Losnummer 31180. William III gold "Fine Work" 2 Guineas 1701 AU55 NGC, KM507, S-3457, Schneider-482 var. (stop after GRA). An impressive issue that boasts "Fine Work" engraving, with this particular example having a substantial amount of mint bloom that radiates from the fields and only minor wear that has evenly affected the higher points of the designs. The remarkable realism and lifelike features in William's expression are the result of a modernizing program for assaying and Royal Mint operations brought about by mintmaster Sir Isaac Newton, which acted as a desperately needed reform of the shallow, uninspiring rendition of the monarch produced from the Great Recoinage of 1696. Indeed, the King's portrait remains the obvious focal point--with his intricately styled coiffure and deeply impressed facial features marking a special occasion for the viewer--while the addition of copper iridescence in the low-lying fields easily elevates the eye appeal. A number of minor post-strike imperfections are mentioned purely for accuracy's sake, but upon rotation, fade into the flash. Clearly a coin that been carefully preserved all these years, and a conditional wonder as such. Ex. Spink Auction 124 (November 1997, Lot 2175) From the Penn Collection