George I 1715 Guinea, NGC VF35, 3rd head, ex Ellerby Hoard

George I (1714-27), gold Guinea, 1715, third laureate head right, abbreviated Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, GEORGIVS. D. G. M. BR. FR. ET. HIB. REX. F.D., rev. crowned cruciform broad shields, incorporating the Arms of Hanover, ornamental sceptres in angles, garter star at centre, date either side of top crown, abbreviated Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, .BRVN ET. L. DVX S.R.I.A.TH ET. EL., edge milled (Schneider 546; Bull EGC 504; MCE 247; S.3630). Heavy surface mark on temple of obverse portrait, reverse toned with patches of residual lustre, graded and conserved by NGC as VF35 with Ellerby Hoard label.

NGC Certification 6380983-199 - with custom Ellerby Area Hoard label - crowned AR motif as taken from design feature on the pot the coins were housed in upon discovery.

The Latin legends translate to on obverse "George by the Grace of God," continuing on the reverse in abbreviated Latin which if in shown in full reads "Magnae Britanniae Franciae et Hiberniae Rex Fidei Defensor Brun et Lunebergen-sis Dux, Sacri Romani Imperii Archi-Thesaurius et Elector," and translates as "King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Luneberg, High Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire."

The calendar year output for the year of 1715 for gold was £1,739,505 which is the highest for the reign of George I, perhaps this goes some way to explain why there are two different heads for the year of 1715, the rarer second bust being exclusive to this year only.

Provenance:

Ex Ellerby Hoard, Spink Auction 22027, 7^th of October 2022, Lot 209.

The Ellerby Hoard was the numismatic find of 2022 and has been more fully written up with its amazing results in Coin News December 2022 pages 40-43 by John Andrew.

The hoard consisted of 264 gold coins all hidden in a pot of similar stature to a modern fizzy drink can and was hidden under the floor near a door lintel in one of the older houses in the Ellerby area of Yorkshire. The gold coins ranged in date from 1610 to 1727 and likely represented a significant proportion of the wealth of Hull merchant and trader Joseph Fernley who married the younger Sarah Maisters in 1694 and lived at the house through the period of the later date range of the coins in the hoard. Joseph died in 1725 at the age of 76 so the last coins were added by Sarah Maisters who did not pass away till 1745 at the age of 80. The hoard was sold by Spink in October of 2022 for a total hammer price of £625,000 which totalled £754,000 with the buyers premium.