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William III and Mary II, 1689-1702

James II, though himself a Catholic, had two Protestant daughters, Mary and Anne. Mary the older and the first in line to succeed her father, married William of Orange, ruler of the Netherlands, but was still in line to become Queen. However, in 1688 she was displaced when a son was born to James. The Protestant English thus were faced with the possibility of permanent Catholic rule. With this prospect, they encouraged William and Mary to displace James. Accordingly, William crossed the channel with an army of 14,000 and invaded England in 1688. James was allowed to flee to France, thus avoiding bloodshed, and giving rise to the designation of the historic event as the "Bloodless" or "Glorious" Revolution. William forthwith summoned Parliament, which declared Mary and him co-rulers of England and Scotland, as had been expected. In 1689 it passed the Bill of Rights, which banned Roman Catholics from the throne and made it illegal for a monarch to suspend laws, keep an army or levy taxes without Parliament's consent.

As with the case of James II, the issues of William and Mary were engraved by Jan Roettier and produced by Pierre Blondeau on a screw press. They are the only English coins to show the profiles of two monarchs. The reverse shows a garnished shield, with the arms of England and France in the first and third quarters, Scotland in the second and Ireland in the third, topped with a large crown. In the center is a new and significant device: an escutcheon bearing the rampant lion of Orange, identifying the monarch as being of the House of Orange.

Two Guinea value 40 shillings, wt. 16.65 grams
1694, London Mint, VF
The only English coin to feature two monarchs.

Two Guinea value 40 shillings, wt. 16.71 grams
1694, London Mint, VF+
Notice the milling on the edge is diagonal rather than horizontal.

Five Guinea value 100 shillings, wt. 41.60 grams
1694, London Mint, EF

Five Guinea value 100 shillings, wt. 41.78 grams
1692, London Mint, VF+
The standing lion in the center identifies the monarch with the House of Orange.