Goldberg Coins & Collectibles Auctions    
       

       

                             



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

             
            Lot 2185Great Britain. Silver Crown, 1664. Charles II. Second bust. 
            S-3355. Edge not readable in the slab but XVI. Compared to the first 
            issue of 1663, this crown shows the king as if at a slight distance. 
            His portrait is smaller, perhaps less elegant, but more dramatic. 
            This particular specimen is also extraordinary in quality, having 
            very little actual wear, lots of mint luster gleaming beneath 
            handsome, well-set 17th-century golden silvery gray toning. Lots of 
            almost invisible, tiny black carbon flecks in the silvery alloy, but 
            these are typical of their era and do not detract even slightly from 
            the quality and overall beauty of this wonderful crown. As Alan 
            Rayner says in his English Silver Coinage book, page 6, "no crowns 
            of Charles II are common in first class condition." That is a major 
            understatement, in the best English tradition, for a coin of this 
            quality probably figures in the top 1% or 2% of all crowns of this 
            reign. As well, this date is seldom seen in better grade. NGC graded 
            AU-53. 
            Estimated Value $5,000-6,000. 

            Provenance: The Cheshire Collection.
             Realized $3,600
             


          








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