Our media campaign highlighted the historical significance of the prestigious collection, bringing this specialist subject into mainstream media and securing features in The Times, Times Radio, and Il Corriere della Sera. Our approach to media relations identified stories which would engage a cross-section of established coin collectors, luxury consumers and non-specialist collectors, positioning it as one of the most significant collections ever to appear on the market. Organising a photoshoot with celebrated antiques photographer Stephen Wakeham, we developed press materials which reflected the beauty and extremely rare quality of the coins.
The highlight of this auction was the sale of The Petition Crown of Charles II, known as one of the finest British coins ever made. Struck by celebrated medallist Thomas Simon in 1663, this coin was a petition to the King to rehire Simon as the sole Chief Engraver at The Royal Mint. The highest independently graded of only 16 known in existence, it was estimated to sell for $750,000. On the day of the sale it reached $1 million, becoming the most expensive British silver coin ever sold at auction.
The coins in the Cope Collection were celebrated for their exceptional condition, leading to several other records being broken. An Oxford Crown of Charles I, the only coin in the British series to feature a depiction of a city, sold for $486,000, setting a record for the type and for any coin, gold or silver, of Charles I. A Henry VIII testoon, modelled on the famous painting by Hans Holbein the Younger, sold for $128,000, a record for its type. Among the Roman coins, a bronze sestertius of Emperor Hadrian commemorating the completion of Hadrian’s Wall in 130 AD, formerly held in the British Museum, sold for $810,000. Additionally, a bronze sestertius of Agrippina the Elder, issued in her memory by her son Caligula, fetched $270,000.
Our campaign enhanced the profile of Numismatica Ars Classica, driving interest and engagement from both emerging and established collectors globally and developing profiling opportunities for co-director Arturo Russo in major international publications. Coverage of the sale spanned the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, appearing in the USA, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates. The story of this extraordinary sale was featured in Artnet News, The Scotsman, Antiques Trade Gazette, the Daily Express and Antique Collecting , and also engaged the international numismatic community through coverage in specialist publications such as Coin Week, Treasure Hunting and Numismatic News.
The second part of the Cope Collection will be auctioned in October 2024.
Images: © Stephen Wakeham
