Goldberg Coins & Collectibles Auctions    
       

       

                             



Sale 31: The Pre-Long Beach Auction May 30 - June 1, 2005
             

             
            Lot 2176Great Britain. Broad, or 20 shillings gold, 1656. Oliver 
            Cromwell. S-3225. Fr-273. WR-39. Reeded edge. Designed by Thomas 
            Simon. Reverse features a finely engraved Shield of the 
            Protectorate. A fascinating denomination which looks both backwards 
            in time to its origin (same value as the gold Pound of Elizabeth) 
            and forward to the coming centuries (for it is in effect the very 
            first Guinea, though technically valued at one shilling less). Its 
            appearance introduced a new style of gold coin to England, a 
            gorgeously engraved, smartly minted, fully round and technically 
            superb presentation of wealth. Cromwell never allowed himself to be 
            called or crowned King, and his coins broke with an ancient 
            tradition of having each monarch look in a direction opposite to 
            that shown on the previous ruler's coinage. Charles I was always 
            shown looking left. Cromwell faced the same direction. It was a 
            subtle defiance but also a way of saying he was not a king. However, 
            his portrait was certainly regal, and in fact he looks more a Roman 
            emperor than a "mere" English king. His Gold Broad is one of his 
            rarest coins, surely his most impressive in gold. It rates R2 
            overall, Very Rare, but that is merely Wilson & Rasmussen's summary 
            of the coin as a type. Truth be told, most are not very attractive, 
            most show a fair bit of abuse (scratches, marks, cleaning), some of 
            it probably intentional after Cromwell fell from glory. This 
            delightful specimen is such a happy example! It's highly prooflike, 
            gleaming with luster and virtually as made, and is adorned by a most 
            fetching old-gold reddish toning in its lettering. Few others can 
            compare to this excellent specimen, one of the finest known. Only 
            the Terner #1 specimen was finer, in the cataloguer's experience. 
            NGC graded MS-64. 
            Estimated Value $20,000-22,500. 

            Provenance: The Cheshire Collection.
             Realized $24,000
             


          








Courtesy Ira & Larry Goldberg Auctioneers, Beverly Hills, CA. www.goldbergcoins.com