LOT Heritage Rare Coin Galleries  /  2007 Jan New York World Coin Auction #425  / 

51679

George II Half-Guinea, 1738. S-3681A. Young laureate bu

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:3,125.00 USD Estimated At:12,500.00 - 15,000.00 USD
George II Half-Guinea, 1738. S-3681A. Young laureate bu
<B>George II Half-Guinea, 1738.</B></I> S-3681A. Young laureate bust, combined with the garnished shield reverse--producing one of the first truly modern-looking gold coins of Great Britain. Both sides are beautifully balanced as works of art. Here too is just a stunning example! MS63 PCGS and a <I>Terner Registry</B></I> coin. In fact, this was one of the finest Half-Guineas in Dr Terner's famous assemblage of only the best in British gold. It is boldly struck on the portrait (the shield has a small area of soft strike) and nearly flawless, its mirror-like surfaces gleaming with bright luster! Only his 1728 Half-Guinea surpassed it in Dr Terner's spectacular collection. To this cataloguer's eye, the PCGS grade seems conservative, for this piece (struck through some die-grease) is among the finest known and would be a stand-out in any London auction. Catalogues in EF in the Spink guide for $2,500 (about $5,000 at press time), but no "EF" this writer has ever seen can approach the glorious look possessed by this important specimen. Historically, this coin represents the insignia of a reign which saw modern politics begin to form, with the Whigs party's Sir Robert Walpole skillfully managing affairs of state while the (still largely German) king slowly became British and represented the nation as a regal figurehead, often at Kensington Palace in central London, where he died in 1760; he was the last English King to be buried at Westminster. This coin has a special association value, too: George II's grandson, who became George III, was born in the year this coin was minted. Perhaps someone saved it as a memento of that event! <BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coin/Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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