A COLLECTION of almost 650 coins, tokens, historical medals and paper money is expected to sell for about £20,000 when it is sold at auction.

The collection centres on Wiltshire and was compiled by accountant David Ward, who lived in Bulford.

Mr Ward, who died earlier this year, started collecting as a teenager the numismatica of his home county and continued to do so for 50 years.

The coins will be sold on September 30 at auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb in 136 lots.

The collection covers towns and cities in Wiltshire such as Salisbury, Wilton, Bradford- upon-Avon, Chippenham, Devizes, Calne, Highworth, Amesbury, Trowbridge, Malmesbury, Marlborough and Swindon, but also iconic landmarks.

A very rare medal dating from 1796 showing Stonehenge and the ancient druids is estimated to sell for between £500 and £700 while a penny from the reign of William I that was minted in Salisbury carries a similar estimate.

Peter Preston-Morley, head of the coin department at Dix Noonan Webb, said: “The Ward collection of Wiltshire 17th-century tokens, numbering 246 different varieties and 33 duplicates, is the second significant group of the county to be sold in these rooms in 2021.

“It includes many pieces absent from the late Robert Thompson’s collection and is to be commended to those seeking to fill gaps in the county series.”

Also in the sale are coins collected by John Akins, including an extremely rare halfcrown for the Douglas Bank Co, Isle of Man. This coin dates from 1811 and is expected to fetch between £2,400 and £3,000 while a very rare five shilling coin from Chichester, dating from 1811, could sell for up to £2,600.

Coins collected by Seattle-born Bill McKivor are also being sold and includes a rare 1792 trial copper halfpenny from Coalbrook Dale, Shropshire, that is tipped to fetch £1,500.

Also in his collection is a stunning proof halfpenny from 1797 depicting Gloucester & Berkeley Canal Co which could reach £800.

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