James II gold 5 Guineas 1686 AU58 NGC, KM460.1, S-3396. SECVNDO edge, denoting the second year of James's reign. An immense offering: the rarest year by far of James II's 5 Guineas, offered here in the highest certified grade awarded by either NGC or PCGS, with just six pieces graded in total. James II was nowhere near as popular as his brother Charles, and was vilified for his Catholicism and political decrees; accordingly, his reign was only for three short years before he was removed as monarch and replaced by his Protestant daughter Mary and her husband, William of Orange. Produced in the heyday of his reign when England, Ireland and Scotland still supported him as the divine monarch, this 5 Guineas resides on the very brink of Mint State with a fabulous portrait of James exhibiting no wear and only minor contact marks, exceptionally rendered so as to maximise the effect of Roettier's engraving. The planchet features subtle residual luster brightening the entire piece, hints of a reddish tone forming above the rich gold surfaces, minor marks in the field (in line with the grade) offering no detraction to the eye appeal of this wondrous, large-sized aurous offering. An absolute must-have for the grade-conscious collector of Five Guinea pieces, and a prize which only one collector may walk away with once the auction concludes.

HID09801242017

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