2017-05-18 Thu

The East India Company released 100 ‘Bicentenary Guinea and Sovereign’ collection sets comprising of 2016 Guinea and one 2017 Sovereign for £1,395. The quarter-ounce 22-carat gold proof collection contains modern releases of The East India Company 2016 Guinea and The Royal Mint’s Benedetto Pistrucci’s designed 2017 Sovereign.

The 2016 Guinea has the same specifications like the original coin depicting the famous ‘spade’ Guinea motif of the last circulating Guinea (1787 – 1799) by King George III. Every coin has a ‘CC’ punch mark, indicating the 200th Anniversary of the 1816 Great Recoinage Act. The mintage was limited to only 300 coins. The latest coins are made using remastered tools from Pistrucci’s 1817 originals.

The original Guinea gold coins were handmade and struck by a hammer, making them irregular in shape, increasing the vulnerability of clipping. King Charles II introduced machine struck coins, making them regular in size, purer and eliminating the chances of clipping. The coins were used frequently for international trading and were trusted by merchants across the world for exchanging spices, tea and fine silk. New technology has been used to improve the security of a coin over the years.

The set comes in a presentation box with a numbered certificate of authenticity and historical background.