Great Britain, George III, 1767 Guinea Extremely Rare, R3, Single Finest Graded NGC Mint State 64

The Coin

The 1767 guinea of George III is one of the five rarest of the series. It is seldom offered in any grade and most collectors settle for low-grade place fillers. Examples that are a British very fine or better are considered top examples and feistily fought over by collectors and investors alike. This example is uncirculated, which is quite frankly unheard of. No example like it has been publicly offered at auction in at least two decades.

Ignoring rarity, this coin is a world class example of any guinea issue. Yeo’s delicately rounded engraving exists here in full beauty. There are no gaps in the lustre. No distracting marks. No surface issues or “water wear”. Truly a top example and just staggering to think it is a 1767 issue.

Richard Yeo (c.1720-79)

Richard Yeo first came to prominence in 1746 upon his creation of the official medal for the Battle of Culloden. From 1749, he was assistant engraver at the Royal Mint under the great John Sigmund Tanner. In 1775, Yeo officially succeeded Tanner as Chief Engraver at the mint. However, as a result of Tanner’s failing eyesight and other health issues Yeo had been acting effectively as Chief Engraver since 1760 but without the appropriate pay. This was amended in 1768 when he was awarded £500 for past labours. Tanner designed and engraved British coinage as Chief until his death in 1779. Yeo was an extremely accomplished engraver producing several patterns and circulation issues throughout his career and his particularly fine style brought a delicate realism to coins of the period.

Yeo was also a member of the Incorporated Society of Artists (1761-91) and founding member of the Royal Academy of Arts. He exhibited his works at the Academy in both 1769 and 1770.

The British Collection

This coin graced the illustrious British Collection, sold by the Swiss auction house SINCONA in two parts. The collection is one of the most complete and important collections of British coinage ever to exist. Assembled over 50 years of collecting with pieces spanning nearly six centuries and all of astounding quality, the collection sold for $5.8 million and stands as a momentous event in British numismatics, likely not to be bested for years to come.

It is worth noting however that most of the coins in the sale were sold without their provenances, much of which were of the highest prestige. Independent research on our part has been successful in reuniting some of these significant pieces with their history.