Great Britain (1649-59) 2 pence
This specimen was lot 23169 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $870. The catalog description[1] noted, "GREAT BRITAIN. Commonwealth. 2 Pence (1/2 Groat), ND (1649-60). London Mint. NGC MS-64. Obverse: Two shields bearing St. George's cross (England) and harp (Ireland); II (mark of value) above; Reverse: St. George's shield within wreath composed of laurel branch and palm frond. Presenting a level of quality that is seemingly unheard of for the type, this elegant hammered minor offers a solid strike with an attractive tone that deepens nearer the devices." The gold coins of the Commonwealth (unite, double crown and crown) are all rare. The silver coinage is generally more available but often badly made. During the Commonwealth, the half, one and two pence were struck in silver, denominations which in later centuries would be struck in copper. None are dated.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1 g, 0.925 fine silver. This specimen is 0.97 g.
Catalog reference: S-3221; KM-388.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
- Lobel, Richard, Mark Davidson, Allan Hailstone and Eleni Calligas, Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins, 1066 to Date, London: Coincraft, 1995.
- Rayner, P. Alan, and Maurice Bull, English Silver Coinage from 1649, 6th Ed., London: Spink & Son, 2015.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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