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Sale 46
The Millennia Collection
| Lot |
Photo |
Description |
Realized |
Lot 321 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1664 Elephant. S-3341; Fr-288; KM-423.2. Charles II, 1660-1685. Second Bust. Laureate head right, elephant hallmark below bust. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, central interlocking C's. Cited by Spink as extremely rare, and one of the few coins in that reference listed but unpriced until recently (£12,500 in EF grade). Despite some faint tin impurities in the flan (typical of this era), this coin is as struck with gorgeous eye-appeal and a remarkably bold strike for its time. Evidently it was made for some special purpose, and subsequently saved with great care. Remarkable, both as an object in its own right, and the historical piece that it is. Probably the finest known of its type. A renowned specimen. NGC graded MS-64.
The Guinea denomination was named for the original source of British gold ore in the mid-17th century, from the country in Africa then called Guinea. This particular coin, as the first gold piece of this size to bear the distinctive Elephant hallmark, is thus the prototype for all guineas to come. It is arguably the most important gold coin among great coins in the English portion of the Millennia Collection.
Estimated Value $40,000 - 50,000.
From the famed Bridgewater House sale, lot 143; ex Spink sale #91, lot 60; ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection. Illustrated in Money of The World, coin 103.
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| Realized
$77,625 |
Lot 322 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1665. S-3342; Fr-287; KM-424.1. Charles II, 1660-1685. Third Laureate Bust. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, central interlocking C's. This wonderful and very special coin should be listed in the Wilson & Rasmussen Proofs book, for it is clearly out of the ordinary. Perhaps it is a Specimen strike, but unrecorded. Not only is this a very rare date, but it's also one of the finest known Charles II guineas of any style. Extremely rare, finely struck and prooflike, and of remarkable quality! Virtually as made, an awesome coin! NGC graded Specimen 62.
Even after the unremarkable interregnum of the Commonwealth, which lasted for 11 years, there were many Protestants in the country who were dismayed to see the throne revert back to the Catholic Stuarts. Undoubtedly some felt it was the just and divine wrath of God when in the fifth year of his reign Death, Black Death, came to stalk the streets of London. However, Black Death, or plague (most likely the bubonic variety), was no stranger to the city. It had been there before, on sporadic visits. The earliest, largest one of note was in 1258. Nearly a century later Black Death of holocaust proportions consumed Europe, stopping by England, and reaching London in November of 1348. On that occasion it is estimated that it wiped out well over half of London's population before petering out in the early 1350s. Subsequent outbreaks continued in the 1400 and 1500s, but all small scale. Recurrences were still to be seen in the first half of the 1600s, with those in 1603 and 1625 being particularly severe. There were still more outbreaks during the 1630s and 1640s, but then in 1664 the worst epidemic yet hit the capital. This outbreak of the plague became known as the Great Plague.
In 1663 plague ravaged Holland. Charles II wisely, in part, forbade any trade with the Dutch out of concern of contracting the contagion (and partly because England was engaged in a cut-throat trade war with Holland at the time). Whether the new outbreak originated via the Netherlands, or merely just as a cyclical recurrence, one can never say. Despite precautions, the first case of the disease was recognized during Christmas 1664, but the cold weather kept further casualties in check. April of 1665 saw the first victims of what was to be termed the Great Plague. Spring brought a quickening in the death rate but, as these were all in the poorer sections of London, the authorities chose to ignore it. However, as spring turned into one of the hottest summers in memory, the number of deaths began to soar and panic set in. For the next 18 months an estimated 100,000 people at the least were to die.
London of the time was still the medieval city, with narrow streets and lanes, tightly packed with timber houses, humans, and their refuse. London was a filthy city. The squalor of the slums was mythical in degree, and the perfect breeding place for the flea-infested rats that spread the disease. This is why the city was never wholly free of the plague. Attempts had been made over the decades at some degree of sanitation improvement, and similar interventions, but these were mostly unsuccessful because no one then knew that the rats and their burdensome fleas were the true culprits of this contagion. In fact, it was the popular belief then that the plague was caused by dogs and cats. The authorities hastened to eradicate all those found within city's limits. Author Daniel Defoe in his Journal of the Plague Years estimated that 40,000 dogs and 200,000 cats were killed. The result of these measures was that the disease-carrying rat population quickly mushroomed, and the plague spread even more rapidly.
The rich, many of the upper clergy, most of the physicians, and those who could afford to quickly fled London to distant residences. The king and his court relocated to Salisbury, and again to Oxford. Others less affluent moved onto boats on the Thames (the river population swelled to an estimated at 10,000). By June the roads were so clogged by escapees that the Lord Mayor ordered the city's gates shut to anyone who did not have a certificate of health. A thriving market in forged certificates quickly grew up. For many, though, now locked within the disease-ravaged city, all they could do was die. The numbers of corpses were so great that even with gravediggers working 24 hours a day they couldn't bury all the bodies within a day of the victim's death. As a result the streets were filled with corpses and the city was rank with the smell of death.
London's hot spell peaked in September and so did the death rate. With the change of weather and the advent of the cold season, the casualty rate began dropping, so that by February of 1666 Charles felt it safe enough to return to the city. While not gone, the epidemic did not have a chance to regain its momentum when the weather turned warmer, for another stroke of fate literally cleansed the city of the contagion: this would be the Great Fire of London in September. While decimating the physical city, it also eradicated many of the conditions and vermin that harbored the disease. The new, rebuilt London of subsequent years was more spacious and open. Never again would the city be affected so adversely by this disease.
How remarkable, then, that in this dire year someone thought to create, and strike, a new Guinea of specimen quality, with a medallic portrait of the new king!
Estimated Value $20,000 - 24,000.
Ex Spink, private purchase. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$33,350 |
Lot 323 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1666. S-3342; Fr-287; KM-424.1. Charles II, 1660-1685. Third Laureate Bust. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, central interlocking C's. Slight die rust under "66 MAG," and trifling weakness at centers, otherwise coin is unusually pretty, and very rare in this state. NGC graded MS-61.
Struck at the time of the Great Plague and the devastating Fire of London, therefore probably made in very small numbers.
Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$10,063 |
Lot 324 |
 |
Great Britain. Half Guinea, 1670. S-3347; Fr-290; KM-431. Charles II, 1660-1685. First Laureate Bust. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, central interlocking C's. Choice coin in all respects. Extremely rare so fine, possibly the finest known. NGC graded MS-64.
Estimated Value $7,000 - 8,000.
Ex Norweb Collection. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$10,063 |
Lot 325 |
 |
Great Britain. Crown, 1672. S-3358; ESC-45. Charles II, 1660-1685. Milled coinage; Third bust. Laureate and draped bust right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with interlocking C's at angles, Garter star at center. Edge: "V. QVARTO." The strike is even and sharp on both sides, with both a delicately detailed shield on reverse and a sensitive portrait of King Charles. Luster emanates from beneath dark gray toning glinting with iridescent hues. A few minute marks and some faint black carbon impurities in the metal, but these are nothing. This is among the finest examples of a 3rd Bust crown to be found anywhere. NGC graded AU-58.
These early milled coins possess many wonderful characteristics, tiny differences which make them enjoyable to study. On this coin the "2" in the date is a huge fat digit compared to the thin "7" just before it. But why quibble? Here indeed is a lovely coin showing only slight wear and possessing a simply wonderful balance of components, which total up to what one can call "eye appeal."
Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000.
Ex Cheshire Collection (5/30 - 6/1/05), lot 2188.
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| Realized
$8,970 |
Lot 326 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1674. S-3344; Fr-287; KM-440.1. Charles II, 1660-1685. Fourth Bust. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, central interlocking C's. Quite exceptional for date, and in fact any high-grade guinea of this type is a treasure as few survived the times unblemished. NGC graded MS-61.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000.
Ex Spink's Sharps-Pixley Bank Collection, Dec. 1989. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$7,188 |
Lot 327 |
 |
Great Britain. Two Guineas, 1676. S-3335; Fr-284; KM-443.1. Charles II, 1660-1685. Second Bust, with rounded truncation. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, central interlocking C's. Possibly the finest known gold coin of Charles II, of any date or denomination! Some sort of Prooflike or Specimen issue, as nothing else like it is known of this date or this denomination. It possesses mirrored surfaces and glorious bright golden red luster, and both sides are deeply impressed by the dies, so that every detail of the design is clear. It is not unreasonable to suggest that it was a "show piece," possibly prepared for royal inspection. Extremely rare. NGC graded Specimen 63.
Born in 1630 at St James Palace, and happy in his early years, Charles led a mostly secretive or secluded life during much of his father's reign, a time of warring political factions, rather than of warring nations, in which the quarry was power itself. This was England's civil war, in which monarchy in its old sense was torn apart. The prince spent his teenage years protected at the court of Louis XIV, France's "sun king," after Cromwell's army pursued his father from fortress to fortress, finally capturing, trying and executing King Charles I in January 1649 by beheading. At Paris the young prince witnessed firsthand France's blooming new culture of high art. But London became a dire place to be, ruled by the Puritans and their Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, until his painful 1658 death in bed from kidney stones and related ailments. Came a time, then, of Restoration of the Monarchy, in which the exiled prince was proclaimed King in 1660, regrouped his Stuart allies, showed remarkable clemency for many former traitors to the Crown, and relinquished the essence of kingship to parliamentary procedure. Charles II showed other gifts, however, bringing a new era of culture to Britain but also one of war abroad and homeland disasters: the plague of 1665 followed by the great London fire of 1666. The diarist Pepys recorded the new political climate, and the coffehouse became a sensation of the first generation of newspaper readers. Charles built the foundations of today's national collection of artworks, loved yachting, played at the new sciences, and dallied with infamous femmes.
In numismatics, too, the king's sense of beauty prevailed, as during his monarchy the brand-new Milled Coinage began, machine-made coins of great precision and careful workmanship, and a new uniformity. By the time the king died, without blood successor, in 1685, his money had been transformed into a thing of beauty and consistent value. Among the new coinage was a series of Guineas, fractions and multiples, that were nothing but the highest statement of numismatic artistry of the era. This new name was taken from the area also known as the "Gold Coast," where the Africa Company mined golden wealth for an expanding peoples who would soon reach for empire. During this reign, power was restored to royal hands, but the nation had been transformed forever from a medieval state to a more unified citizenry which cherished the pleasures of civilization, gained freedoms previously reserved for the few, and stood on the brink of becoming a military and industrial power of worldwide scope, In it all, Charles "the Merry Monarch" left the stamp of his character. To us, he bequeathed such relics of his times as this momentous Double Guinea bearing his lifelike portrait, to be savored forever. No finer portrait of his exists in any form -- painted, metallic or sculpted.
Estimated Value $40,000 - 50,000.
Ex Spink's Sharps-Pixley Bank Collection (the star piece of the sale), Dec. 1989. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$74,750 |
Lot 328 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1676. S-3345; Fr-289; KM-440.2. Charles II, 1660-1685. Fourth Bust. Laureate head right, Elephant & Castle hallmark below. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, central interlocking C's. Well struck and highly lustrous with choice fields, but some minor black tin flecks ("haymarks") on the reverse, which are typical of the era. Very rare, especially so fine! NGC graded MS-62.
Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000.
Ex Spink sale, Nov. 1997. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$20,125 |
Lot 329 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1678. S-3344; Fr-287; KM-440.1. Charles II, 1660-1685. Fourth Bust. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, central interlocking C's. Glows with mint luster, with choice fields. The sharpness of strike well above average. A truly splendid coin. Rare in all grades, but especially rare in mint state. NGC graded MS-64.
Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,500.
Ex Spink sale, Nov. 1997. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
View details and enlarged photos
| Realized
$25,300 |
Lot 330 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1680. S-3344; Fr-287; KM-440.1. Charles II, 1660-1685. Fourth Bust. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, central interlocking C's. Prooflike, with a "soft" portrait (of shallow engraving style) as almost always seen on this bust type. The rarity of the first guineas in top grades remains under-appreciated. NGC graded MS-62.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$6,038 |
Lot 331 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1685. S-3401; Fr-296; KM-459.2. James II, 1685-1688. First Bust. Laureate head left, Elephant & Castle hallmark below neck. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles. Extremely rare as a type, and particularly so in such a stunning condition as represented by this famous specimen. Mint fresh and beautiful! NGC graded MS-63.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 18,000.
Ex Bridgewater House, lot 154. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$23,000 |
Lot 332 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1687. S-3402; Fr-295; KM-459.1. James II, 1685-1688. Second Bust. Laureate head left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles. Another particularly choice example, in a very rare grade. NGC graded MS-63.
The Great Plague that ravaged London early in the reign of James's brother, Charles II, was in terms of human and economic loss among the worst tragedies the English realm had suffered in recent centuries. Yet in the quirky happenings of the serendipitous, the disaster proved a most fortuitous boon to science. Because of the long history of recurrent episodes of plague in London and its well-known high fatality rate, at first rumor of a new outbreak those who could fled to new localities to wait out the epidemic's course. In 1665, Cambridge University closed and dispersed students and faculty to various distant regions of England. Among those Cambridge University students was Isaac Newton, a genius who had already made a reputation for himself at school for his mathematical skills, which are thought to have often been superior to those of his instructors. Newton returned to his widowed mother's home in Lincolnshire to sit out the Great Plague. During his eighteen months there, this young college student (23 at the time) had time to reflect and eventually to formulate laws of force and motion that would revolutionize scientific knowledge in the 17th century, and lay in essence the foundations for modern science.
Newton's scientific breakthrough occurred when he made a connection between two phenomena that no one had ever previously connected: the motion of the Moon around the Earth, and the falling motion of an apple from a tree. The brilliance in this correspondence was that Newton equated moon's motion with "falling," like that of the apple's. He would hypothesize that some mysterious property of the Earth caused the motions of both the apple falling to the ground and the moon orbiting the Earth. This mysterious property was attributed to gravity, an ever-acting force of attraction inherent to all objects. Newton's revolutionary laws were published in Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) in 1687, some 20 years after his brief leave from Cambridge University due to the bubonic plague.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$11,213 |
Lot 333 |
 |
Great Britain. Crown, 1687. S-3407; Dav-3779; KM-463. 29.46 grams. James II, 1685-1688. Second Bust type; TERTIO on edge. Laureate, draped bust left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, garter-star at center. Sharply struck for issue and very lustrous, with wonderful surfaces under deep old toning. A particularly choice example, original Uncirculated, and very rare in grade. NGC graded MS-62.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000.
View details and enlarged photos
| Realized
$5,750 |
Lot 334 |
 |
Great Britain. Crown, 1687. S-3407. James II, 1685-1688. Second Bust. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, Garter star at center. TERTIO edge date. The flan exceptionally nice and the strike better than usual, albeit there is a touch of softness in the king's portrait, more due to die wear rather than strike. Overall, the centers are well defined and the reverse exceptionally sharp. Excellent eye appeal thanks to strong luster and bright amber-gold or pinkish iridescent toning in the recesses, which simply sparkles against the deeper gray fields. NGC graded MS-62.
This reign was very short, producing some of the rarest milled coins, in various denominations, of the century. This is the one date crown that does, occasionally, appear in Uncirculated condition. Very scarce type, usually not found much better than VF.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000.
Ex Cheshire Collection (5/30 - 6/1/05), lot 2222.
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| Realized
$5,175 |
Lot 335 |
 |
Great Britain. Five Guineas, 1688. S-3397A; Fr-292 (158); KM-460.1. 41.62 grams. James II, 1685-1688. Second Bust. QVARTO on edge. Laureate head left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles. Trivial weakness at one shield and date, and a few adjustment marks hidden within the hair, otherwise choice strike, with prooflike fields and softly cameo devices. Remarkable preservation. Very rare thus. NGC graded MS-64 Prooflike.
James was the third son of Charles I, the brother of Charles II, and as the Duke of York he was successor to the throne of England. The return of Charles II as king was met with apprehension by many Englishmen. And their misgivings were certainly fulfilled on his part by his absolutist leanings, his lack of responsiveness to Parliament, his favoring and promoting of alliances with the Catholic powers in Europe, and at home his toleration of Catholic dissent. A Parliamentary party arose in opposition to Charles, and more so to continued Stuart succession. And yet, civil war as a once again option never arose. The populace would rather have a monarchy, even with its faults, than return to the "republicanism" of the Commonwealth. Also, Charles was somewhat lazy and lackadaisical as a ruler, although surprisingly tolerant in many ways and occasionally he even showed a sharp political savvy. This certain degree of flexibility prevented the disaffected from acquiring pivotal political backing against him. James, on the other hand, was decidedly different from his brother.
James, converting to Roman Catholicism probably around 1668, was stiff and humorless compared to his brother, yet a staunch, even ardent, supporter of his faith. Initially his accession was greeted with some enthusiasm, since his brother had left him the legacy of a strong executive office, with the added bonus of a loyal Tory-dominated Parliament. Opinion soon changed when in the first few months of his reign he was faced with a Protestant rebellion. The rebels were speedily put down, but in a particularly harsh and bloody manner. After this, James worked diligently to enlarge and strengthen the "royal prerogative" of old. Also he meddled extensively in local and town governments, interfering with the courts, all with the purpose of re-installing to positions of influence and power as many Catholics as possible in an attempt to turn England back to the Catholic faith. Topping off matters, his second wife provided him with a male heir, which could now interfere with Parliament's wish that James's Protestant daughter, Mary, succeed to the throne upon the death of her father. Within three years, both the old nobility and the emerging commercial class had been totally alienated by him. Likewise the Whig opposition of old now found themselves with ample Tory allies who had become disgusted with James. Seven Whig and Tory leaders sent an invitation to the Dutch prince William of Orange and his consort, Mary (Protestant daughter of James), to come to England. William landed at Torbay in Devonshire with an army. James's forces, under John Churchill (later duke of Marlborough), deserted him. James fled, was captured, and then was allowed to flee to France in December of 1688. James's flight was eventually termed an "abdication," and Mary and her husband were installed as the new sovereigns. In retaliation, James rallied together some Irish forces (which were supported by French troops provided by Louis IX), but they were soundly defeated by William's forces. Thereafter James lived the remainder of his life in France, dying in 1701.
Estimated Value $25,000 - 30,000.
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| Realized
$43,700 |
Lot 336 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1688. S-3402; Fr-295; KM-459.1. James II, 1685-1688. Second Bust. Laureate head left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles. A small tin streak shows on the reverse, entirely typical of gold of this era (many pieces have very heavy streaks and haymarking). Two coins may have the same numerical grade yet be entirely different, one drab and the other with outstanding eye appeal. All coins selected by the owner of this collection were picked for their exceptional appearance, not just their technical state of preservation. In this specimen we have a classic -- an unusually lovely example that is also quite rare as such. NGC graded MS-63.
The final year of issue for this short-lived monarchial coinage.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 5,500.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$9,488 |
Lot 337 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1688. S-3403; Fr-296; KM-459.2. James II, 1685-1688. Second Bust. Laureate head left, Elephant & Castle hallmark below neck. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles. Boldly struck but showing a number of really tiny bagmarks on the reverse field; nonetheless, highly lustrous and unusually good-looking. Very rare! NGC graded MS-62.
The Guinea denomination was named for the original source of British gold ore in the mid-17th century, from the country in Africa then called Guinea (now Ghana). The gold was imported by the "Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading in Africa." Its charter granted the company the privilege of having coins bearing its emblem to be struck from the gold it brought back into England.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$10,925 |
Lot 338 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1690. S-3426; Fr-303; KM-474.1 William & Mary, 1689-1694. Conjoined busts right. Reverse: Crowned and garnished arms. Rarer date. Also, a variant not noted in Spink until recent editions, with an "F" in the king's name erroneously in place of the "E". This is a splendid, semi-prooflike specimen, boldly struck. Surely among the finest known! NGC graded MS-61.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$9,200 |
Lot 339 |
 |
Great Britain. 5 Guineas, 1692. S-3422; Fr-299. William and Mary, 1689-1694. Type: 7 strings to harp, 11 pellets by lion. Conjoined heads of William and Mary right, William laureate. Reverse: Crowned, ornately garnished shield, with central small escutcheon, and shell "wings" at sides. QVARTO edge date. Exceptionally full, crisp strike. Marks on obverse generally light and evenly distributed; the reverse very clean. Lustrous, with pleasant red tone over reflective fields. NGC graded MS-62.
Mary Stuart was the daughter of James II and she married William III as part of Charles II's foreign policy. William and Mary reigned jointly from 1689 until her death from smallpox at the untimely age of 32 in 1694. The Five Guineas was the largest of their gold coins and featured the conjoined busts of the two monarchs, as this was the only time in British history that joint monarchs' portraits appeared on currency. All William and Mary coins are rare in high grade.
This splendid coin shows the two portraits side by side, each in intimate detail, each a portrayal of the monarchy as it could only have been "drawn" in the 1690s. Its artistic style is precisely of its time. The royal shield on the reverse side is equally impressive, a model of efficiency which includes essentially every regal symbol relating to this king and this queen. Unique to it is the deeply curved seashell ornament that appears on each side of the shield, so reminiscent of the "heavenly" door out of which Venus steps in the masterpiece of Botticelli, the Italian Renaissance painter. Whether this was in fact an influence on the engraver of this coin could make for a fine study. The coin itself does indeed stand for the flowering of a new monarchy in England, for the king was the former Prince William of Orange, a diminutive Dutchman who both "invaded" Britain and was welcomed by its Parliament, then searching for a replacement for King James II, who had "turned Catholic" while on the throne. The fear was that religious strife would be refired, something Parliament and the citizenry at large wished to avoid at all costs. William was a Protestant, and his tie to the British Royal Family was undeniable: he was the nephew of Charles II, and married the daughter of James, Duke of York, later James II. She was raised a Protestant and clung to that faith after her parents converted to Catholicism. Her marriage was actually proposed by King Charles II himself, a marriage of convenience when she was just 15. The couple came to the throne of England in what has been called the Bloodless Revolution, solving the religious problem for the land. They had an affectionate marriage but no children. Mary II, as she was properly known in life, died of smallpox in December 1694 at age 32. Her husband went on to rule as William III for another eight years but left no heir. Theirs was an age of elegance, when modern politics was born. This specimen, virtually as struck and a glorious emblem of its time, is especially fine in quality, with beautiful golden red toning.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 18,000.
Ex Cheshire Collection (5/30 - 6/1/05), lot 2227.
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| Realized
$28,750 |
Lot 340 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1692. S-3426; Fr-303; KM-474.1. William & Mary, 1689-1694. Conjoined busts right. Reverse: Crowned and garnished arms. Arguably the rarest date of the six years of mintage of this type, but nevertheless very rare just as a type coin in this exceptional grade. Lustrous and pleasing. NGC graded MS-61.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
View details and enlarged photos
| Realized
$8,050 |
Lot 341 |
 |
Great Britain. Half Guinea, 1692. S-3431; Fr-308; KM-476.2. William & Mary, 1689-1694. Conjoined busts right, with Elephant and Castle hallmark below. Reverse: Crowned and garnished arms. Very rare, this type being coined only in 1691 and 1692. A particularly choice piece, with bold strike and exhibiting fresh luster. NGC graded MS-63.
Half Guineas as a class are rarer in high grade than full Guineas, yet are not as popular, and thus their values remain modest relative to the difficulty of obtaining any superior example.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
View details and enlarged photos
| Realized
$9,775 |
Lot 342 |
 |
Great Britain. Crown, 1692/2. S-3433; ESC-84. Large "2" of date over inverted "2." William and Mary, 1688-1694. Conjoined heads of William and Mary right, William laureate. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, lion in cartouche at center; linked or joined WM's in angles. QVINTO edge date. The strike is even and excellent, all major details well defined, with only a few letters of the legends showing any softness. Luster remains evident beneath bright, medium blue-gray toning. Rare, more so in this grade! NGC graded AU-55.
This dual monarchy produced the rarest coins of their century, with crowns struck in only two years, 1691 and 1692. This curious "overdate" is rated R3, extremely rare, by ESC's Alan Rayner. The cataloguers have seen only a few truly Uncirculated examples of this crown, over many years. Any grade close to MS is also very, very rare. This a wonderfully preserved example -- one of the finest to be found in terms of eye appeal.
This wonderful crown, and the others of this era, are mementos of a fascinating period in British history, when the Churchill family came to prominence and the unwritten constitution faced a series of challenges involving succession. In the mid-1680s, King James II revealed his allegiance to Catholicism and the ancient "battle" over religion in England resumed, to the general distress. Several years of chaos ensued, ending in the king's exile to France and, in effect, an empty throne. It is known to history as the Bloodless Revolution. Parliament searched for a blood heir to majesty and found Prince William of Orange, a tiny principality near Avignon. He was nephew of both Charles II and James II. He had visited England since 1670 and was keenly aware of his English lineage. As we have noted in other lots, in 1677 he had married Mary, daughter of James II, who in fact had objected to the marriage as it was a Protestant alliance but accepted it as politically advantageous to him at the time. When England found itself without a monarch, the Dutch prince "invaded" English shores but was more welcomed than challenged, for the pair were discovered to be ideal, healing the nation of religious difficulties by the return of Protestantism. Mary was back home, though married to a man whom the British did not especially like and they nicknamed him "the little Dutchman" after his short stature and taciturn disposition. The pair ruled largely in name, for the age of politics had arrived in England and decisions were made by Parliament and whispers in privileged ears. William came to miss his former home but the British, French and Dutch were at war and so visits became impossible. Mary died of smallpox and this took a further toll on the king's poor health. It became apparent that the Princess Anne, pushed aside during the Bloodless Revolution as niece of Chares II, would become the next monarch, and this became reality when William's horse stumbled over a mole-hill while the king was riding at Hampton Court in February 1702. He broke his collar-bone and expired within two weeks. Anne claimed the throne that should have been hers in 1689 but she was not adept at the new politics and relied upon the advice of Sarah and John Churchill to act as figurehead of the nation. Her health was also poor and at first she was not popular, but she vowed to the people to preserve the Church of England and slowly gained acceptance until the great victory was won at the Battle of Blenheim in 1704, under the Duke of Marlborough, John Churchill. The Churchill family was rewarded with a great estate, but court animosities ended the queen's friendship with them. Peace came with France at long last, political union occurred with Scotland in 1707, and the queen's marriage to Prince George of Denmark was generally happy. Poor Queen Anne suffered illnesses caused by extreme overweight, lost her husband in 1708, and experienced the worst fate of any parent, the death of each of her numerous children. Her reign is remembered as glorious and golden, an age of plenty and victory. With her died an era, the Stuart line, and the remnant power of monarchy.
Estimated Value $4,000 - 4,500.
Ex Cheshire Collection (5/30 - 6/1/05), lot 2231.
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| Realized
$6,038 |
Lot 343 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1693. S-3426; Fr-303; KM-474.2. William & Mary, 1689-1694. Conjoined busts right. Reverse: Crowned and garnished arms. Boldly struck, lustrous and incredibly nice! Very rare in this grade; in fact, among the finest extant. NGC graded MS-62.
Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$12,075 |
Lot 344 |
 |
Great Britain. Two Guineas, 1694/3. S-3424. Fr-301; KM-482.1. William & Mary, 1689-1694. Conjoined busts right. Reverse: Crowned and garnished arms, Lion of Nassau at center. The overdate is clear as can be. The strike is excellent in all respects, including deeply impressed rims. Fields are somewhat prooflike against the mostly frosted portraits on the obverse, with a delightful "hard" brilliance to the reverse. An ancient, very faint scratch runs down William's neck, but overall the coin is extraordinarily clean for its age. The cataloguers have seen specimens over the years which are close to this in quality, but not quite so beautiful and lustrous as this gorgeous rarity. A remarkable example! NGC graded MS-64.
These joint monarchs issued relatively few gold coins in all, but their "double guinea" series was particularly brief. The 1691 is never seen, and 1693 shares its date with this overdate, indicating itself how little (and briefly) the dies were used. For this issue, the date was simply re-engraved on the obverse die to make the next year's coins. Even here, with this very limited issue, an early state die-crack is already visible on the reverse side which bears the overdate.
Estimated Value $13,000 - 15,000.
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| Realized
$27,600 |
Lot 345 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1695. S-3458; Fr-313; KM-488.1. William III, 1694-1702. First Bust. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, rampant lion at center. An elusive portrait type which is extremely rare in this splendid condition. This is the finest specimen of this date ever seen by this cataloguer. A superb coin! NGC graded MS-63.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000.
Ex Bridgewater House sale, lot 165; ex Spink sale #91, lot 70. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection. One of the finest provenances possible.
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| Realized
$12,650 |
Lot 346 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1698. S-3460; Fr-313; KM-498.1. William III, 1694-1702. Second Bust. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, rampant lion at center. Human-shaped harp on reverse shield. A long but light "haymark" (tin alloy impurity) on the king's cheekbone, but well struck and having gorgeous satiny luster. Very rare in this exalted state of preservation. NGC graded MS-63.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$7,188 |
Lot 347 |
 |
Great Britain. Half Guinea, 1698. S-3468; Fr-315; KM-487.3. William III, 1694-1702. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, rampant lion at center. Late harp style. Rare type, coined for only 5 years. Handsome and lustrous. Very rare in this exalted state of preservation, much unappreciated as the denomination is not heavily collected compared to the larger gold pieces. A wonderful pedigree. NGC graded MS-63.
Estimated Value $2,500 - 3,000.
Ex Norweb Collection. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$3,795 |
Lot 348 |
 |
Great Britain. Crown, 1700. S-3474; Dav-3782b; KM-494.3. 29.93 grams. William III, 1694-1702. Third Bust type; third harp. DVODECIMO edge date. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of William right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, lion escutcheon at center, and divided date. A nearly perfect strike, with only a handful of light adjustment marks evident. Satiny to glossy devices; the obverse field reflective, the reverse with prooflike luster. Remarkable preservation, nearly pristine surfaces shimmering with cartwheel luster under a medium pinkish gray tone, and blessed by an iridescence of other muted colors, tending to the blue-greens. Among the finest known. Choice Uncirculated. This coin came from a small group of about 20 halfcrowns and crowns of 1698-1700 found in an old safe in London years ago; one of the halfcrowns was similar to this beautiful coin but was graded MS66 by NGC for another owner. This was the nicest crown in the little "find" and few exist to equal it. NGC graded MS-64.
Queen Mary's death in 1694 left the royal couple without heirs and so Parliament, fearing a Catholic claimant to the throne, passed in 1701 the Acts of Settlement to provide that, if William III and Princess Anne (later Queen Anne) should die without heirs, the succession to the throne should pass to Sophia, Electress of Hanover and granddaughter of James I, or to her heirs, only if they were Protestants. Queen Mary's sister, Anne, ascended to England's throne after the death of William. Although Queen Anne (1702-1714) gave birth to seventeen children, none of them lived long enough to survive her. In fact, Anne's last surviving child, the Duke of Gloucester, died the same year as this coin was made -- 1700. So the succession strictures went into effect, placing the House of Hanover at one with England and English history for the next century.
Another royal passing for the year that would have profound dynastic impact was that of Charles III of Spain. With him ended the Spanish line of Hapsburgs. The lineage of the eventual ascendant to the throne, Philip V, came through Louis XIV of France. Now a French Bourbon would sit astride the Spanish throne.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 6,000.
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| Realized
$5,750 |
Lot 349 |
 |
Great Britain. Five Guineas, 1701. S-3456; Fr-310 (175); KM-508. 41.69 grams. William III, 1694-1702. Second Bust type ('fine work'). Laureate head of William right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with angled scepters and lion escutcheon at center, and divided date. Bold strike for a coin of this weight, with prooflike fields surrounding a cameo portrait. Remarkable preservation, exceptionally choice with dramatic eye appeal. There are 63s and there are 63s. We would like to see another 63 of this date equal to this wonderful specimen. NGC graded MS-63 Prooflike.
The English Guinea was so-named because the earliest specimens, struck by Charles II, were derived from gold mined and imported from Guinea (now Ghana), in Africa. The gold was acquired and brought in by the "Company of Royal Adventurers of England Trading in Africa." Its charter granted the company the privilege of having its badge appear on coins struck from the metal they imported. Thus a number of Charles' issues have the added device of an elephant in profile below his bust. Weighing in at nearly an ounce and a half of 22 karat gold, the coin was the heaviest English gold piece ever to circulate.
In 1677, William, prince of the House of Orange, of the Netherlands, wed Mary, the Protestant daughter of the Catholic James, Duke of York (who would later rule as James II). Upon the birth of a son to James, Protestant opposition invited William to England and James was deposed in the brief and bloodless "Glorious Revolution." In 1689 William and Mary were now the sovereigns of England. However, Queen Mary's death in 1694 left the couple without heirs and so the English Parliament, fearing a Catholic claimant to the throne, passed in 1701 the Acts of Settlement to provide that if William III and Princess Anne (later Queen Anne) should die without heirs, the succession to the throne should pass to Sophia, Electress of Hanover and granddaughter of James I, or to her heirs, only if they were Protestants. Queen Mary's sister, Anne, ascended to England's throne after the death of William. Although Queen Anne (1702-1714) gave birth to seventeen children, none of them lived long enough to survive her. Thus the succession strictures went into effect and the House of Hanover for the next century became one with England and English history.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 20,000.
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| Realized
$36,225 |
Lot 350 |
 |
Great Britain. "Fine Work" Two Guineas, 1701. S-3457; Fr-310. William III, 1694-1702. Laureate head of William right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with angled scepters, and lion in cartouche at center, and divided date. Superb strike on choice flan, with lustrous devices and reflective fields. Some generally minute marks in fields. On this specimen the workmanship is so fine that it is difficult to determine if this was originally a presentation piece or item of superior finish. With delightful, ancient red tone, indicative that the coin's not been touched or fiddled with ever. Rare indeed in this quality. NGC graded MS-63.
Estimated Value $12,000 - 14,000.
Ex Cheshire Collection (5/30 - 6/1/05), lot 2240; Illustrated in Money of The World, coin 104.
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| Realized
$26,450 |
Lot 351 |
 |
Great Britain. "Fine Work" Guinea, 1701. S-3465; Fr-313; KM-506. William III, 1694-1702. Third Laureate Bust. An extremely rare condition for this, the splendid periwig version of King William's portrait. Choice Uncirculated with extraordinary eye appeal. Probably the finest known of its type, with a marvelous provenance. NGC graded MS-64.
The year 1701 saw Parliament legislate the Act of Settlement, which in essence provided an outline of assured Protestant succession to England's throne: that in default of issue of William III or Anne, the throne would pass to Sophia, Electress of Hannover, the granddaughter of James I. And, to "the heirs of body being Protestants." England's religious wars, at least with regard as to who would be monarch were finally over. Further simplifying matters, James II died from a cerebral stroke in his exile in France, finally removing the chief figurehead from supporters of the Stuart's cause.
Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,500.
Ex Norweb Collection sale, 1986. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$23,000 |
Lot 352 |
 |
Great Britain. Proof Gold Guinea, 1702. S-3562; WR-60. Queen Anne, 1702-1714. Pre-Union; First Bust. Design by John Croker. Draped bust left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, Garter star at center. Plain edge. Beautiful and alluring almost beyond words, this special coin sparkles with mirrored-field brilliance on the obverse, and fine satiny fields on the reverse. The exceptional, crisp strike is enhanced by a delicate, old-gold reddish toning. Probably the finest known of this issue. The Spink guide book simply calls it "extremely rare" without a price in any state! Once sold, five times what it fetches would not produce another of its equal. NGC graded Proof 63.
WR-60, lists as R5, just 6 to 10 known in all states of preservation. Wilson and Rasmussen's plate coin does not appear to be as sparkling and mark-free as the specimen here. That says volumes, because they generally photograph the best coins they know of, including coins from the British Museum collection. Some of the 6 to 10 known are clearly in museums. As a Proof, this coin is also struck on a slightly larger or "jumbo" flan compared to that used for a normal currency coin.
Estimated Value $15,000 - 18,000.
Ex Cheshire Collection (5/30 - 6/1/05), lot 2268.
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| Realized
$34,500 |
Lot 353 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1702. S-3562; Fr-320; KM-511.1. Queen Anne, 1702-1714. Pre-Union reverse style. Draped bust left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, rose at center. Extremely rare as a type and also as a date in this grade: superb luster, slightly prooflike, boldly struck everywhere Believed by in-the-know dealers to be the finest Pre-Union guinea seen in the past 50 or more years. NGC graded MS-62.
Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$10,925 |
Lot 354 |
 |
Great Britain. "VIGO" Five Guineas, 1703. S-3561; Fr-183; KM-520.1. 41.69 grams. SECVNDO on edge. Queen Anne, 1702-1714. Draped bust left; VIGO below bust. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters and a central (Tudor) rose. Uncirculated, a wonderful specimen blessed by superb eye appeal, with all details sharp, and complimented by deep, proof-like luster. Scattered faint hairlines (from being in important collector cabinets over the past 300 years). Historical, and excessively rare. Perhaps the finest known. NGC graded MS-61 Prooflike.
Throughout the 17th century, the British and the Dutch played off and on the game of "Friend/Enemy." Sometimes Spain would be pulled in on one side or the other of its two erstwhile enemies. By 1701 Britain and Holland were once again "friends," and soon would be making common cause against Spain again. This time it would be in the form of the War of Spanish Succession (1702-1713), fought simultaneously in the North American Colonies as Queen Anne's War. This would be the last of the general European wars resulting from France's Louis XIV's efforts to expand French power and territory.
The childless King Charles II of Spain, advanced in years, with increasingly precarious health, found it necessary to choose among three principal candidates as his successor. These were Louis XIV, on behalf of his eldest son, a grandson of King Philip IV of Spain (Louis had been married to Philip's daughter); the Electoral Prince of Bavaria, Joseph-Ferdinand, a great-grandson of Philip IV of Spain; and the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I, who had married a younger daughter of Philip IV but claimed succession on behalf of his son by a second marriage, Archduke Charles (later Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV).
England and Holland, of course, were opposed to a union of French and Spanish realms, since this would have heavily tipped the balance of power to France, making it the leading world power, a consequence undoubtedly being the diversion of Spanish trade from England and Holland to France. On the other hand, England, Holland and France were all against the choice of Archduke Charles, since this would have reunited the Spanish and Austrian branches of the House of Hapsburg; again, a significant power shift.
Agreements and two treaties were promulgated from 1697 through 1700 involving exchanges of land and zones of influence as a means of working out the difficulties and avoiding conflict. Unfortunately the unexpected death of Joseph Ferdinand created a crisis. While diplomats scuttled to and fro to sort out the difficulties, parties at Charles' court, desiring to preserve Spain's territorial holdings, persuaded the dying Charles to designate as his sole heir the grandson of Louis XIV -- Philip, duke of Anjou, who thereafter became Philip V of Spain. Louis XIV, deciding to abide by Charles' will, broke the partition treaty agreed upon with England and the Netherlands. The latter two, although willing to recognize Philip as King of Spain, were increasingly antagonized by France's growing commercial competition. This and other factors lead to an anti-French alliance among the Dutch, England and Leopold.
Among the various joint Anglo-Dutch expeditions against the Spanish, one was led by Sir George Rooke in 1702. In this, the Spanish seaports of Cadiz and Vigo were sacked, and a number of Spanish treasure ships were seized in Vigo Bay. The booty brought back to England totaled over 11 million silver "pieces of eight," along with a small quantity of gold. In a dramatic move to commemorate the event, silver coins in 1702-1703 were struck bearing the word VIGO. The gold was likewise struck in this fashion, with a very few large Five Guineas being made, the smaller Guinea and Half Guinea being the primary issues (although these too, today, are very rare). Sir Charles Oman, in his "Coinage of England," page 345, notes that the minting "of these great celebratory coins" was given to the care of Isaac Newton, who was then Master of the Mint at London, having been appointed in 1699. Oman states that only 276 Pounds Sterling in gold coins were produced from the Vigo haul, again with few large Five Guineas being made, and the rest apportioned to the Guineas and Half Guineas.
Estimated Value $150,000 - 200,000.
Ex Murdock 1903, lot 834. Only 15-20 specimens known, and this is reputedly the finest. With diagnostic lint mark on the scepter of the fourth quarter of the cruciform. Most numismatists believe the 1703 VIGO Five Guineas to be the rarest of all English gold coins. This coin was the sole cover illustration of the 2003 edition of Spink's Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England and the United Kingdom, London, 2002; Illustrated in Money of The World, coin 105.
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| Realized
$414,000 |
Lot 355 |
 |
Great Britain. Crown, 1707. S-3601; ESC-104; Dav-1341. Queen Anne, 1702-1714. Draped bust left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, Garter star at center. SEPTIMO date edge. Practically as struck, the details choice and full, and free from the haymarking, blank-filing and other imperfections which plagued the silver coins of this reign. With residual luster, and a fine old deep gray toning, with touches of blue. NGC graded AU-58.
Estimated Value $2,300 - 2,600.
Ex Cheshire Collection (5/30 - 6/1/05), lot 2277.
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| Realized
$3,105 |
Lot 356 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1709. S-3572; Fr-320; KM-529.1. Queen Anne, 1702-1714. Post-Union type, Second Bust. Draped bust left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, Garter star at center. One of only three years struck in this exact style. Rare date and grade; in fact, one of the finest ever seen, with prooflike glittering surfaces! NGC graded AU-58.
Estimated Value $6,000 - 7,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$9,200 |
Lot 357 |
 |
Great Britain. Two Guineas, 1711. S-3569; Fr-319. Queen Anne, 1702-1714. Post-Union; broad shields. Draped bust left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, Garter star at center, sceptres in angles. A choice-looking guinea with a sharp strike, lustrous with considerable mint bloom and having especially mark-free surfaces for gold of this era. The queen's portrait is both sensitively drawn and sharply rendered. NGC graded MS-62.
Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000.
Ex Cheshire Collection (5/30 - 6/1/05), lot 2268.
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| Realized
$9,488 |
Lot 358 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1713. S-3574; Fr-320; KM-534. Queen Anne, 1702-1714. Post-Union type, Third Bust. Draped bust left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, Garter star at center. Boldly struck and very choice in appearance, with mellow old-time gold toning. NGC graded MS-62.
Estimated Value $5,000 - 7,000.
Ex Spink sale #97, lot 54. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$7,475 |
Lot 359 |
 |
Great Britain. Half Guinea, 1713. S-3575; Fr-323; KM-527. Queen Anne, 1702-1714. Post-Union reverse. Draped bust left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, Garter star at center. Prooflike with sparkling surfaces, and particularly choice. Look at the incredibly sharp details of the queen's portrait! A wonderful coin. NGC graded MS-64.
Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000.
Ex Norweb Collection. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$5,750 |
Lot 360 |
 |
Great Britain. Five Guineas, 1714/3. S-3568; Fr-317; KM-535. Queen Anne, 1702-1714. Post-Union type. Draped bust left. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, Garter star at center. An exceptionally choice-looking piece with a sharp strike showing nearly complete hair detail, and minimal marks on the broad, open surfaces that glitter with prooflike luster. Extremely rare in this grade. Among the finest known examples of this impressive, large gold type, this may as well be at the very top of the census for this overdate. NGC graded MS-62 Prooflike.
Estimated Value $25,000 - 30,000.
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| Realized
$46,000 |
Lot 361 |
 |
Great Britain. Prince Elector Guinea, 1714. S-3628; Fr-538; KM-538. George I, 1714-1727, as Prince Elector. First Laureate Head. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, Garter star at center. The distinctive and very rare, 1-year type. A superb example, glowing with luster, having virtually no abrasions and one of the boldest strikes known on this elusive date. Clearly one of the finest known. NGC graded MS-64.
This is the only such English gold coin actually noting in full the king's German origins, for George was, first and foremost, Prince Elector of Hanover, for the Holy Roman Empire, and in fact more German than British (he rarely visited England and knew little English). The end of the reverse legend denotes this, with the distinctive "PR EL" among the king's titles. Evidently the use of the extra "PR" was determined as crowding the legend, and it was not used on his other coinages. This particular specimen is known by the cataloguer to have been sold by Spink more than 20 years ago for higher than our top estimate, it was so special.
Estimated Value $13,000 - 14,000.
Ex Bridgewater House Collection (lot 176). Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection. The finest possible provenance.
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| Realized
$22,425 |
Lot 362 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1715. S-3630; Fr-327; KM-543. George I, 1714-1727. Third Laureate Head. Laureate head right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, Garter star at center. Another scarce and early issue of this reign. The third bust type was used only for two years, 1715 and 1716. Few pieces of this type are known so fine, picked for its lack of abrasions and unusual eye appeal. NGC graded MS-60.
To give some historical perspective, the year 1715 witnessed the beginning of Liverpool's famed docks, which would be the source of most imports to Britain for the coming two centuries. The city was dramatically transformed from a backwater fishing town to one of the world's great ports and rapidly became one of the key legs in Britain's "Triangular Trade," the lucrative mercantilist policy that provided slaves to the American continents. This was also the era of the Bucaneers, and the pirate Blackbeard was captured and hung just three years after this coin was minted.
Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$2,990 |
Lot 363 |
 |
Great Britain. Crown, 1718/6. S-3639; ESC-111A. George I, 1714-1727. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, Garter star at center, roses and plumes in angles. Edge: QUINTO. Handsome, dark gray surfaces showing some golden lilac iridescence, over soft ancient luster. One of the finest known, and extremely rare in this grade. NGC graded MS-62.
Hyperbole is common in descriptions of coins at auction, but the coins in the Millenium Collection do not need exaggeration, for most are among the finest known (if not the very top example) of their respective types. The collection from its inception was driven by the intention to locate only superlative examples of coins never meant to be saved but intended for commercial usage (and/or Proofs of the same, when they existed), the essential idea being that such coins are on the order of miracles of suvival. The coin in this lot is not the finest coin in this auction, far from it, yet it exemplifies the concept that was used to form this collection. The crowns of this king are all very rare, in fact are among the rarest of all British crowns as a type, and each of the few dates of this type is almost never available better than VF grade -- and truly elusive when seen as choice and eye-appealing as this specimen. Light roller lines from the minting process can be discerned at the center of the king's hair. The strike is evenly sharp and balanced, producing excellent detail in all design elements. Perhaps most remarkable of all, there are essentially no marks on either side! Here and there, under a glass, tiny dots of die-rust and a few carbon alloy flaws (normal to this era's coinage) may be found, but this coin is literally immaculate.
Estimated Value $8,000 - 9,000.
Ex Cheshire Collection (5/30 - 6/1/05), lot 2296.
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| Realized
$10,350 |
Lot 364 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1719. S-3631; Fr-327; KM-546.1. George I, 1714-1727. Fourth Laureate Head, right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, Garter star at center. Elusive! Not superlative but a choice piece with very slight doubling of strike (so very common to this era), and therefore exceptional for this type. NGC graded AU-58.
Estimated Value $3,000 - 3,500.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$3,220 |
Lot 365 |
 |
Great Britain. Guinea, 1720. S-3631; Fr-327; KM-546.1. George I, 1714-1727. Fourth Laureate Head, right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, Garter star at center. A delightful specimen, boldly struck, perfectly centered and highly lustrous. Exceptional eye appeal. NGC graded MS-62.
At first glance, given the numerical designation, this may not appear to be such a fabulous guinea, but it is. The cataloguer obtained this coin at the cited Spink auction, for its former owner (Dr Terner), having looked for years for a quality example of the date. In his 30+ years of handling top English gold, the cataloguer of this section has never seen this coin's equal. Thus, in this case, "62" is a gem of a coin!
Estimated Value $10,000 - 12,000.
Ex Douglas-Morris sale, lot 24; ex Spink sale #91, lot 78. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
View details and enlarged photos
| Realized
$10,925 |
Lot 366 |
 |
Great Britain. Crown, 1723-SSC. S-3640; Dav-1346; ESC-114; KM-545.2. George I, 1714-1727. DECIMO on edge. SSC in angles. Sharply struck and well centered with excellent luster and beautiful, light to medium reddish gold and blue toning. An exceptionally high-grade example of a George I Crown, and virtually as struck. NGC graded MS-63.
King of Great Britain from 1714-1727, even more famously Elector of Hanover and veteran of the Spanish War of Succession, George I inherited the British throne by default, as spelled out in the provisions of the Act of Settlement -- which limited the occupant to Protestants only, and had selected his mother the Empress Sophia to be succeeding Queen of England. However, she died before the throne could pass to her, and thus it was left to George. He was personally unpopular with his new subjects because he spent little time in England (preferring his residence in Hanover), because of his German manners, because of his German mistresses, because of his treatment of his divorced wife, and because of his refusal to learn or speak English. And yet, curiously, he was embraced by the English nation, who collectively were well satisfied that he embodied stability, and in effect became a guarantee that the Roman Catholic Stuarts would not recapture the throne of Great Britian. Doesn't his portrait's demeanor on this coin just seem to capture the essence of his taciturn personality?
While politics took a muted place in the land thanks to the parliamentary law of succession, and religion no longer brought embattlement at home, George reigned at a time when the open seas were a lawless expanse, and bucaneers (sanctioned pirates) raided the shipping of contending countries. In the English navy, seamen ordinary and extraordinary were rewarded for capturing enemy ships with rations of the cargo. Most cargo was simply common goods. The prize all were after was specie -- gold and silver -- and in the case of English raiders gold and silver being brought home from the New World by Spanish galleons. Most famous among these prizes were the seizures of precious Spanish booty at Vigo Bay in 1702/3 by Queen Anne's navy, and the capture by Admiral Anson off the Philippines in 1745/6 of eleven Spanish ships full of bullion mined at Lima, Peru. The specie so captured was taken in the same ships, now bearing the English flag, back to Southampton port, and from there paraded to London with great fanfare, and hallmarked by the Royal Mint, famously to numismatists, to mark those great naval triumphs. Also in the news at the time was the silver "captured" by the Crown from the infamous South Seas Company of London, a ghost of an enterprise which caused one of the world's earliest stock market bubbles. The little actual value held by the company, which fleeced investors in the early 1720s, was seized and turned into English coinage, specially marked to demonstrate to a faint public that no such illegality would be tolerated with impunity. Few large silver crowns were made bearing the resulting SSC hallmark, and fewer still have survived that are equal to this fabulous memento of the times.
Estimated Value $4,000 - 5,000.
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| Realized
$9,000 |
Lot 367 |
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Great Britain. Guinea, 1725. S-3633; Fr-327; KM-559.1. George I, 1714-1727. Fifth (older) Laureate Head, right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, Garter star at center. A lovely and lustrous guinea, finer than perhaps 95% of all extant examples of this date. Don't let the grade number put you off: this is an excellent coin. NGC graded MS-62.
Estimated Value $3,500 - 4,000.
Ex Norweb Collection, 1986. Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$4,370 |
Lot 368 |
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Great Britain. Two Guineas, 1726. S-3627; Fr-326; KM-554. George I, 1714-1727. Younger Laureate Head, right. Reverse: Crowned cruciform arms, with alternating scepters at angles, Garter star at center. The last of only a 3-year denominational issue. This is a most impressive specimen! It boasts an extremely deep strike, glowing luster combined with prooflike fields, and only a few tiny abrasions. Virtually a technical gem, which is surely a miracle of survival for so old a large, gold coin. Very rare and clearly among the finest known gold coins of its age. NGC graded MS-64 Prooflike.
A few of these evidently were saved as mementos, probably at Court, for Mint State pieces are not unknown. However, this is almost a one-of-a-kind specimen, and simply wonderful for its exquisite eye appeal.
Estimated Value $12,500 - 15,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$14,950 |
Lot 369 |
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Great Britain. Guinea, 1727. S-3670; Fr-339; KM-562. George II, 1727-1760. First Young Laureate Head, left. Reverse: Crowned and garnished shield. First portrait variety, on larger flan with smaller lettering. A marvelously preserved, boldly struck and choice Uncirculated coin. Super rare in this condition, and one of the truly elusive gold coins of this king! NGC graded MS-62.
Estimated Value $9,000 - 10,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$14,375 |
Lot 370 |
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Great Britain. Guinea, 1727. S-3671; Fr-339; KM-563. George II, 1727-1760. First Young Head. Second variety on slightly smaller flan with larger lettering than on the previous coin. Laureate head left. Reverse: Crowned and garnished shield. Struck in higher relief than the first variety, producing unusual eye appeal. Splendid luster, glowing color, exceptionally bold strike, and thoroughly original surfaces. Gem Uncirculated! A nonpareil piece, finest by far ever seen by the cataloguer of this section. Extremely rare. NGC graded MS-66.
Estimated Value $14,000 - 16,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection.
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| Realized
$24,150 |
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