Five Guineas 1684 Elephant and Castle below bust, TRICESIMO SEXTO edge, S.3332 an ex jewellery piece perhaps VF for overall wear but the fields porous and evidence of suspension mount on the rim at 12 o'clock
Guinea 1679 Elephant and Castle below bust, S.3345 VG. the reverse slightly better, our archive database stretching back to 2003 shows that this is the first 1679 Elephant and Castle mintmark type we have offered. Despite the relatively small difference in catalogue values between Elephant and Castle and standard issues, these are many times rarer, as our archive database confirms on pure statistics over a long time period.
Guinea 1675 S.3344 Fine, the reverse with a minor scratch below BR, overall of very pleasing appearance, our archive database stretching back 20 years, confirms that this is the first of this date/type combination we have offered, the only 1675 we have offered in this time was the Elephant and Castle variety, so undoubtedly rarer than catalogue values would suggest, indeed further research shows this date to be very seldom offered in any grade
Five Guineas 1692 Elephant and Castle, QVARTO edge, S.3423 VF/NVF the obverse with some contact marks and thin scratches, a collectable and desirable example of this popular type
Guinea 1685 Elephant and CastleS.3401 VG, the reverse slightly better, a collectable example of this short-lived two-year type, our archive database shows that this is only the third example we have offered since 2003
Five Guineas 1680 80 over 79 Elephant and Castle below bust S.3332 Fine with some scratches in the obverse field and below the date on the reverse, an evenly struck example and one of the key date/type combinations in the Charles II series. Rare and desirable in all grades, our research into quantities of this date and type historically offered indicates this is many times rarer than the standard 80 over 79 coin. Our archive database stretching back to 2003 confirms we have not previously offered this date with the Elephant and Castle provenance mark, on the Samuel King Five Guineas population analysis only 2 are showing
Five Guineas 1682 Elephant and CastleS.3332 Fine, an ex-jewellery piece, the edge largely smoothed, our archive database dating back to 2003 shows that this is the first 1682 Elephant and Castle example we have offered
Guinea 1691 Elephant and CastleS.3427, 7 Harp strings, NVF/VF with touches of red toning, and some haymarking and adjustment lines, William and Mary Guineas very seldom found in grades above Fine, many having the characteristic weak strike on the reverse. This example a superior piece with a full strike with only very minor weakness just above the Irish shield. A desirable example, Guineas of this reign always keenly sought after
Half Guinea 1696 Elephant and CastleS.3467 Good Fine with some weakness on the lower part of the French shield and correspondingly on the higher parts of the King's hair, other than this the coin is a bold and collectable example of this short-lived, two year type
Five Guineas 1691 Elephant and Castle below bust S.3423 Fine for wear, Ex-Jewellery, the edge with some smoothing in places, comes in a London Mint Office box with certificate
Five Guineas 1684 Elephant and Castle below bust, TRICESIMO SEXTO edge, S.3332 VG or better with all major details and the legend clear, an even and collectable example, even in this grade an imposing and impressive coin
Five Guineas 1687 First Bust S3397 Prooflike and Brilliant About Unc rare thus graded and slabbed by PCGS at MS61, and a coin with fantastic eye appeal, very hard to find James II gold in this grade, indeed we note that an example of a 1688 Elephant and Castle piece, marginally inferior in obverse detail, graded PCGS MS61 WINGS sold recently in a US auction for $108,688 (at the time of writing converted to £84,452), we also note another 1687 Five Guineas of the same type as this lot in NGC MS61 currently being offered for sale at $117,500 on-line
Five Guineas 1693 Obverse conjoined busts of joint monarchs right. GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA. Reverse, crowned garnished square topped arms, lion of Nassau in centre Elephant and Castle below the bust S3423. Edge year QVINTO in raised letters on edge, GEF rare thus, not far off in grade to our lot 857 in LCA 155 Dec 2016 which realised £71,500 hammer. But this piece, the Elephant and Castle variety, is usually more sought after. The famous Samuel King Five Guineas sale by Spink included their well researched analysis of Five Guineas offered for sale in a 40 year period and the 1693 E & C offered here had a frequency of 19 compared to 91 of the S3422 type (1693 without E & C below). Last year a William and Mary 5 Guineas of this same type S3423 Elephant and Castle below in MS63 realised $258,000 in the USA. William and Mary were spouses who reigned over the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland. They began their joint reign in February 1689 after they were offered the throne by the Convention Parliament. James II (Mary’s father) had fled the country and William and Mary occupied what was in effect a vacant throne. They were the first joint rulers in England for over 800 years, although Philip II and Mary I had appeared on English coinage together. Mary was to reign until her death from smallpox in December 1694 and William continued his rule alone, until his death in March 1702. The reign of William and Mary was brief and their coins are relatively scarce, the piece offered here has a very competitive starting price and would truly be a bargain in todays market at the low estimate or in our opinion at several bids above.
Guinea 1685 Elephant and CastleS.3401 UNC retaining much original mint lustre and with a peripheral light tone. Very attractive and fully struck, vastly superior in grade and strike than the Jacob.Y.Terner example (Ex-Bridgewater House collection), which graded NGC MS63, described as 'mint fresh and beautiful', and realised $18,400 at Ira and Larry Goldbergs Auction in 2003 (Lot 20), similar in quality to the illustration on page 9 of the Bentley Collection catalogue detailing the history of the Gold Sovereign and it predecessors. A truly stunning example of this rare two-year type, and seldom offered in any grade, perhaps one of the finest examples extant. The elephant and castle was the emblem of the Royal African company, founded in 1660 as the Company of Royal Adventurers Trading in Africa. This organisation held a monopoly on trade along the West African coast. In 1667 the original company collapsed but later merged with the Gambian Merchants Company to become in 1672 the Royal African Company. Trading was chiefly in gold and silver, and sadly for several decades, human slaves
Guineas (2) 1688 Elephant and Castle below bust S.3403 the first 8 struck over a lower 8 Good Fine with some edge nicks and contact marks, 1714 AnneS.3574 About Fine/VG
Half Guinea 1691 S.3430 NF/VG the reverse with a weak area at the top of the shield as often, rare, the first of this date and type we have offered, we note that since 2003, we have offered 6 of the 1691 Elephant and Castle variety, but none of this type, so it would appear that this is rarer than the catalogue value would suggest
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