St. James's Auctions
Auction 39 30 September 2016
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† George II, half guinea, 1745, LIMA, intermediate laur. head l., LIMA below, rev. crowned shield of arms (S.3684), certified and graded by NGC as Mint State 62, a handsome example of this classic with pleasingly mark-free surfaces and a good, balanced strike, extremely rare and desirable
*ex Norweb Collection
Only one other example graded MS62 or higher by NGC or PCGS.
Piracy at sea reached the peak of activity more than half a century earlier than this famous coin was minted, but buccaneers continued to be threats to ships in the West Indies and elsewhere near colonial outposts well into the 18th century. Crews shared in captured prizes. The spirit of those adventurers still resonated in the British Navy when Commodore George Anson set sail with a squadron of eight warships in the middle of September 1740 hoping to locate and to attack Spanish galleons laden with silver and gold mined in South America. It was a voyage requiring much skill and great courage. Anson's ships were manned by marines, and the mission was charged by the Admiralty with attacking the Spanish navy in the Pacific. It is doubtful that he realized that his was destined to be a voyage around the world that would become famed for its success. Anson's ships reached treacherous Cape Horn at the height of a terrible storm and most of the squadron was unsuccessful at clearing the cape into calmer seas. Two ships gave up and turned back for England. Others were wrecked. Only Anson's flagship and two warships got through to the Pacific, but the arduous voyage was only just beginning. Months past the Cape, Anson's force sacked the town of Paita in Peru, but the reward was disappointing. Anson pressed onward, with the original goal firmly in mind despite all his setbacks. He aimed to attack the Spanish Manila-Acapulco fleet and capture its treasure. His crew was shrinking as disease took its toll, and deprivation made the two lesser ships unseaworthy. The entire crew was moved to his flagship, the Centurion, and they immediately set sail west for the coast of China, arriving by the end of summer 1742 at Tinian. After months of rest ashore, Anson's crew finally steered the Centurion for the Philippines. On 20 June 1743, they spotted the unprotected treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de Covadonga off Cape Espiritu Santo, won the brief sea battle, and took possession of its treasure. To their disappointment, most of the Spanish treasure fleet had already sailed, but the lone Covadonga was no small prize. They discovered in its hold hundreds of thousands of pieces of eight and gold cobs crudely minted from local ore at Lima, Peru. They manned the captured galleon and again set sail. The voyage home was fraught with peril, and after nearly another year at sea Anson and his ships finally anchored at Spithead on 15 June 1744. The tons of silver and gold were offloaded and carried by wagons along a parade route to the mint in London. The total treasure was found to be nearly a million pounds in value, including proceeds from their sale of the Spanish galleon, a staggering haul of riches at the time. Anson was cheered as a national hero and finally promoted to Rear Admiral in 1761. His share of the booty made him a wealthy man, but he was at heart a sailor and he remained at sea in command of warships in 1746 and 1747, after which he oversaw naval reforms and advances in ship designs in the Admiralty Office. Numerous ships of the Royal Navy have been named after him but none has endured as a remembrance of his greatest victory for as long as the silver and gold coins hallmarked 'LIMA' in his honour. (£9000-11000)
*ex Norweb Collection
Only one other example graded MS62 or higher by NGC or PCGS.
Piracy at sea reached the peak of activity more than half a century earlier than this famous coin was minted, but buccaneers continued to be threats to ships in the West Indies and elsewhere near colonial outposts well into the 18th century. Crews shared in captured prizes. The spirit of those adventurers still resonated in the British Navy when Commodore George Anson set sail with a squadron of eight warships in the middle of September 1740 hoping to locate and to attack Spanish galleons laden with silver and gold mined in South America. It was a voyage requiring much skill and great courage. Anson's ships were manned by marines, and the mission was charged by the Admiralty with attacking the Spanish navy in the Pacific. It is doubtful that he realized that his was destined to be a voyage around the world that would become famed for its success. Anson's ships reached treacherous Cape Horn at the height of a terrible storm and most of the squadron was unsuccessful at clearing the cape into calmer seas. Two ships gave up and turned back for England. Others were wrecked. Only Anson's flagship and two warships got through to the Pacific, but the arduous voyage was only just beginning. Months past the Cape, Anson's force sacked the town of Paita in Peru, but the reward was disappointing. Anson pressed onward, with the original goal firmly in mind despite all his setbacks. He aimed to attack the Spanish Manila-Acapulco fleet and capture its treasure. His crew was shrinking as disease took its toll, and deprivation made the two lesser ships unseaworthy. The entire crew was moved to his flagship, the Centurion, and they immediately set sail west for the coast of China, arriving by the end of summer 1742 at Tinian. After months of rest ashore, Anson's crew finally steered the Centurion for the Philippines. On 20 June 1743, they spotted the unprotected treasure galleon Nuestra Señora de Covadonga off Cape Espiritu Santo, won the brief sea battle, and took possession of its treasure. To their disappointment, most of the Spanish treasure fleet had already sailed, but the lone Covadonga was no small prize. They discovered in its hold hundreds of thousands of pieces of eight and gold cobs crudely minted from local ore at Lima, Peru. They manned the captured galleon and again set sail. The voyage home was fraught with peril, and after nearly another year at sea Anson and his ships finally anchored at Spithead on 15 June 1744. The tons of silver and gold were offloaded and carried by wagons along a parade route to the mint in London. The total treasure was found to be nearly a million pounds in value, including proceeds from their sale of the Spanish galleon, a staggering haul of riches at the time. Anson was cheered as a national hero and finally promoted to Rear Admiral in 1761. His share of the booty made him a wealthy man, but he was at heart a sailor and he remained at sea in command of warships in 1746 and 1747, after which he oversaw naval reforms and advances in ship designs in the Admiralty Office. Numerous ships of the Royal Navy have been named after him but none has endured as a remembrance of his greatest victory for as long as the silver and gold coins hallmarked 'LIMA' in his honour. (£9000-11000)