The Ken Humphris Collection : Signature Sales

Ken was an eclectic collector so we have the pleasure of offering a very wide variety of material from ancients to modern with an interesting overseas offering. Most pieces were purchased in the 1970s so have been “sleeping” for over 40 years. Ken clearly focused on obtaining items that were good value for money when purchased rather than paying whatever price was being asked for high grade and choice material. However the collection does contain many items in solid and better grades and some instances the eye appeal is superior to the technical grade so viewing is recommended. The collection also contains rare issues we have not offered before especially in the Guinea section. Ken Humphris is now 98 and his son Clive has kindly provided us with some reflections on his father’s coin collecting.

Dad’s interest in coins was first ignited through another interest of his, namely, antique furniture. In 1975 a second-hand antique dealer, who occasionally contacted Dad when he had something of interest for Dad, said he had something different for him to look at. This time it was not a piece of furniture but rather an unusual thin English silver penny. (Dad couldn’t remember the name of the coin). This sparked a fascination in coins for Dad which came from the fact that old coins represented great history and its value came from its age. Dad learnt so much from his English collection including being able to recite the Kings and Queens of England from way back much to the delight of his children. (I remember this! He corrected Mum and I many times for getting the royal succession wrong!)As a chartered surveyor and successful real estate proprietor, he attended and liked going to property auctions. Now he attended coin auctions in and around London and became a regular bidder, sometimes price was no object as the thrill of the chase and the passion to add to his collection drove him on. Hours upon hours in his home office he would pour over his coins in the evenings after work with magnifying glass and coins books at the ready.

The same second-hand dealer that procured the English penny also provided Dad with the start of his Abyssinian collection which were all hammered. Dad became interested in how they were produced and so his collection was broadened. Dad’s Roman collection needs special mention as each was purchased purely driven by a love of history and wonder of the age of the items. Dad’s passion for coins did not start in his childhood but when he was 55 years old. His only childhood memory of coins was putting a coin on the tram line where it got thoroughly flattened. Now at the age of 98 years and now an antique himself he confesses, his family thinks “with great age comes great value.”