Great Britain 1680 1/2 guinea Fr-291a
This specimen was lot 1663 in Sincona sale 82 (Zürich, May 2023), where it sold for 1,600 CHF (about US$2,141 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted, "Charles II. 1660-1685. 1/2 Guinea 1680, London. Second laureate bust, elephant and castle below. Sehr selten (Very rare). NGC VF20. Finest certified by NGC." When milled coinage was introduced in 1663, the unite, double crown and gold crown 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 1672-84. The 1680 half guinea with elephant is not listed in the SCWC but the plate photo shows one.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 4.17 g, 0.917 fine gold; this specimen 4.43 g.
Catalog reference: KM 439.2, Spink 3349. Bull 302 (R). Fr-291a.
- 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]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 82, British Collection, Part 4, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2023.
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