The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
Five Guineas: William & Mary (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse)
1691
Location: Not on view
Did You Know?
The shield of arms includes Ireland, represented by a harp, and Scotland, represented by a lion.Description
William of Orange-Nassau, and his wife Mary, daughter of James II, were proclaimed joint monarchs. Thus both their heads appear on their coinage. The only other instance of this in England is in the reign of Philip and Mary, 1554–58. Below them is a small elephant representing Guinea, the origin of the metal. William and Mary were invited to the English throne after James II had been driven from it, mainly because the people feared he was about to re-establish the Church of Rome.- Mrs. Emery May Holden Norweb (1895-1984), Cleveland, OH, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art1969-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Cleveland Museum of Art, and Emery May Norweb. English Gold Coins, Ancient to Modern Times, On Loan to the Cleveland Museum of Art from the Norweb Collection. [Catalog. 1968. p. 60
- Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).English Gold Coins: Ancient to Modern Times. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1963).
- {{cite web|title=Five Guineas: William & Mary (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse)|url=false|author=|year=1691|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.201