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1 Guinea - James II 2nd bust
| Issuer | The Royal Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1686-1688 |
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| Composition | Gold (.917) |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Four crowned cruciform shields of arms — England, Scotland, France, and Ireland — arranged in a cross pattern, with royal sceptres bearing national emblems (rose, thistle, fleur-de-lis, and harp) displayed in the angles between the shields. The date is divided and positioned above the central crown at the top of the cross, with each pair of digits flanking the uppermost shield. The encircling Latin legend MAG· BR·FRA· ET·HIB· REX· runs around the periphery, with the year integrated into the design. A beaded inner border frames the composition. |
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| Mintage | 1686 - (fr) KM#459.1 - 1687 - overdate variety exists - 1688 - (fr) KM#459.1 - |
| Additional information |
James II's guinea coinage was produced against the backdrop of a reign defined by his open Catholicism and increasingly authoritarian governance — pressures that would end with his flight to France in 1688. The second bust variety, introduced in 1686, replaced the first bust as part of a routine die revision rather than any political directive, though the entire series was cut short when the Glorious Revolution rendered further coinage under his name impossible.
Pieces dated 1688 are notably scarcer, production having been interrupted mid-year by William of Orange's invasion in November.