Robert Fearon (1892-1959) made a hammer price of £6,500 at Noonans sale of Historical Medals in London this week. The top lot of the auction, from an Irish collector, had been estimated at  £2,400-3,000. It attracted interest from all over the world and was purchased by a collector in the Far East. The medal achieved a record price for any medal from Trinity College Dublin.

    William Robert Fearon (1892-1959), pioneer biochemist was educated at St Andrew’s College, Dublin between 1908-11, followed by Trinity College between 1911-17, where he received a BA in natural science and was awarded the gold medal, a Harvey research prize from the Royal College of Physicians, Dublin in 1918, and the Carmichael prize from the Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin. He went on to work as a researcher for the British food ministry and the food investigations board between 1917-19. He was a Mackinnon research student of the Royal Society at Emmanuel College, Cambridge from 1919-21 and was elected fellow of Trinity College Dublin in 1921. The chair of biochemistry at Trinity was founded for him in 1943 and he represented the Dublin University constituency in Seanad Éireann from 1943 until 1959, sitting on many government committees.

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    IRISH TOKENS EXCEED ESTIMATES AT NOONANS

    Wednesday, February 1st, 2023

    Part of a single owner collection of Irish Tokens made a hammer price of almost £20,000 at Noonans. The collection amassed by the late Barry Woodside is being dispersed in a series of auctions.

    The top lot was a rare Londonderry copper farthing for Broadway Bar on Duke Street which made £1,700 against an estimate of £150-200. It went to a private collector. A copper token from Michael Donoghue of Dublin dating from 1853-8 made £1,600 over an estimate of £300-400.

    Only three examples of the free ticket for the Grandstand of the Isle of Man Race are known. The one at Noonans made £1,400, almost three times its top estimate.

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