James II (1685-1688), Guinea, 1688, second laureate head left, flared nostril, DEI at crown of head, rev. crowned shields cruciform, emblem-adorned sceptres in angles, edge obliquely milled, 8.33g, 6h (Murdoch II, 697[b]; King 122; Schneider II, 457/-, same obverse die [albeit dated 1687]; MCE 130; Spink 3402), a scratch in first quarter of reverse, otherwise lightly toned, a really bold fine, an intriguing coin Provenance From the Quinn Collection Purchased R Lobel (London), 3 June 1991 - ?50 NGC AU-Details ~ Reverse Scratched (Certification #5879376-017) https://www.ngccoin.com/certlookup/5879376-017/NGCDetails/ The repositioned legend removing DEI towards the back of the Kings head is an unusual feature for a 1688 issue Guinea, with this trait almost always associated with the Elephant and Castle variety of this date. Only two previous offerings at worldwide public auction since 2002 have been traced by this cataloguer exhibiting the same trait on a plain truncation type, with all other examples placing DEI over the top of the head (as seen on the previous lot). In study of the Schneider collection, it is apparent that this unusual obverse die was previously employed for the striking of 1687 issues, and hence its usage must have been transitional over the changing calendar year. Further discussion of die varieties in the English Gold Coinage will appear in an eponymous book by Maurice Bull (forthcoming, Spink 2020)
