‘Fine Work’ Unite

CNG 108, Lot: 1162. Estimate $10000. Sold for $9505. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

STUART. Charles I. 1625-1649. AV Unite (35mm, 9.07 g, 5h). Group C, Class IIa, bust 3a, ‘Fine work’. Tower (London) mint; im: plume. Struck 1631. · (plume) · CAROLVS’· D : G : MAG’· BRIT’· FR’· ET · HIB’· REX, crowned and mantled bust (3a) left, wearing ruff; XX (mark of value) to right / FLORENT · CONCORDIA · REGNA · (plume) ·, crowned coat-of-arms. Schneider, Tower, pl. XVI, 7/pl. XVII, 29; Brooker –; Schneider 137; North 2150; SCBC 2690. Good VF, richly toned. A piece of ‘fine work,’ struck on a specially prepared full, round flan. Very rare.

Ex Sotheby’s (2 February 1986), lot 90; Spink 4 (22 February 1979), lot 803.

In early 1631 the gold coinage was redesigned. A stylish new bust was introduced paired with a crowned oval shield of arms on the reverse. This change coincided with the increased involvement of the engraver Nicholas Briot in the mint. A concerted effort to improve the quality of production appears to behave been undertaken in anticipation of Briot’s first milled issue later that year. A series of beautiful proofs were struck. Some of the dies of these proof issues 'were subsequently released for general use and it is not surprising that in many cases they have produced coins with a superior finish and a rather smoother and more glossy surface than coins struck from the standard dies of the current issue.’ – Herbert Schneider, “The Tower Gold of Charles I” in BNJ 1956, p. 343.