Commonwealth 1656 gold Unite, one of the rarest dates, finest graded MS63

Commonwealth (1649-60), gold Unite of Twenty Shillings, 1656, English shield within 15 leaf laurel and palm branch, legends in English language as opposed to Latin, initial mark sun, THE. COMMONWEALTH. OF. ENGLAND., rev. conjoined English and Irish shields, seven string to Irish harp, value .XX. above, beaded circle and legend surrounding, date at top, .GOD. WITH. VS., weight 8.96g (Schneider -/344; Bull EGC 27. R5; N.2715; S.3208). An exceptional and well-balanced specimen with much of its original mint bloom and lustre permeating the fields, cross hatching on the shields bold, legible legends with a fully centred strike, extremely rare with approximately 10 examples known for this date, encapsulated and graded by NGC as MS63 - the finest graded example.

NGC Certification 6066333-004. As of September 2023, this coin is the finest graded across both services with only four examples currently graded.

The Commonwealth coins were the first to feature the legends in plain English language, which did not occur again on a British coin until the edge inscription on the Elizabeth II 1953 Crown for the Coronation.

This coin appears to have a rarer die combination in addition to being a rare date with the lower leaves of the laurel branch showing some dual engraving as if the engraver started to engrave the die that struck this coin at too sharper upward angle, abandoned it after two leaves etched and started again with the laurel branch ascending at a more correct less severe angle, rendering the two lower leaves doubled to the left hand side towards the shield.

Looking at the sun and anchor website which documents the die varieties of Commonwealth coins it appears to be a combination of U153 obverse with U147 reverse.

Provenance:

Ex Dr Ernest Christianson Carter, Collection purchased by A. H. Baldwin 1950.

Ex Spink Numismatic Circular, November 1964, item 8870 offered at £150.

Ex Davissons Auction 10, Cold Spring, Minnesota, 30^th April 1998, lot 19.

Ex Spink Coin Auction 208, 22^nd June 2011, lot 755.

Ex Clearwater collection, Classical Numismatic Group, Auction 312, 9^th October 2013, lot 40, sold for $20,000 hammer.