Anne 1705 Five Guineas

Anne (1702-14), gold Five Guineas, 1705, Pre-Union type, first draped bust left, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, ANNA. DEI. GRATIA. rev. crowned emblematic Pre-Union cruciform shields, rose at centre, emblematic sceptres in angles, date either side of top crown, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, .MAG BR.FRA ET.HIB REG. edge inscribed in raised letters of inverted orientation to obverse, +DECVS. ET. TVTAMEN ANNO. REGNI. QVARTO. (Schneider -; M.C.E. 198; S.3560). Intermittent scratch across obverse, some minor scratched graffitti on reverse by RA of FRA and on edge, otherwise with a pleasing red copper tone and underlying brilliance, extremely fine and very rare.

The Latin legends translate as "Anne, by the grace of God," on obverse and on the reverse as "Queen of Great Britain, France and Ireland," additionally on the edge as "an ornament and a safeguard, in the fourth year of the reign."

"The Rarity of Five Guinea Pieces - An Analysis" co-authored by this cataloguer in 2005 revealed only eighteen examples of the 1705 Five Guineas had been traded, in a survey across hundreds of British auction catalogues and dealer's sales lists over a 45 year period dating back to 1960. The Pre-Union of England and Scotland gold are the rarest coins of Queen Anne's reign, with the VIGO of 1703 being the rarest with the 1705 and 1706 pieces being of equal rarity.

Provenance:

Ex Spink Coin Auction 101, 24^th November 1993, lot 145.

Ex Samuel King Collection of Highly Important English Gold Coins, Spink Coin Auction 173, 5^th May 2005, lot 154.