St. James's Auctions
Auction 39 30 September 2016
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† James II, five guineas, 1688, QVARTO, first laur. bust l., rev. crowned cruciform shields, sceptres in angles (S.3397), certified and graded by NGC as About Uncirculated 53+, with a pleasing portrait and surfaces, the scarce first bust out of order of date sequence (as explained above)
Only four other examples graded AU53+ or higher by NGC or PCGS.
Caught up in what might have turned into another religious war between Protestants and Catholics, James II abdicated and fled from England on 11 December 1688. The year in effect became an historic turning point, leading to the Bloodless Revolution which solidified the Protestant religion for the nation. This coin, bearing that important date, is a solid reminder of those events, but it holds an irony as well. Had James not removed himself, another war might have divided the kingdom once again. The two decades which followed the Restoration were a time when, inside the Royal Mint, much energy was expended to stamp out all memory of the images of money coined under the Commonwealth. Those coins bore no obeisance to the royal family and had abandoned traditional Latin legends, using generic shields and no portrait. The Civil War was still a sharp and, to many, a painful memory during the 1680s. John Roettier at the mint had created an elegant and bold portrait of Charles II, facing to the right as if there had been no interruption between his reign and that of his father, following tradition. When James took the throne, the portrait was much the same but reversed, continuing the tradition. The royal shield resumed, dividing sceptres displayed the sense of kingly power, and Latin legends proclaimed all the rights of monarchy. This massive coin offers all that, for historic appreciation. (£25000-30000)
Only four other examples graded AU53+ or higher by NGC or PCGS.
Caught up in what might have turned into another religious war between Protestants and Catholics, James II abdicated and fled from England on 11 December 1688. The year in effect became an historic turning point, leading to the Bloodless Revolution which solidified the Protestant religion for the nation. This coin, bearing that important date, is a solid reminder of those events, but it holds an irony as well. Had James not removed himself, another war might have divided the kingdom once again. The two decades which followed the Restoration were a time when, inside the Royal Mint, much energy was expended to stamp out all memory of the images of money coined under the Commonwealth. Those coins bore no obeisance to the royal family and had abandoned traditional Latin legends, using generic shields and no portrait. The Civil War was still a sharp and, to many, a painful memory during the 1680s. John Roettier at the mint had created an elegant and bold portrait of Charles II, facing to the right as if there had been no interruption between his reign and that of his father, following tradition. When James took the throne, the portrait was much the same but reversed, continuing the tradition. The royal shield resumed, dividing sceptres displayed the sense of kingly power, and Latin legends proclaimed all the rights of monarchy. This massive coin offers all that, for historic appreciation. (£25000-30000)