coin, William & Mary guinea
Object number2011.045.640
Titlecoin, William & Mary guinea
DescriptionWilliam & Mary guinea. Obverse: Draped busts facing right, elephant and castle mark below. Lettering: 'GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA'. Reverse: Crowned coat of arms. Lettering: 'MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA 1689'. Dated 1689.
The guinea was a coin of approximately one quarter ounce of gold that was minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814. It was the first English machine-struck gold coin, originally worth one pound sterling, equal to twenty shillings, but rises in the price of gold relative to silver caused the value of the guinea to increase, at times to as high as thirty shillings.
The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, where much of the gold used to make the coins originated, and coins carrying the mark of the elephant and castle indicates the gold originated in Africa.
Production date 1689 - 1689
Object namecoin
Materialgold
Dimensions
- diameter: 2.6 cm