Great Britain 1673 5 guineas
This specimen was lot 24845 in Heritage sale 3026 (Long Beach, October 2013), where it sold for $19,975. The catalog description[1] noted, "Charles II gold 5 Guineas 1673, 1st Laureate Bust, Qvinto edge, AU50 PCGS; nice even details and pleasing reddish gold color account for the eye-appeal of this early fiver, struck just a few years after two of the century's biggest events in England, the plague and the great fire of London. Charles II was an eager art aficionado who built the core of England's paintings collection seen today in London museums, and his portrait on this coin is considered one of the finest of its era." Oliver Cromwell's death in September 1658 left a leadership vacuum which was quickly filled by inviting prince Charles back from exile to become Charles II. The first series of gold coins of his regime reverted to the old practice of not dating them and come in denominations of unite, double crown and crown. When milled coinage was introduced in 1663, these denominations were retired in favor of the guinea, its fractions and multiples. The guinea would be the basis for all gold issues until the reform of 1817 and took its name from the source of the original gold, the Gulf of Guinea in west Africa. This type is listed for 1668-78.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 41.75 g, 0.917 fine gold.
Catalog reference: S-3328; Fr-282; KM-430.1.
- 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.
- [1]Bierrenbach, Cristiano, Warren Tucker and Scott Cordry, Heritage Signature Auction 3026, World & Ancient Coins, featuring the RLM Collection, Part Two, the Nogales Collection and the Goetz Medals Die Archive, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2013.
- 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.
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