Lot 313
Great Britain. Gold Crown, 1651. S-3212; Fr-269; SC-5. 2.24 grams. Commonwealth, 1649-1660. Shield of Saint George within wreath. Reverse: Shields of Saint George and Ireland; above, V, value in Roman numerals. Sun mintmark. Beautifully lustrous on a jumbo flan, with a crisp strike and reddish gold toning. Rare in this grade. Seen less often in high grade than the unites. NGC graded MS-64.
During the Commonwealth, England experimented with constitutional and political changes, some attempted, some realized, that hadn't been seen within the realm for over a thousand years. However, as far as the realm's coin was concerned, there seemed to be no desire for anything new or adventurous until later in the decade, when Thomas Simon was beckoned to create a portraiture coinage of Cromwell. All during the period, there were far fewer denominations than were seen under Charles I, and nothing at all struck in copper. The only obvious variance to the first, new hammered coinage was the replacement of the old legends in Latin with those in English. One of the grievances held against the preceding Charles by many in the new government was his Catholicism. Thus, it was felt that to continue with the legends in Latin still smacked too much of popery. The distinction was abandoned when Cromwell's coins appeared, perhaps hinting at his veiled dreams of kingship.
Estimated Value $4,000 - 5,000.
Ex Dr Jacob Y. Terner Collection (by private treaty to the Millennia Collection).
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| Realized $8,050 |
