George II 1738 Five-Guineas

George II (1727-60), gold Five Guineas, 1738, first young laureate bust left, Latin legend with pellet stops surrounding, GEORGIVS. II. DEI. GRATIA., more closely spaced legend variety, toothed border surrounding, rev. crowned quartered shield of arms, different style emblems and crown band, date either side of top crown, abbreviated Latin legend, .M. B. F. ET. H. REX. F. D.B. ET. L. D. S. R. I. A. T. ET. E. toothed border surrounding, edge inscribed in raised letters, DECVS ET TVTAMEN ANNO REGNI DVODECIMO (Schneider 561; Schneider dies 6/5; MCE 283; S.3663A). Once lightly cleaned, now lightly toned, with some surface marks and flecks, good very fine and the third rarest date of the reign after 1731 and 1735.

The obverse legend translates as "George II by the Grace of God" whilst the reverse 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," with the edge translating as "An ornament and a safeguard, in the twelfth year of the reign."

The "Samuel King" Survey co-authored by this cataloguer published in May 2005 showed that only 27 examples of these coins were traded in a 45 year period on the British coin market 1960-2005, one of the lowest of the reign which is also struck from two obverse die varieties. This die with the more closed up lettering with wider gaps between the words has a distinctive tiny raised die flaw in the field in front of the neck. The only rarer dates of this reign are the two preceding issues of Five Guineas dated 1731 and 1735 respectively. The gold output for the calendar year of 1738 is £269,837 one of the lower in this reign; interestingly a year without any silver output, not even a maundy set, and in copper only the Halfpenny. The majority of the gold output was undoubtedly made up of the gold Two Guinea which is common for this year, and there are Guineas and Half-Guineas both of which are also rare.