Charles II (1660 - 85)  Read about Charles II

 

 

 

Hammered Gold

 

WAu-8088:  Charles II Restoration Period Hammered Gold Crown.  First issue, initial mark Crown, circa very early in the 1660-62 hammered period.  Obverse 3, reverse 3 dies.  S.R. 3303, North 2757, Schneider 389, Bull 114 (plate coin).  Pierced and plugged (immediately to the left of the obverse initial mark / around the letter R of the reverse – die rotation 10h).  I bought this as a nEF, unplugged coin because even though I’d looked closely, I did not spot the plug.  In honesty, I still can’t place it with any high degree of certainty as it’s a top rate job.  If the paperwork (which came to me after I’d bought the coin) stating the presence of the plug were to become disassociated from this coin, I doubt anyone would ever notice – the workmanship is that good.  This extremely late hammered coinage period of 1660-62, even though it spanned three issues, was very much treading water and just really getting anything out there that would reassure the public of the Restoration of the monarchy and the demise of the Commonwealth.  The quality of coinage in general was not good and did deteriorate through the issues – you only have to look at the hammered halfcrown issues to see that.  Everyone at the mint was aware that hammered coinage was dead in the water and that milled coinage was coming (indeed, Blondeau was getting everything together, ready for production of his new milled coinage, literally as this coin was being minted) so the dies were mediocre at best, as was the actual execution of the coinage.  And yet look at the state of this coin, especially the obverse!  What a tremendous coin!  Something else to bear in mind: Blondeau needed all the silver and gold he could get his hands on for the onset of milled coinage, and the country was still teetering on bankruptcy after the Commonwealth, so very little bullion was actually put into the hammered years.  A very rare, attractive and desirable coin.  £4,850 RESERVED (30-12-24)

 

 

 

Tin with a Copper Plug

 

WCA-9042:  1684 Charles II Tin Farthing - Choice.  S.R. 3395, Peck 532.  This ill advised tin issue was initiated under Charles II in 1684 in an attempt to help out the ailing Cornish tin industry.  In 1692 it was gone, never to appear again.  These tin coins had an alarming rate of wear from circulation. The Ferryman’s hoard of W&M tin coins from the River Thames in the 1970’s was made up of 1690 through to 1692 tin coins. There were no copper 1694 coins leading to the conclusion that the purse was dropped into the Thames 1693 or earlier. Of the many coins, the 1690’s were all very worn, the 1691’s quite worn and the 1692’s being at least somewhat worn. The 1690’s coins could only have been in circulation for three years or so but they were all very worn. Even the coins that had been in circulation for only up to a year or so were worn. This illustrates just how hard it is to find high grade tin coinage. As well as wear, the tin coinage corrodes in air and the soil (tin was far too reactive a metal to be used for coinage, something it took the mint 8 years to realise) so high grade examples, invariably out of the Thames (anaerobic conditions), are at a premium - this coin must have been one of those such coins.  Counterfeiting was clearly a consideration as every tin coin that left the mint had a copper plug – designed as an anti counterfeiting measure.  Perhaps the Mint ought to have had similar considerations just a few decades on, during the mid to late 1700’s, when towards the end of the century, counterfeit (and we’re talking really obvious / very little effort re dies or even the final product) “copper” coins literally outnumbered the genuine coinage in circulation!  The very best grade example tin Charles II farthing I have ever had.  The obverse and edge legend are exceptional.  You can even see the mint adjustment marks on the obverse!  £1,685

 

 

 

Hammered Silver

 

Sixpence

 

WCA-7624:  Charles II Restoration Period Hammered Silver Sixpence.  The rarer first issue with no inner circles and no mark of value.  Old crease.  S.R. 3309.  A rare coin.  £495

 

WCA-7110:  Charles II Restoration Period Late Hammered Silver Sixpence.  Initial mark Crown, 1660-62 but nearer 1662 as this is the last Third Issue.  After this, there were no more hammered coins struck for currency.  S.R. 3323.  A decidedly handsome coin.  £655

 

 

 

Pence

 

WCA-7032:  Charles II “Restoration” Period Hammered Silver Threepence.  Third issue, struck late on in that brief window of 1660-62, after which hammered coinage was officially superseded by milled coinage.  Large flan.  S.R. 3325.  The top image (Canon camera using daylight bulb) was a bit of a disaster so I’ve included the bottom image (cheap camera phone using natural indoor winter daylight) which is unaccountably more representative.  £155

 

WCA-7033:  Charles II “Restoration” Period Hammered Silver Halfgroat.  Third issue, struck late on in that brief window of 1660-62, after which hammered coinage was officially superseded by milled coinage.  S.R. 3326.  The top image (Canon camera using daylight bulb) was a bit of a disaster so I’ve included the bottom image (cheap camera phone using natural indoor winter daylight) which is unaccountably more representative.  £155

 

 

 

Milled

 

 

Guineas

 

WAu-7816:  1673 Charles II Restoration Period Milled Full Gold Guinea.  Fourth laureate bust with the rounded truncation.  John & Joseph Roettier dies with Blondeau’s machinery – the milling on the edge of the coin was a safeguard against clipping which had been not just a thorn in the side of every hammered period, but rather a stake.  The practise of clipping officially ended here after several hundred years.  The Guinea was so named because some of the gold bullion used came from the country of Guinea, via the Africa Company.  It was a 20 shilling denomination, directly replacing the short-lived 1662 gold Broad of 20 shillings.  The racehorse aficionados among you are probably crying out “21 shillings, 21 shillings!” but revaluation of a guinea to that amount took place in 1717 under George 1st.  Incidentally, there were times prior to 1717 where the actual value of a guinea (and remember, the value of any coin, guineas very much included, was entirely based on the precious metal content) was even higher than 21 shillings due to market fluctuations in the value, or spot price of gold.  S.R. 3344.  No mount marks.  £2,775

 

 

 

Crowns

 

WCA-9049: 1662 Charles II Silver Crown - Fashioned into a SMUGGLER'S BOX.  A great rarity!  A standard 1662 Restoration milled crown, albeit in high grade, modified into a Smuggler's Box, exactly as we see on the later 1797 Cartwheel twopences and very occasionally the smaller Cartwheel pennies.  Two coins were needed here in order to have one half with the rim intact - incidentally the rim, attached to the obverse, has a regnal year of XV, meaning it was originally a 1663 or 1664 crown.  You may well be wondering how in the year 1663 or 1664 Charles could possibly have been king for 15 years, considering Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.  The answer lies in succession: when Charles 1st died, Charles II was king, irrespective of the Commonwealth.  At least that's how the Royalists saw it.  I imagine the Parliamentarians, even after the Restoration of the monarchy, saw things quite differently.  Extra images here and here.  I have never seen another silver coin fashioned into a smuggler's box before, of any denomination.  Remember, to do this you were effectively throwing away ten shillings, which was a considerable amount of money back then.  These were often apprentice pieces; a medium for the worker's skill to be displayed.  Who could afford to waste ten shillings doing that?!  As already pointed out, a great rarity!  £785

 

 

 

"Other"

 

WJC-7062:  1638 Silver Medal – Prince Charles Invested into the Order of the Garter.  As symbolic as you’d perhaps expect from this period, this is an interesting medal depicting entry into that rather exclusive club that still exists today. 

Membership is limited to the monarch and his / her first-born and up to 24 “companions” - along the lines of Dr Who.  Charles 1st as monarch in 1638 and Prince Charles (the future Charles II, once Oliver Cromwell had gone away) were automatic members.  Then and now, the lucky recipients were / are hand picked by the monarch.  Today the Order of The Garter is open to women, although it has to be said that there are currently only three of those.  In 2018, 2019 and 2020, three members sadly died (all men), meaning that there are currently three vacancies should any reader be interested.  More recent members include Sir Winston Churchill and Sir John Major, the latter being an ex Prime Minister, although perhaps more famous for his avatar appearing on Spitting Image in the 1990’s with some peas.  Eimer 131 (£500 /£900, 21 years ago back in 2000), Medallic Illustrations (i) 282/88.  An interesting piece of British history.  See Charles 1st section RESERVED (I.M. Lay-Away 5-7-24)

 

WCA-9207:  Charles II Bi-Metallic Ticket-Token for the Touching Ceremony.  Copper surround, brass insert.  Obverse: a three-masted ship in sail to left with a six pointed star below.  Toothed border.  CAR.II.D.G.M.B.FR.ET.HI.REX.  Reverse: St Michael piercing the dragon with a six pointed star below.  Toothed border.  SOLI DEO GLORIA.  “Touching Ceremonies” was where the monarch of the day, in this case Charles II, personally gave out gold touch pieces to sufferers of Scrofula (tubercular infection, to which it is estimated that 1% of the London population suffered) in order to cure them.  Charles II personally attended these ceremonies, acting as God's own emissary upon the earth - Charles personally touching the Touch Piece was effectively God touching it.  Sufferers were invited and issued with an official Ticket-Pass to admit them to the ceremony.  You gave your Ticket-Pass in at the door, entered the ceremony, got touched by the king and hopefully left as a cured individual.  These Ticket-Tokens were collected and re-issued for the next Touching Ceremony.  105,000 people were Touched by Charles II with around 360 sufferers being admitted to each ceremony. However, the officials used three designs of Ticket-Tokens: brass, copper or a combination of both.  To prevent fraud, officials alternated the type of Ticket-Token used.  The bi-metallic copper & brass Ticket-Tokens are much rarer than the other two types.  It is interesting to note the wear on this Ticket-Token: although resembling a copper halfpenny, this Ticket-Token could not have entered circulation as currency for two reasons.  Firstly, it’s not wholly copper.  What was on the coin in those days mattered very little, but that it was copper was essential.  Secondly, it is inconceivable that a recipient sufferer would have forfeited his or her chance of being cured by the king for a mere halfpence.  The officials would not have let this Ticket-Token out into circulation either so we can deduce that the wear on the Ticket-Token is down to it having been issued many times so it likely to be a piece from early on in the reign of Charles II.  Incidentally, officials issued the bi-metallic passes in order to make it extremely difficult for someone without scrofula to fake a pass in order to get a free gold coin.  Peck 498 and listed as Very Scarce.  £595

Provenance:

ex Dr Basil Nicholson collection, dispersed...

ex Colin Cook (2003), sold for £175