Great Britain 1718 1/2 guinea
This specimen was lot 191 in Sincona sale 75 (Zurich, May 2022), where it sold for 3,400 CHF (about US$4,127 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted, "Grossbritannien | Königreich. George I. 1714-1727. 1/2 Guinea 1718/7, London. First laureate head. NGC MS61. Nice gold toning." The guinea of 21 shillings was the standard British gold coin during the eighteenth century and was issued in large numbers. Most were exported to pay soldiers and provide "subsidies" for friendly rulers. This type, struck 1715-24, is the first minted during the reign of George I, the first of the Hanoverians. An "elephant and castle" variety exists for 1721 but is extremely rare.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 4.175 g, 0.917 fine gold, .123 troy oz AGW, this specimen 4.16 g.
Catalog reference: KM 541.1, Spink 3635, Bull 534, Fr-329.
- 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.
- 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]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 75, SINCONA British Collection - Part 2, Zurich: SINCONA AG, 2022.
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