Auction Name: 2026 January 12 NYINC World & Ancient Coins Platinum Session and Signature® Auction - New York

Lot Number: 32016

Shortcut to Lot: HA.com/3129*32016

Charles II gold Unite of 20 Shillings ND (1660-1662) AU55 NGC, KM415, S-3301, N-2753 (Rare). 8.96gm. First hammered issue without mark of value behind bust. A phenomenal representative of this fleeting issue, the highest denomination of Charles II's short-lived series of hammered coinage. From a balanced a full strike, this piece retains needle-point peripheries, especially in the shield, admitting little to no signs of handling. A coveted amber tone silhouettes the well-defined motifs, a remember of its 350+ of history. Undoubtedly a piece for the most discerning coin cabinets.

After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, the Tower mint began striking coins of much the same style as under Charles I but with a far finer portrait of the King than seen previously, perhaps out of loyalty for their recently-restored monarch. However, under the Commonwealth much work had been undertaken by the engraver Thomas Simon and engineer Pierre Blondeau to introduce milled coinage to England, a process which continued into the reign of Charles II. Accordingly, within just two years of the King's return, hammered coinage such as this superb Unite ceased to be produced as milled coins took their place.

From the Naim Margulis Collection of British Coinage

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