Great Britain 1726 guinea Fr-328a
This specimen was lot 33211 in Heritage sale 3094 (Chicago, August 2021), where it sold for $45,600. The catalog description[1] noted, "Great Britain: Single-Year Type "Elephant & Castle" Guinea - The Finest Certified Example, George I gold "Elephant & Castle" Guinea 1726 MS62 NGC, Fifth laureate head, elephant and castle below bust. A rare type that only seems to have appeared on the marketplace a handful of times in the last two decades, the George I 1726 "Elephant & Castle" Guinea remains an elusive issue available to only the smallest minority of collectors. This exceptional piece brings the desirability of its type to an even greater level, representing not only the finest representative of its issue at NGC and PCGS combined, but also a coin that offers tremendous eye appeal in its own right. Fluid golden luster glides effortlessly across the fields upon rotation, highlighting sharply crafted devices. Marks or scratches are completely absent, and only the finest hairline wisps, visible at a slant, hold this piece back from finer certification. A pervasive orange-gold tone graces the surfaces, furthering elevating the visual appeal to a level that is bound to draw fervent bidder interest from those collectors who recognize the combined absolute and conditional rarity of this challenging single-year issue." This is the last time the elephant and castle symbol appeared on a British coin. A similar half guinea of 1726 exists.
Recorded mintage: unknown but rare.
Specification: 8.35 g, 0.917 fine gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-328a, KM 559.2, S-3634, Schneider-550, Farey-0705 (ER).
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- 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, ANA WFOM World & Ancient Coins Platinum Night Signature Auction #3094, featuring the Cape Coral Collection, the WTR Collection and the Monaco Collection, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2021.
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