Two Guineas 1684 King Charles II, Coin from England - detailed information

Two Guineas 1684 King Charles II, Coin from England (demonetised 1816)
CoinTwo Guineas 1684 King Charles II

The Guinea is a coin minted in England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1814, which contains approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. Its name comes from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where much of the gold used to make the coins was sourced. It is the first English machine-struck gold coin, originally representing a value of 20 shillings in sterling specie, equal to one pound, but rises in the price of gold relative to silver caused the value of the guinea to increase later, at times to as high as thirty shillings. From 1717 to 1816, its value was officially fixed at twenty-one shillings.

The designs of the coins, as was typical of the period, are generally exactly the same as those of other denominations and, given that their values are not inscribed on the coins, the inscriptions are the same too. Thus, coins issued at the same time look virtually the same and the different denominations can only be distinguished by their composition and size. The composition of the guinea is "crown gold": a 22 karat (kt) gold alloy first used in the crown coin introduced in England in 1526

The guinea denominations were demonetised with the recoinage of 1816.

Both sides of the coins of King Charles II were designed by John Roettiers.

MintRoyal Mint Mint MarkNo mint mark Mintageunknown
Visit the Royal Mint web site for the latest coin releases Visit the Royal Mint web site for the latest coin releases
(affiliate ad)
Obverse
England / Two Guineas 1684 King Charles II - obverse photo

Within a toothed border, the obverse of the coin depicts the second laureate bust of King Charles II, designed by John Roettiers. The King has long flowing hair held with a laurel wreath, and faces right.

Around left and around right, part of the monarch's legend: CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA, which in Latin means "Charles the Second, by the Grace of God". The rest of the legend is on the reverse.

Obverse Inscription CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Reverse
England / Two Guineas 1684 King Charles II - reverse photo

Within a toothed border, the reverse design features a cruciform of four crowned shields forming a cross around the four intertwined letters C. The shields bear the arms of England (top): three lions "passant guardant", Scotland (right): a rampant lion, France (below): three fleurs-de-lis, and Ireland (left): a harp.

In the angles are four sceptres dividing the shields, surmounted respectively by an orb with cross (for England), thistle (for Scotland), fleur-de-lis (for France), and harp (for Ireland).

Around above, divided by the crown on the top English shield, the date of issue 1684.

Around the rim, interrupted by the crowns, the continuation of the monarch's legend: · MAG · BR · FRA · ET · HIB · REX ·. This is abbreviated from "Magnae Britanniae, Franciae et Hiberniae Rex" and means "of Great Britain, France and Ireland King". The mention of France, and the inclusion of the French shield in the design, reflect the king's claim to the throne of France - which he did not actually rule.

As was normal for the time, the denomination of the coin is not inscribed anywhere.

Reverse Inscription · MAG · BR · FRA · ET · HIB · REX · 1684
EdgeDiagonal millingEdge InscriptionNone
Two Guineas 1684 King Charles II: Known varieties
Variety With elephant and castle
Mintage Issued: unknown
Details

A small elephant carrying a "howdah" (castle) below the portrait of the king; this was the emblem of the Royal African Company (RAC), which had been granted a monopoly on English trade with Africa in slaves, gold and other goods, from 1672 until 1698, and signifies that the gold for that particular coin was imported by the company.

All (15) coins of type: Two Guineas (16.77 - 17.07 g gold)
Coin NameMintageEffigyLegend
Two Guineas 1664 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - First Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1665 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - First Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1666 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - First Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1671 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - First Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1673 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - First Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1675 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - Second Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1676 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - Second Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1677 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - Second Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1678 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - Second Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1679 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - Second Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1680 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - Second Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1681 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - Second Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1682 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - Second Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1683 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - Second Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Two Guineas 1684 King Charles II unknown King Charles II - Second Laureate Bust CAROLVS · II · DEI · GRATIA
Advertising
The Definitive Guide to Australian Silver Coins
The Definitive Guide to Australian Silver Coins
My Collection
Please sign up and/or log in.
You will then be able to manage your collection and record whether you have or want this coin.
Two Guineas 1684 King Charles II: Details
CountryEngland
CurrencyPound Sterling (England)
PeriodPound Sterling (Late Medieval) (1158 - 1707)
Coin TypeTwo Guineas (16.77 - 17.07 g gold)
Issued1684
MonarchKing Charles II
EffigyKing Charles II - Second Laureate Bust
ReverseCruciform Shields England / Scotland / France / Ireland
Face Value40 (x Shilling)
Mintageunknown
CurrentNo; demonetised 1816
Material0.9167 Gold
DesignerJohn Roettiers
TechnologyMilled (machine-made)
ShapeRound
OrientationCoin Alignment (Axis 6)
Size32.0000 mm
Mass16.7760 g
OCC IDDKLM-OMKC-XLPK-ONZB
Search Similar Coins to Buy (Affiliate Ad)
Share or Bookmark this Page
Two Guineas 1684 King Charles II: Photos
ImageDetails
Two Guineas 1684 King Charles II: Photo Charles II gold 2 Guineas 1684 VF - Cleaned, KM443.1, S-3335 / thumbnail Charles II gold 2 Guineas 1684 VF - Cleaned, KM443.1, S-3335
Copyright: Heritage Auctions
Source
Two Guineas 1684 King Charles II: Photo Charles II gold 2 Guineas 1684 VF - Cleaned, KM443.1, S-3335 / thumbnail Charles II gold 2 Guineas 1684 VF - Cleaned, KM443.1, S-3335
Copyright: Heritage Auctions
Source
Two Guineas 1684 King Charles II: Catalogue Reference IDs
SourceReference ID
Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom3335, 3336 (with elephant)
Friedberg, Gold Coins of the WorldGreat Britain Fr. 284, 286 (with elephant)
Krause, Standard Catalog of World CoinsGreat Britain KM# 443.1, 443.2 (with elephant)