British Coins, George II, five guineas, 1748, V. SECVNDO, old laur. head l., rev. crowned shield of arms (S.3666; Schneider 565, dies 9/9), certified and graded by NGC as Mint State 64, lustrous with choice surfaces and pleasing old-gold toning, a delightful example, and one of the finest to be found anywhere, rare in this state
*ex Morton & Eden 97 (28 November 2018), lot 503; earlier from an 'overseas collection' acquired prior to 1974.
The earlier styles of George II's portraiture-the Young and Intermediate Heads-were followed by the exquisite and more intricate style known as the Old Laureate Head. While coins bearing this design are plentiful among the two smallest gold denominations, which were made in significant numbers for everyday commerce, it is on the largest two coins that the image of a more mature king is best displayed. A luxurious wig, so fashionable in its day, dominates, flowing down his back onto his shoulders, with a classic laurel topping it. A lovely series, it was very short lived, first appearing in 1746 with the LIMA mintmark beneath. Both the sources of gold and the need for coins of the largest denominations had been shrinking for years, the consequence of which was ever-lower mintages. For only two years more did the massive 5-guineas coin issue from the mint's machinery, in 1748 and 1753. All three dates of this style are rare today but the truth is that they were seldom seen even in the 1740s and '50s. Official later melts of England's coins consumed most 5-guineas and 2-guineas created, leaving collectors with a paucity of examples ever to be obtained. The delightful coin in this lot was a lucky survivor of its age. It is also one of the best we have encountered.