Heritage World Coin Auctions
Long Beach Signature Sale 3067 6-7 Sep 2018
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Great Britain
Oliver Cromwell gold Pattern Broad of 20 Shillings 1656 AU50 NGC, 9.00g, KM-Pn25, S-3225, W&R-39. The precursor to the Guinea and a spectacular piece of numismatic history. After the English Civil War terminated in 1649 with the execution of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, the leader of the anti-monarchist Parliamentarians, became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England. Seven years later, through combining the masterful engraving of Thomas Simon and the engineering know-how of Pierre Blondeau, the Cromwell portrait series was created. A step towards hypocritically representing Cromwell as King, this milled coinage featured the Lord Protector wearing a laureate wreath and the reverse shield featuring a crown, its overall quality a huge step up from previous issues. The present specimen is a charming representative of this extremely rare and short-lived series of patterns, a rich aged-gold in color and with an attractive red tone forming at the peripheries framing Simon's bold designs in the centers. Some contact marks are noted in the fields, some scratches to the left of the reverse shield, but these do not significantly detract from the eye appeal of this wonderful Broad. Some are unsure as to the pattern status of this issue as many examples show evidence of circulation, this piece included; however, the wear present is light and unobtrusive. All in all an elite offering, a must-have for the dedicated collector of British coinage, and a piece we do not doubt will inspire spirited bidding.
From the Collection of a Berkshire Gentleman
HID02901242017
Estimate: 10000-20000 USD
Oliver Cromwell gold Pattern Broad of 20 Shillings 1656 AU50 NGC, 9.00g, KM-Pn25, S-3225, W&R-39. The precursor to the Guinea and a spectacular piece of numismatic history. After the English Civil War terminated in 1649 with the execution of King Charles I, Oliver Cromwell, the leader of the anti-monarchist Parliamentarians, became Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England. Seven years later, through combining the masterful engraving of Thomas Simon and the engineering know-how of Pierre Blondeau, the Cromwell portrait series was created. A step towards hypocritically representing Cromwell as King, this milled coinage featured the Lord Protector wearing a laureate wreath and the reverse shield featuring a crown, its overall quality a huge step up from previous issues. The present specimen is a charming representative of this extremely rare and short-lived series of patterns, a rich aged-gold in color and with an attractive red tone forming at the peripheries framing Simon's bold designs in the centers. Some contact marks are noted in the fields, some scratches to the left of the reverse shield, but these do not significantly detract from the eye appeal of this wonderful Broad. Some are unsure as to the pattern status of this issue as many examples show evidence of circulation, this piece included; however, the wear present is light and unobtrusive. All in all an elite offering, a must-have for the dedicated collector of British coinage, and a piece we do not doubt will inspire spirited bidding.
From the Collection of a Berkshire Gentleman
HID02901242017
Estimate: 10000-20000 USD