William & Mary 1693 Five-Guineas, QVINTO edge year, AU53, ex Baumhauer

William and Mary (1688-94), gold Five Guineas, 1693, conjoined busts right, legend surrounding, GVLIELMVS. ET. MARIA. DEI. GRATIA, second L of legend struck over M, toothed border around rim both sides, rev. crowned quartered shield of arms with scalloped frame, Lion of Nassau as an escutcheon at centre, date either side of crown, MAG. BR. FR. ET. HIB . REX. ET. REGINA., edge inscribed in raised letters, inverted orientation to obverse, +DECVS. ET. TVTAMEN. ANNO. REGNI. QVINTO. +., weight 41.66g (Schneider 462; Bull EGC 350; Holloway 52; MCE 140; S.3422). With an attractive red tone, surface marks and digs both sides, has been slabbed and graded by NGC as AU53.

NGC Certification 2130742-002.

"The Rarity of Five Guinea Pieces - An Analysis" appeared in the preface of the Samuel King Collection of Highly Important English Gold Coins sold at Spink on 5^th May 2005 co-written by the present cataloguer. The analysis showed that over a 45-year period preceding 2005, since 1960 that 91 examples of the Five Guineas dated 1693 plain below bust, had been bought or sold in numismatic commerce, which places it 3^rd out of the four dates and eight varieties of these large coins. £55,698 worth of gold for calendar year 1693 which is the third lowest for gold production in the six years of dates in this reign, though of course we do not know how the output would be broken down between the gold denominations nor how long a date on a coin die would have lasted into a following calendar year.

Provenance:

Ex Dr Rolf Baumhauer Collection, part 4, Sincona, Auction 82, 15^th May 2023, lot 1688.