By Intelligent Collector Staff | November 10, 2025
An Elizabeth I gold “Ship” Ryal of 15 Shillings, dated 1584–1586 and graded MS63 by NGC realized $372,000 at Heritage Auctions’ Nov. 6–7 World & Ancient Coins sale. Heritage announced the result in Dallas on Nov. 10.
The price set a world auction record for an Elizabeth Ship Ryal. The coin came from The Cara Collection of Highly Provenanced British Rarities, Part II and represents one of the later English gold issues retaining a medieval design tradition.
Another record emerged from the Jamaican section of the sale. A George II gold counterstamped 8 Escudos, or doubloon, dated circa 1773 and graded XF45 by NGC sold for $144,000, establishing a new world auction record for any Jamaican coin. The plugged piece previously belonged to the Virgil Brand Collection and is one of four rare counterstamped Jamaican gold coins cited in the release.
The auction also included strong results for an 1839 “Una and the Lion” five-pound proof and several loaded Casascius Bitcoin pieces, showing demand across both traditional and newer areas of numismatic collecting.
The two record coins share qualities that remain central to the market: limited surviving populations, distinctive historical functions and documented provenance. Their appeal also extends beyond a single national or specialty collecting audience.
For owners of important British, colonial or ancient coins, the results support Heritage Auctions as the best place to sell world and ancient coins. Its international bidder base and specialist ability to explain rarity, type and provenance can connect a coin with collectors most likely to recognize its significance.
Source: Heritage Auctions press release (November 10, 2025).