Lot 4077
Great Britain. Crown, 1691. S.3433; Dav-3780; ESC-82. William and Mary. I over E in GVLIELMVS. With a pleasing light grey and golden tone over fully lustrous surfaces, this is an exceptionally well struck coin and a very rare type. The overstrike is nice and clear. William and Mary Crowns are usually poorly made (the die detail is especially shallow) and to find a specimen in top grade is a rare event. This piece, from the first of only 2 years of issue, has never seen circulation and surely deserves a home in a top quality collection of English Crowns. Nicer than the Cheshire Collection and Millennia Collection, the EDJ Van Roekel and the Norweb William and Mary Crowns, this is also the finest known example of an extremely rare variety. Catalogues at £6000 in XF (near to $10,000)- unpriced in higher grades. NGC graded MS-61.
* William and Mary were spouses and first cousins. Their joint reign started in February 1689 after they were offered the throne by the Convention Parliament, summoned by William after his successful invasion of England in 1688. King James II (Mary's father and William's uncle) had fled the country. The joint monarchs signed the English Bill of Rights in 1689. This ended many centuries of tension between the monarchy and parliament and put to rest the theory that Britain would become a Roman Catholic nation once again. Mary died in 1694 and William ruled alone until his death in 1702.
Estimated Value $8,000 - 10,000.
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| Realized $12,338 |
