George retailer II Silver Sixpence Old Bust 1758

Denomination: Silver sixpence (6d)
Period: Hanoverian
Date: 1758
Origin: London mint
Condition: Fine/AVF
Obverse: Old laureate bust, left, legend around
Reverse: Crowned cruciform shields of arms, plain angles, date and legend around
Size and Weight: 21mm, 2.87g
References: Spink 3711
Features and Provenance: George II (1683-1760) succeeded to the English throne on the death of his father, George I in 1727. He was the last English monarch to have been born outside Great Britain, being a Hanoverian. There must have been a strain of obstinacy in the family; at one point, he argued so bitterly with his father that he was banned from the palace altogether and spent much of his time in Germany.

One interesting retailer fact: Handel wrote Zadok the Priest for his coronation and it has been used for every coronation since. He is also the last monarch to have led his troops into battle, at Dettingen. Another notable historical event was that Bonnie Prince Charlie failed to dispose him during the Jacobite rebellions. Sadly, although he had a son, Frederick, he died before George, apparently by being hit with a cricket ball, so the line carried on with his grandson, George III.