Lot 2598
Great Britain. 5 Guineas, 1693. S-3423; Fr-300; KM-479.2. William and Mary, 1688-1694. Conjoined busts right, with Elephant and Castle hallmark below. Reverse: Crowned, ornately garnished shield, with central small escutcheon, and shell "wings" at sides, lettered edge reads + DECVS. ET. TVTAMEN. ANNO. REGNI. QVINTO +. Minor mark on cheek. A hint of reddish tone highlights this spectacular lustrous example with reflective surfaces.
Historical note: First used on the gold coins of Charles II, the provenance mark Elephant and Castle rarely appeared as the years rolled on. Its significance was entirely symbolic: it proclaimed royal domination of the gold mined in Guinea, a country still rich with ore to this day, but in 1693 it was distant by months of sea travel from England, and gold from the place from which the golden denominations of the day derived their name was mined at considerable cost in materials, time and labor. Gold mining has never been an activity without danger. Using this hallmark, the British paid it homage. Those who have traveled to London may have noticed that a stop on the Underground ("tube") exists just over the Thames, in Southwark, that still bears the name Elephant and Castle. In the 1690s, however, such details as this were probably ignored or unobserved by most who might come into contact with a coin of this one's value - five golden guineas represented months of labor for an ordinary man of the time, and was customarily handled by aristocrats and used in banking transactions. Many got sent abroad and were subsequently melted, their gold becoming other countries' coins. This particular specimen, which is among the finest to be seen, was made during the last year of Queen Mary's life, for she died of smallpox the following year. She was actually known as Mary II in her lifetime, the first royal Mary having been the daughter of Henry VIII with Catherine of Aragon, his first (Catholic) wife. Mary II's joint reign, with William, had been short indeed. She had helped her Dutch husband win the favor of the English people, and ultimately their collective loyalty. NGC graded MS-61.
Estimated Value $17,500 - 20,000.
Ex: Spink Sale 97, 13 May 1993, lot 42; Ex: Samuse Coll. Lot 128; The "Sylvia" Collection, through Mark Rasmussen by private treaty.
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| Realized $29,900 |
