|
|
 |
Anne, 1702-1714
Anne, the second daughter of James II and younger sister of Mary,
succeeded to the throne upon the respective deaths of her sister Mary
and William III. John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough, a preeminent
general of his day and direct ancestor of Winston Churchill, was one of
her closest advisors, a power behind the throne. Her reign saw the union
of England and Scotland, the establishment of a general post office, and
the founding of the nation's first daily newspaper. Out of 22
pregnancies, Anne bore only one child who lived past infancy, and he
died at age 11 in 1700. Thus, the Stuart dynasty expired.
Gold coins struck during Anne's reign are similar to those of the
four prior monarchs in that they were struck to the same specifications.
However, the style of the coins changed significantly when Johan Croker,
a German, became chief engraver. The modest queen objected to being
represented with bare neck and chest as her predecessors had been and
therefore Croker's portrait depicts her with draped shoulders. With the
union of England and Scotland, the English leopards and the Scottish
lion were joined on the reverse in both the top and bottom shields, with
the arms of France to the right and those of Ireland to the left.
An interesting sidelight is that Sir Isaac Newton, one of the most
brilliant scientists of all time, served as Anne's mintmaster. Newton
introduced several new technological innovations that greatly improved
the minting process.
The Gold Coins of Anne
Two Guinea value 40 shillings, wt. 16.39 grams
1711, London Mint, EF
The obverse was engraved by Johan Croker.
Two Guinea value 40 shillings, wt. 16.71 grams
1713, London Mint, EF
The star of the Order of the Garter is now at the center of the
shields.
 Five
Guinea value 100 shillings, wt. 41.75 grams
1706, London Mint, EF+
Five Guinea value 100 shillings, wt. 41.71 grams
1711, London Mint, VF+
|
|
