File:England c1561 half pound obv Heritage 3010-21011.jpg

This specimen was lot 21011 in Heritage sale 3010 (Boston, August 2010), where it sold for $21,850. The catalog description^[1] noted,

"Elizabeth I gold Half Pound ND (Milled, 1561-68/70), S2543, Schneider-757, made of crown gold, star mm (struck 1561-64), AU55 NGC, a coin having exceptional eye appeal for a lot of reasons: the barest hint of wear, an almost perfectly round flan with incredibly smooth and lustrous surfaces, and only slight waviness to it, splendid detail of the queen in her bejeweled dress with long locks flowing out of her crown and down her back, on the reverse the royal shield showing marvelous and even detail, the crown above splendidly engraved and struck, legends entirely sharp, triangle-shaped border teeth remarkably even in strike and uniformly present, surfaces not perfect but still exceptionally pleasing despite a single long fine and ancient hairline scratch from one point of the obverse star mm into the field above the queen's face, and the whole made simply beautiful by its rich reddish gold toning. Wow! The cataloguer has both written about and handled slightly finer pieces, but not in years, and this coin is so impressive that it would make anyone beam with ownership. It has an historical presence that in a way is priceless, except that it is presently for sale to the highest bidder. Our estimate deserves to be exceeded. From the Highlands Park Collection of British Coins."