Great Britain 1650 unite Fr-269
This specimen was lot 31220 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2022), where it sold for $16,800. The catalog description[1] noted, "Utterly Exquisite Near-Mint Unite, GREAT BRITAIN. Commonwealth. Unite, 1650. London Mint; mm: sun/-. PCGS AU-58. Obverse: St. George's shield within wreath composed of laurel branch and palm frond; Reverse: Two shield bearing St. George's cross (England) and harp (Ireland). Providing a charming strike and strong, playful luster, the present example renders an impeccable eye appeal that is attractive to anyone who loves British hammered types. The incredible brilliance is unafflicted by the blight of excessive marking or friction that is sometimes seen on contemporary gold types. Very little wear is observed, leaving this coin with high marks for both eye appeal and technical beauty. Produced in the immediate aftermath of the execution of Charles I, this Commonwealth gold issue displays the full grandeur and wonder that the Parliamentarians had imagined for an England freed of monarch[ic]al rule. Gone were the Latin legends of the monarchs, replaced with the common vernacular, and the portrait of the monarch removed for the collective symbols of the Commonwealth. Among the most popular of English coins on account [of] this intimate connection to the Civil War, this Unite is certain worthy of a premium bid from the premium collector. From the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection." By 1650, king Charles was dead and his son fled into exile but Cromwell was unable to bring unity to England. The gold coins of his rule (unite, double crown and crown) are all rare.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 9 g, 0.917 fine gold, this specimen 8.94 g.
Catalog reference: S-3208; Fr-269; N-2715; KM-395.1.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- 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, The 2022 ANA Auction - Ancients & World Coins - Featuring The Salton Collection Part III, the Augustana Collection and the Robert C. Knepper Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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