Rare 1921 Canadian 5 Cents and Indian Gold Lead Heritage Auctions’ World Coin Auction

A rare 1921 Canadian 5 Cents coin and a group of elusive Indian issues will headline Heritage Auctions’ November 5-6 World & Ancient Coins Auction, a roughly 400-lot auction spanning material from Great Britain, Canada, India, Mexico, Russia and the ancient world.

One of the biggest attractions is a George V 1921 Canadian 5 Cents graded PCGS MS64, a coin whose rarity is tied to the destruction of nearly 3 million silver 5-cent pieces after Canada moved to a new copper-nickel composition. Heritage Auctions says only a small number escaped the melting process, and surviving examples frequently appear in lower grades or with Details designations. The MS64 coin in the upcoming sale ranks among the finer representatives of the type and gives collectors a chance at one of the most elusive dates in Canadian numismatics.

Heritage Auctions is also putting unusual Indian material at the center of the auction. A British India 1895 Victoria Proof Restrike 1/4 Anna struck in gold and graded NGC PR62 Cameo is described as one of the standout pieces. The off-metal restrike comes from an especially difficult series, and Heritage says no public sales of the 1895 issue have been registered in the past two decades. The auction house believes the number of surviving examples may be small enough to count on one hand. Its Cameo designation adds another visual element, with strong contrast between the devices and fields.

Another Indian highlight is a Kutch Khengarji III silver Pattern 5 Kori dated VS 1985, or 1928, graded NGC MS64. Unlike most Kutch coins, which rely heavily on inscriptions and symbols, this pattern carries a portrait of Khengarji III. Heritage notes that the type appears in Krause Mishler’s Unusual World Coins and was never approved for regular circulation, making it an unusual survivor from the later years of Kutch coinage.

British collectors will find one of the auction’s most recognizable designs in an 1847 Victoria Proof “Gothic” Crown graded NGC PR64. Designed by William Wyon, the coin features one of the engraver’s best-known portraits of Queen Victoria and has long been prized for both its Victorian history and elaborate design. Heritage describes the offered example as vibrantly toned, adding another layer of visual appeal to a type that already has a strong following among world coin collectors.

The sale also reaches into South America and Russia. A 1718 Philip V gold Cob 8 Escudos from the Lima Mint, graded NGC MS64, sits at the top of its certified population and is the finest example of the type Heritage says it has ever offered. A 1923 Russian SFSR gold Chervonetz graded NGC MS64 brings a very different look, with its seeding farmer, plow, industrial skyline and rising sun capturing the imagery of early Soviet Russia.

Ancient coins make up another important part of the auction. One of the most unusual is a late sixth-century BC electrum stater from Ionia, graded NGC VF with strong marks for strike and surface quality. Heritage says only two other examples are known. The design combines a bull and lion in a way that creates an optical illusion through their joined legs, while the coin itself has become part of ongoing scholarship surrounding the development and circulation of early electrum coinage.

An Alexander III the Great gold stater graded NGC MS with a Fine Style designation also appears in the sale, connecting collectors directly to the standardized gold coinage associated with Alexander’s expanding Macedonian empire. Heritage is additionally offering what it says may be the finest example of its type of an Ardashir II gold dinar from the Sasanian Kingdom. Graded NGC MS★, the coin dates to Ardashir II’s short reign from AD 379 to 383 and represents a rare gold issue from an empire where silver drachms were far more common.

“This is a succinct, well-curated auction, with an impressive variety of scarce types that will appeal to collectors at every level,” says Kyle Johnson, Heritage’s Managing Director of World & Ancient Coins. “From elusive dates like the 1921 Canadian 5 cents to British Indian Proof gold, and an expansive, timeless range that includes exceptional British gold to the gold staters of Alexander the Great, this event is brimming with impressive offerings that will bolster collections of all levels.”