England (1569-71) 1/2 pound Fr-203
This specimen was lot 42031 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2026), where it sold for $14,400. The catalog description[1] noted, "Enviable Near-Mint Elizabeth I Half Pound, GREAT BRITAIN. 1/2 Pound, ND (1569-71). London Mint; mm: Castle. Elizabeth I. PCGS AU-58. Third & Fourth issue. Obverse: Crowned and mantled bust left, wearing ruffled collar; Reverse: Square-topped coat-of-arms; crown above. A RARE type in this enviable quality, exhibiting a touch of strike weakness on the portrait but little in the way of wear, with glossy surfaces and a touch of golden-orange toning. A piece markedly free of the creasing and damage frequently encountered upon the type." This type was struck 1560-71 with various mintmarks. Milled half pounds exist (Fr-223) but are rare.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.994 fine gold, 90 grains (5.82 g), this specimen 5.15 g.
Catalog reference: S-2520B; Fr-203; N-1982.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Lobel, Richard, Mark Davidson, Allan Hailstone and Eleni Calligas, Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins, 1066 to Date, London: Coincraft, 1995.
- Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2026 NYINC Showcase Auction, Ancient and World Coins, featuring the Kazmier Wysocki Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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