Lot 2241
Great Britain. Crown, 1716. S. 3639; ESC-110; Dav-1345; KM-545.1. George I, 1714-1727. Obverse; Draped bust of king by JR Ochs. GEORGIVS D G M BR FR ET HIB REX FD. Reverse; Inverted axis, crowned cruciform shield with roses and plumes in alternate angles. Edge reads DECVS ET TVTAMEN ANNO REGNI SECVNDO in raised letter. This is a well struck and practically mint state coin which is remarkably free of nicks, scuffs or abrasions. Toned lightly in shades of golden blue and lavender with a subtle mint bloom and strong edge lettering. Very rare in this lofty grade. NGC graded AU-58. Estimate Value $6,000 - 7,000
The Crown of George I was the largest silver coins made during the reign. Each of the five dates is quite rare in any condition and extremely difficult to find in grades above VF. The roses and plumes together on the reverse of this 1716-dated specimen indicate silver supplied by the Company for Smelting Pit Coale and Sea Coale.
After the 1715 Jacobite rebellion was quashed, George I and his ministers behaved with moderation towards the rebels (a pattern not alas repeated after Culloden in 1746). But in 1715 only a few noblemen were convicted of treason, and lesser lights were sent to the American colonies as convicts. George was not as stupid, nor was his English as bad, as his reputation suggests, and he attended Cabinet meetings regularly through 1716.
In 1717 a row broke out between George and his son the Prince of Wales. The two never got on well, and after a stupid quarrel about the christening of the Prince of Wales's latest child, the heir and his wife were banished from court and deliberately separated from their children. Thereafter, bad blood between father and sons became a Hanoverian tradition.
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| Realized $6,000 |
