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Auction: 26776 - America 250th Anniversary Sale Ft. Coins, Medals, Banknotes, Objets de Vertu & Ephemera
Lot: 19

George II (1727-1760), 'Old Head' Half-Guinea, 1760, old laureate head left, rev. crowned garnished shield, seven strings to harp, obliquely milled edge, 4.15g, 6h (MCE 366; EGC I, 662; S.3685), light scratch before the bust and some softness to tops of devices, with lustre, very fine, last year of issue type

George II's reign was a period of significant territorial expansion and escalating imperial conflict in America. In 1732, he granted a charter to James Oglethorpe for the founding of Georgia, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies, conceived partly as a buffer against Spanish Florida and partly as a refuge for England's "worthy poor" and debtors.


His reign saw two major colonial wars: the War of Jenkins' Ear (1739-1748), fought against Spain over trade disputes and border tensions, which merged into the broader War of the Austrian Succession (known in the colonies as King George's War); and, the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War, pitting Britain and its colonies against France and its Native allies for control of the continent.


Though the war concluded just after George II's death, his final years saw major British victories, including the capture of Quebec in 1759. His reign also witnessed the 1754 Albany Congress, the first time in the 18th century that American colonial representatives met to discuss the possibilities of a formal union.


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Estimate
$600 to $800

Starting price
$500