A superb example of the 1679 two guinea coin starred among British rarities at Baldwin's
A gold two guinea coin from 1679 has sold as top lot in a September 27 auction of rare British coins in London.
The onlycomparable Charles IIcoin sold for $65,000
The two guinea coin originates from the reign of Charles II and is in remarkable condition, with auction house Baldwin'sstating that it knows of no other two guinea piece as deeply toned as the present example.There is only one comparable coin in existence - the 1676 two guinea that once formed part of the Millenia collection, and sold for $65,000 in 2008.
The present example went to auction with a 25,000-30,000 ($40,377-$48,353) estimate, achieving 26,000 ($41,993). Lower quality examples of the coin sell for around 1,000-3,000.
The William IIIcoin is extremely rare in this condition
Also featuring among the highest selling lots was a William III five guinea gold coin, which was once part of the Samuel King collection. In extremely fine condition, marred only by hairline and some flan flaws, the coin sold for 22,000 ($35,543), achieving a 10% increase on its 20,000 ($32,311) high estimate.
However, one of the main highlights in the sale were 101 Henry III pennies from the mysterious Brussels Hoard of 1908.
The Brussels Hoard was first discovered concealed in a bricked up vault, following the demolition of an old tavern in the Belgian capital. The hoard contained over 140,000 ancient coins from across the continent, though only the English examples avoided melting.
The highest selling lot from the extraordinary collection was a Henry III Long Cross Type 1a, which was accompanied by an old ticket from AH Baldwin,the former owner of the hoardand the auction house's founder. As Baldwin suggests in the inscription, this type of thecoin is extremely rare and it warranted a final sale price of 1,300 ($2,099) - an 8.3% increase on its 1,200 ($1,938) high estimate.
Paul Fraser Collectibles is currently offering a stunning collection of rare British coins, including a Charles I shilling which was struck in Carlisle during the civil war.
