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5 Guineas - Charles II 2nd bust
| Issuer | England |
|---|---|
| Year | 1678-1684 |
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| Currency | Pound sterling (1158-1970) |
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| Obverse description | Second laureate and draped bust of King Charles II facing right, with a rounded truncation at the shoulder, engraved in the style of John Roettier. The effigy is rendered with fine portrait detail characteristic of the Restoration period. The Latin legend CAROLVS·II·DEI·GRATIA encircles the bust, reading continuously around the obverse field. |
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| Obverse lettering | CAROLVS·II· DEI·GRATIA (Translation: Charles the Second by the Grace of God) |
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| Additional information |
The five guinea piece was the largest standard gold denomination in Stuart England, and Charles II's reign saw it minted primarily as a prestige object — a diplomatic gift, a royal gratuity, and a demonstration of the restored monarchy's capacity to produce gold coinage on a grand scale. The Elephant and Castle privy mark found on several dates within this series denotes gold supplied by the Royal African Company, in which the king himself held a personal financial interest.
The second bust, introduced in 1678, was the work of John Roettier, who had fled the Dutch Republic to serve the English Crown. Dies for this denomination were cut with exceptional care, but surviving examples in problem-free condition remain genuinely scarce given the relatively low annual output of the Mint across these six years.