The Collection of Halfcrowns formed by Brian Dawson
Brian Dawson
We are particularly delighted to be able to offer in Auction 157 the superb type collection of halfcrowns, from England and the Colonies, as well as the equivalent denominations in the Scottish and Irish series, formed by Brian Dawson over the past 52 years.
Brian, the well-known and highly respected coin dealer from Bolton, Lancashire, started collecting coins in 1956. Like many at that time, he began by saving pennies from his change. Acquiring a taste for dealing so that he could finance his collecting, he made his first sales through the columns of Exchange & Mart – then a must-read for change-checkers in the days prior to decimalisation – and Brian’s first advert offered 10 different date pennies for £1!
By 1967 Brian had become a full-time dealer and he bought his first Charles I halfcrown from a fellow-dealer in Bolton, Brian Davis (lot 22 in the Sale). Within a couple of years Brian had become a frequent visitor to the London auctions of the day and many of the shrewd acquisitions he made at the time are now back on the market, mostly for the first time in decades. A particular friendship with the late Patrick Finn led to Brian being one of the first to acquire coins from the legendary Brooker collection, which Spink had started to market privately in late 1977.
The coins in this catalogue speak for themselves – for his part Brian hopes that those who acquire them will treasure and enjoy his pieces, in the same way that former owners did.