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Auction: 26776 - America 250th Anniversary Sale Ft. Coins, Medals, Banknotes, Objets de Vertu & Ephemera
Lot: 24

George III (1760-1820), 'Spade' Guinea, 1789, fifth laureate head right, rev. crowned shield, seven strings to harp, edge chevron milled, 8.31g, 12h (MCE 393; EGC I, 716; S.3729), sweated and rubbed, the struck details nevertheless bolder than fine, a storied date in the American history being the year of George Washington's elevation on February 4 as her first Commander-in-Chief

George III's reign saw the collapse of British rule in America. Inheriting debt from the French and Indian War, his government imposed a series of taxes, provoking colonial protest under "no taxation without representation." Key flashpoints included the Boston Massacre (1770), the Boston Tea Party (1773), and the punitive Coercive Acts (1774), which pushed the colonies toward unity via the First Continental Congress.


War broke out at Lexington and Concord in 1775, and on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Revolutionary War (1775-1783), aided by France, ended in British defeat, and the 1783 Treaty of Paris saw George III formally recognise American independence, marking the end of British colonial rule and the birth of the United States.


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Estimate
$1,000 to $1,400

Starting price
$1000