Stack's Bowers & Ponterio
January 2021 Auction 15-16 Jan 2021
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GREAT BRITAIN. Guinea, 1685. London Mint. James II. PCGS Genuine--Damage, EF Details Gold Shield.
S-3401; Fr-296; KM-453.2. Elephant & Castle issue. A RARE type with this hallmarking, the present specimen remains highly desirable no matter the noted damage and cleaning. Quite likely, its potential use as a jewelry piece saved it from being melted over the years.
S-3401; Fr-296; KM-453.2. Elephant & Castle issue. A RARE type with this hallmarking, the present specimen remains highly desirable no matter the noted damage and cleaning. Quite likely, its potential use as a jewelry piece saved it from being melted over the years.
The interesting mark of an elephant & castle below the bust of James indicated the source of the gold used in the striking of the coin. Issues with the elephant (and later, elephant & castle) were produced with gold mined in Western Africa along what was known as the "Gold Coast." The Royal African Company was issued a monopoly by the British crown to extract, among other things, gold for the production of coinage domestically within the kingdom. The name for the denomination--along with its multiples--eventually came from this very region: Guinea. The issues are rather difficult to encounter now as many were melted over the centuries for the purpose of recoining.
Estimate: $1600.00- $2400.00