Farthing 1687 Tin, Type 2 with draped bust, VG or better/NVG, the portrait with all major details clear, edge illegible so exact attribution not possible, 1687 is the only date with the draped bust. All James II Tin Farthings of this date are listed as 'ER' or 'EXR' by Peck
Shilling 1687 7 over 6 ESC 1072, Bull 768, UNC or near so, in an LCGS holder and graded LCGS 75, all James II Shilling extremely difficult to find in high grade and extremely sought after on the rare occasions we offer them
Sixpence 1687 Later Shields over Early Shields ESC 1526C, Bull 778, UNC in an LCGS holder and graded LCGS 80, all James II Sixpences are rare, this the rare variety for the year, rated at R2 by ESC and Bull, also in very high grade, the only example thus far recorded by the LCGS Population Report, and would grace any quality Sixpence collection
Sixpence 1688 Later Shields altered from Early Shields, stated by Bull to be B over R in BR, appears RR so more like R over B, ESC 1528, Bull 780, approaching Fine/Fine, all James II Sixpences scarce or rare
Guinea 1686 First Bust S.3400 VF and with a pleasing and even strike, many James II Guineas are encountered with areas of weak striking, this a superior example with excellent eye appeal
Five Guineas 1693 S.3422 Obverse conjoined busts of joint monarchs right. GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA. Reverse, crowned garnished square topped arms, lion of Nassau in centre. Edge year QVINTO in raised letters on edge, in a PCGS holder and graded MS62, with Prooflike and brilliant fields, a piece with remarkable eye appeal, the bust and reverse design lightly frosted, retaining much mint lustre, must surely be one of the finest known examples of this short series. At the time of writing, the PCGS Population report shows one example graded MS62+ and another at MS63 being the only finer examples. Across the entire William and Mary series combining all Five Guinea dates and varieties, only 4 examples have been graded higher by PCGS. and in August 2020 an example dated 1692 and graded MS63 by PCGS realised $384,000 in Heritage, and is now being offered for private treaty sale at $499,000, and we can tell you that that the difference in grade between MS62 and 63 is negligible. William and Mary were spouses who reigned over the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland. They began their joint reign in February 1689 after they were offered the throne by the Convention Parliament. James II (Mary’s father) had fled the country and William and Mary occupied what was in effect a vacant throne. They were the first joint rulers in England for over 800 years, although Philip II and Mary I had appeared on English coinage together. Mary was to reign until her death from smallpox in December 1694 and William continued his rule alone, until his death in March 1702. The reign of William and Mary was brief and their coins are relatively scarce.
Sixpence 1688 Late shields over early shields, stated by Bull to be B over R in BR, appears RR so more like R over B, ESC 1528, Bull 780, NEF with attractive old grey tone, some very minor adjustment lines are apparent , a superb example, all James II Sixpences rare in this high grade, the error legend rated at R2 by ESC and Bull must surely be much rarer in this high grade
Crown 1687 TERTIO edge ESC 78, Bull 743 a very pleasing and high grade example with grey and gold toning. Very few James II Crowns available in this high level of preservation. In an LCGS holder and graded LCGS 75, the second finest known of 11 examples thus far recorded by the LCGS Population Report
Crown 1687 TERTIO ESC 78, Bull 743 EF and retaining some original mint lustre, also with some haymarking and adjustment lines, the fields slightly uneven around the edges of the shields and around the legend, these mentioned for accuracy as the coin displays considerable eye appeal, all James II Crowns rare in this high grade
Five Guineas 1687 First Bust S3397 Prooflike and Brilliant About Unc rare thus graded and slabbed by PCGS at MS61, and a coin with fantastic eye appeal, very hard to find James II gold in this grade, indeed we note that an example of a 1688 Elephant and Castle piece, marginally inferior in obverse detail, graded PCGS MS61 WINGS sold recently in a US auction for $108,688 (at the time of writing converted to £84,452), we also note another 1687 Five Guineas of the same type as this lot in NGC MS61 currently being offered for sale at $117,500 on-line
Five Guineas 1693 Obverse conjoined busts of joint monarchs right. GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA. Reverse, crowned garnished square topped arms, lion of Nassau in centre Elephant and Castle below the bust S3423. Edge year QVINTO in raised letters on edge, GEF rare thus, not far off in grade to our lot 857 in LCA 155 Dec 2016 which realised £71,500 hammer. But this piece, the Elephant and Castle variety, is usually more sought after. The famous Samuel King Five Guineas sale by Spink included their well researched analysis of Five Guineas offered for sale in a 40 year period and the 1693 E & C offered here had a frequency of 19 compared to 91 of the S3422 type (1693 without E & C below). Last year a William and Mary 5 Guineas of this same type S3423 Elephant and Castle below in MS63 realised $258,000 in the USA. William and Mary were spouses who reigned over the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland. They began their joint reign in February 1689 after they were offered the throne by the Convention Parliament. James II (Mary’s father) had fled the country and William and Mary occupied what was in effect a vacant throne. They were the first joint rulers in England for over 800 years, although Philip II and Mary I had appeared on English coinage together. Mary was to reign until her death from smallpox in December 1694 and William continued his rule alone, until his death in March 1702. The reign of William and Mary was brief and their coins are relatively scarce, the piece offered here has a very competitive starting price and would truly be a bargain in todays market at the low estimate or in our opinion at several bids above.
Five Guineas 1693 Obverse conjoined busts of joint monarchs right. GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA. Reverse, crowned garnished square topped arms, lion of Nassau in centre. Edge year QVINTO in raised letters on edge, GEF reverse better and crisply struck rare thus, prooflike and brilliant fields a piece with remarkable eye appeal, the bust and reverse design lightly frosted, retaining much mint lustre, must surely be one of the finest known examples of this short series. Earlier this year a William and Mary 5 Guineas in MS63 realised $258,000 and in our opinion this coin would be at least MS62 on the US grading scale. William and Mary were spouses who reigned over the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland. They began their joint reign in February 1689 after they were offered the throne by the Convention Parliament. James II (Mary’s father) had fled the country and William and Mary occupied what was in effect a vacant throne. They were the first joint rulers in England for over 800 years, although Philip II and Mary I had appeared on English coinage together. Mary was to reign until her death from smallpox in December 1694 and William continued his rule alone, until his death in March 1702. The reign of William and Mary was brief and their coins are relatively scarce.
Farthing 1685 James II edge type unlisted by Peck, the date figures followed by a 5-lobed mullet instead of the star-shaped mullet, GVF/VF with a few spots, retaining much original tin colour and attractive for the type
Two Guineas 1688 8 over 7 S.3399 GVF with some light haymarking on the reverse, a pleasing and evenly struck piece with much eye appeal, James II Two Guineas are rare in all grades, this being only the second example and by far the finest example offered by us since 2003
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