George I (1714-1727), Guinea, 1718 over 7 [?], fourth laureate head right, rev. crowned shields cruciform, emblem-adorned sceptres in angles, edge obliquely milled, 8.14g, 5h (Murdoch III, -; King -; cf. Spink 217, lot 769; Schneider II, 547/-; MCE 250; Spink 3631), an attempted piercing on reverse and scratch by ties, otherwise the key devices and edge milling clear, only approaching fine, yet an excessively rare date in series, just the second to appear at public auction this millennium Provenance The Roy Francis Collection NGC VG-Details ~ Obverse Scratched, Reverse Damage (Certification #5879380-012) https://www.ngccoin.com/certlookup/5879380-012/NGCDetails/ With so few examples traced for 1718-dated Guineas, it is not surprising that close scrutiny of the date letters has yet to take place. It is the opinion of this cataloguer that the 8 is struck over a 7. This example is also die matched to the only other example to be offered through these rooms in June 2013 (Spink 213, lot 769 - ?,100). Although the present offering is marginally inferior to that specimen, the die wear exhibited in the broken obverse lettering is seen on both coins.
