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Auction: 22107 - Spink Numismatic e-Circular 17: Part I - A Gentleman's Collection of Crowns, Halfcrowns and Florins - e-Auction
Lot: 763

William and Mary (1688-1694), Halfcrown, 1689 PRIMO, seriffed V in GVLIELMVS, first laureate and draped busts right, rev. first crowned shield, no frosting, with pearls, reads FRA, eight strings to harp, lettered edge, 14.71g, 6h (Bull 829 [R2]; ESC 507B; Spink 3434), a superb example of the 'FRA' error, lightly toned, very fine and rare, especially in this state

Provenance
SCMB, November 1968, Q95 - illustrated on cover - VF, RR - £25.0.0


The following note was appended to our Spink Numismatic e-Circular 8 (29 April 2021, lot 5406) - As fascination with the English Coinage finds new heights as a consequence of recent COVID lockdowns, the subject of 'discovery pieces' should come to prominence amongst mindful collectors. Messrs Seaby recognised the FRA spelling as a variety of this broad 1689 Halfcrown series in 1953. Further cursory study by the present cataloguer has confirmed that the unusual seriffing to the first V of GVLIELMVS is also a unique feature of this die marriage with all of the few specimens of the FRA type encountered possessing the form, but with no other precedent across the rest of the series. Close examination would suggest it a deliberate feature rather than a die break, but why such styling would apply only to the first V of GVLIELMVS is not clear.

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Estimate

Starting price
£210