Status International - On The Blocks On October 17th

With the arrival of the latest Satus International auction catalogue turning up yesterday, the mailman's let me know in no uncertain terms that yet another hat's been thrown into the ring of the numismatic market for October. Status International have their next sale on Friday October 17th, and it includes the usual bonanza of quality items that aren't seen elsewhere.

The staff at IS Wright seem to have an uncanny knack of picking up interesting and unusual material that really appeals to collectors sick of the usual generic fare. The headline item this time around is a 1920 Plain penny (without dots above or below the scrolls on the reverse) in what seems to be premium mint state condition. The last top quality example of this pre-decimal rarity that I can recall turning up was on the Gold Coast, and it made well in excess of $50,000. This example has an estimate of just $10,000, so it could turn out to be a bargain for a canny buyer if there's a lack of competitive buyers present on the day.

There's the usual range of modern issues, meaty foreign coins and banknotes, with some ancients and affordable pre-decimal coins & notes as well. There's a good range of shipwreck coins includued as well, some of those coins are very, very seldom seen indeed. Even better, the reserves are pretty low compared to what they've traded for in auctions past!

Attending a Status sale can be pretty hard work - the auctioneer cranks through the lots at a rate of knots (try 600 per hour - that's faster than what a lot of attendees can actually write the successful bids down!) and the room won't ever be accused of being spacious, but for the prudent buyer that's patient, enough good acquisitions are generally on offer to make the trip in worthwhile.

Status don't muck around when it comes to pursuing agendas in any particular segment of the market - if something doesn't sell they move onto the next lot straight away. Just how that apporach works in the current environment will be interesting to see.