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1 Guinea - James II 1st bust
| Issuer | England |
|---|---|
| Year | 1685-1686 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Four crowned cruciform shields of arms, representing England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, arranged symmetrically around a central point with sceptres bearing national emblems displayed in the angles between the shields. The divided date is placed at the top of the cruciform arrangement, flanked by the shield elements, with the royal legend encircling the entire design. The heraldic composition is executed with fine detail and precision typical of late seventeenth-century English milled coinage. |
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| Additional information |
James II came to the throne in February 1685 following the death of Charles II, and the guinea coinage continued largely uninterrupted — the dies for the first bust were prepared by John Roettier, who had served the mint since the Restoration. The 1685–86 first-bust type had a short run; a modified portrait was introduced by 1686, making the window for this variety narrow even within a single reign.
James's reign ended in flight to France in December 1688, meaning fewer than four years of his coinage exist in total across all denominations.