Cricket enthusiasts and history buffs will soon have a rare opportunity to bid on a piece of Australian sporting heritage. A set of Sheffield Shield medals awarded to Montague Alfred Noble, one of the greatest all-rounders in Australian cricket, is set to go under the hammer in Sydney next week.
The medals, issued in 1897, 1903-04, and 1904-05, celebrate Noble’s contributions to the game. His name still echoes through the Sydney Cricket Ground, where the Noble Stand honours his legacy. The auction will be led by Jim Noble of Noble Numismatics, a fitting connection given the shared surname. With collectors eager to get their hands on these relics, expectations are high that the medals will fetch bids in the thousands.
Noble played 42 Tests for Australia, including 39 against England and three against South Africa. He captained the national side 15 times, leaving a lasting mark on the sport. His legacy was further cemented when he was inducted into the Cricket Australia Hall of Fame in 2006 and later into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2021.
The auction will take place from 18 to 21 March 2025 at the Dixson Room in the State Library of New South Wales, with live bidding also available online. A viewing session has been scheduled at the Noble Numismatics office on Macquarie Street from 12 to 14 March and on 17 March.
The event will feature an extensive collection of rare items, including coins, banknotes, stamps, military decorations, historical documents, and antiquities. Some standout pieces include a Russian Imperial Crown Jewel once presented by Tsar Nicholas I, three of Australia’s rarest circulating pennies from 1930, and an 1813 New South Wales holey dollar estimated at $150,000.
Collectors of military history will find several prized medals, including an Order of the British Empire set awarded to a decorated British officer and a Distinguished Flying Cross awarded to an Australian pilot. Among other highlights are rare Chinese, Indian, and British coins, as well as unique banknotes from around the world.
For cricket fans, the auction offers another piece of sporting history—a Volunteer Force Long Service Medal awarded to an Australian officer who once served as secretary of the Melbourne Cricket Club and represented Victoria in cricket.
With an extensive array of historical artefacts up for grabs, the four-day auction is expected to draw collectors from across the country and beyond. Jim Noble is available for further comment at 9223-4578.
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