Great Britain 1684 5 guineas Fr-283

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from Heritage sale 3097, lot 30222
H3097-30222r.jpg

This specimen was lot 30222 in Heritage sale 3097 (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $57,600. The catalog description[1] noted,

"Highly Elusive Charles II Elephant & Castle 5 Guineas in Near-Mint State Condition. Great Britain: Charles II gold 'Elephant & Castle' 5 Guineas 1684 AU55 PCGS. To say that this 'Elephant & Castle' 5 Guineas is scarce at this level of preservation would truly be to not quite do the offering full justice. A quick survey of auction records will quickly reveal that a Mint State-certified example has never sold at auction, and the reason is quite clear-- namely, that there are none. At AU55, this offering ties with the finest example seen by NGC to date, and at PCGS, where the total population is currently four examples as opposed to NGC's five, a single specimen certifies AU58, ranking as the only other example in that census to achieve an AU designation. Given that the AU58 example sold only four years ago and may well be off the market for years to come, this awesomely toned selection presents a unique opportunity. While the engraving of this issue is notoriously soft, it is evident in hand that what must have been a very brief period of circulation has left the vast majority of the designs intact, with the King's bust showcasing well-sculpted detail, a feature similarly noted to the reverse, where the shields and ornate designs are crisp and barely display even any high point rub. The wonderful cabernet-red tone overlying the surfaces yields a truly unforgettable character to the specimen, contrasting with gleaming traces of residual golden luster in the fields to produce an exquisite sense of beauty and aged refinement. All said, we expect a high degree of bidder interest and competition for this standout offering, the finest that we have ever seen and are likely to encounter for a very long time."

This type was struck 1680-84. There is a similar type (KM 444.1) struck during the same years with no symbol below the king's bust.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 41.75 g, 0.917 fine gold, 1.2308 troy oz AGW.

Catalog reference: KM 444.2, Fr-283, S-3332, Schneider-428.

Source:

  • 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]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, NYINC World Coins Platinum Night Auction 3097, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.

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