SWITZERLAND. Basel. 2 Taler, 1741. NGC MS-64.Dav-1749; KM-150; HMZ-98d; Divo-739. Obverse: City view; Reverse: Basilisk supports the city arms. Virtually unheard of quality for this broad issue, displaying a far bolder strike than is typically encountered and incredibly smooth fields that possess strong gleam and almost no handling. Rich gray-gold tone serves as a base for both sides, with the addition of blue, green and orange iridescence around the designs adding considerable character. A small planchet void, mostly hidden inside the scales of the basilisk, should serve as a useful pedigree marker for future identification. Not surprisingly, the single finest example seen by either NGC or PCGS, with a search of archived auction results yielding no raw examples that are definitively finer. Quite possibly the finest known as such, and certainly deserving of attention from the collector who is purposefully assembling a world-class collection of Talers and multiples.
