James I (1603 - 25) Read about
James I
Hammered
Gold
Hammered
Silver
Halfcrowns
WJC-7983: James 1st Hammered Silver
Rarer "Plume-Over" Halfcrown. Third coinage, initial mark
Thistle, ground line under horse, plume over shield, Spink 2667. A much harder coin to source than the usual
plain shield reverse type that invariably turns
up. As usual, I managed to murder the
images so I've taken another with a cheap camera phone - see here. For once, Spink go some way to illustrating
the rarity of this variety with their guide price of £1,750. A really nice, rare
example. 
£1,695
Provenance:
ex Tim Owen (one of his older tickets)
Shillings
WTH-7655:
James 1st Tudor Hammered
Silver Shilling – High Grade. Third coinage,
initial mark Trefoil, sixth bust, Spink 2668.
High grade – the best I’ve ever handled – with attractive steel grey
toning. If this were to be slabbed and
put into a decent auction, it would likely fetch much more than the listing
price here. I refer potential buyers to
this March 2023 DNW
auction of Spink 2668. A very similar coin in every way, apart from the fact that the DNW
coin cost just under £5,000. I
really don’t understand why buyers not only shun websites in favour of auctions
but even more perplexing, seem happy to pay double for the pleasure of using
auctions (in this case, more than double).
If this coin does not sell here, it will likely be consigned to
auction. Choice. £1,685
WJC-7795:
Rare James 1st
Stuart IOCAB9 Hammered Silver Shilling. Initial mark Lis, third coinage, sixth bust, Spink 2668. This variation of regnal name is recorded (I
seem to recall an old BNJ paper referencing it?) but it is seldom seen. Very nice grade and good
provenance being ex Tim Owen. Very Rare. £595
Sixpences
If marked as
such, the following coins are from the Wootton Collection of James 1st
sixpences – as near a
complete set of dates as we’ll probably ever see!
If
I’m being honest, and I always try to be, this series is not really about
attractive, pretty coins, and it never really has been. Historically, collectors have tended to go
for a high grade example, perhaps even one from each of the three issues, but
maybe not, forsaking dates, and there they left it. Incidentally, finding that high grade James 1st
sixpence is in itself no mean feat because it is a particularly rough and
problematic issue throughout. A good VF
James 1st sixpence (and it will invariably be 1603 or 1604) will set
you back the best part of four figures in today’s market. I have listed some really nice examples below
which have come from my personal collection, not the Wootton
collection. Perhaps the main reason why,
until recently, dates haven’t been collected is because nobody really knew
which ones were rare – and there still are no reference works out there. It gets worse though: most people today will
assume there is a complete date run from 1603 to 1624, but actually there are
several English dates (this issue is not to be confused with the near identical
James 1st and Charles 1st six shillings dated issues –
see the Scottish section on this website) where, up to now at least, there are no extant
examples. Spink, conveniently for them but immensely
unhelpful to us, lump everything together, bar the 1618, implying all dates are
of similar rarity and price. That is
certainly not the case!!
My
plan is to set the ball rolling: to inform; to educate; to inspire collectors
to seek out new dates, new varieties, to boldly go where no numismatist has
gone before!
To
be fair, with the current heightened interest in Elizabeth 1st dated
sixpences (again, no real reference works out there to help collectors re
specific dates, although this website does do just that by sharing data from
thousands of coin finds and is the ONLY site to do that), these unattractive, invariably
lower grade, often problematic (and let’s be honest here, a rather unpopular
monarch to collectors) dated coins are now being eagerly sought out and
collected by date. And about time too!
So,
preamble over, here’s the all important rarity table with
commonest date down to rarest:
1603
1604
1605
1606
1624
1623
1621 (this is for the straight date
– 21/20 represents only two known examples)
1607
1609 (1609/9/8 would appear to be
unique)
1622
1608
1610 (this is for the 10/9 date –
John Jerrams has only ever seen one straight 10 and
the same goes for me with the coin listed below)
1613
1611
1615
1616…
1612…
1614…
1618… two extant
1617, 1619 & 1620 appear to not exist at this
point in time, although be
aware because 1617 & 1619 exist as Scottish six shillings. It is my belief that many “sightings” of some
of the English rarer dates were, in fact, Scottish six shillings. This image should inform
you as to the difference between English & Scottish coins
** I have just been
informed by a reliable source of the existence of a 1620 im
Spur Rowel sixpence. I have not seen the
coin so cannot confirm this. **
NB
Various date / initial mark combinations will potentially increase a date’s
rarity , for example 1607 grapes is, perhaps rather counter-intuitively, rarer
than the other two initial marks, but I didn’t really want to get into that
added complication here. That’s for the
next person to take on.
John
Jerrams – numismatist of long-standing who has
previously specialised in this specific area – has kindly contributed to this
work-in-progress, as have one or two others.
The ball is now well and truly rolling.
If anybody else out there has anything further to add, I’m more than
happy to listen and to update the page.
Although
not generally my policy, I'll keep the prices up for the significant
/ rarer SOLD coins to illustrate the
market, at least for the time being.
1603
WJC-7501:
1603 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. First Coinage, first bust, initial mark Thistle. Spink 2647. The commonest date but the
rarer first coinage and rarer still first bust type. A deceptively hard coin to
source. Ex Wootton collection. £395
WJC-7502:
1603 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. First Coinage, second bust, initial mark Thistle. Spink 2648. The commonest date but the rarer coinage
issue type. Ex Wootton collection. £125
1604
WJC-7503:
1604 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. First Coinage, second bust, initial mark Lis. Spink 2648. A common date but the rarer
first coinage type. Ex Wootton collection. £195
WJC-7504:
1604 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, third bust, initial mark Lis. Spink 2657. A common date. Ex Wootton
collection. £195
1605
WJC-7505:
1605 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, third bust, initial mark Rose. Spink 2657. Guy Fawkes'
date. Ex Wootton collection. £345
WJC-7857:
1605 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, third bust, initial mark Lis. Spink 2657. Guy Fawkes'
date. The 1 in the date is a thin
digit stamped over a very thick digit. An exceptional grade issue for this generally atrocious issue. £495
WJC-8052:
1605 James 1st
Stuart Hammered Silver Sixpence. Second coinage, third bust, initial mark Rose, Spink 2657. The often sought-after Guy Fawkes'
date. A
notoriously badly executed, poorly struck issue that attracted wear and damage
through frenetic circulation and handling like my wife is to black boots ... so
many pairs of black boots! The Noonan
April 2024 sale saw a commoner dated 1603 6d (lot 310) achieve a hammer price
of £1,600 (£2,000+ after buyer's commission).
That coin was ex HistoryInCoins, sold to the
Mike Hallam collection, although that is by-the-by; the point being that the
Noonan coin, whilst slightly better grade, was just that - slightly
better grade. This is a better date coin
and it won't cost you £2,000 or even £1,000.
A veritable bargain at £845
1606
WJC-7506:
1606 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Escallop. Spink 2658. Uncommon date. Ex Wootton
collection. £245
WJC-7507:
1606 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Rose. Spink 2658. Uncommon date. Ex Wootton
collection. £395
WTH-7738:
1606 James 1st
Stuart Hammered Silver Sixpence. Second coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Escallop, Spink 2658. A really, really nice grade in what was,
perhaps bar the first coinage, at best an indifferent issue. Uncommon date. £395
1607 (as an
indication of just how rare these coins are,
WJC-7508:
1607 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Grapes – much rarer
initial mark. Spink
2658. Uncommon
date. Ex Wootton collection. £145
WJC-7509:
1607 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Coronet. Spink 2658. Uncommon date. Ex Wootton
collection. £195
WJC-7529:
1607 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Coronet. Spink 2658. Uncommon date, excellent
grade. £645
1608
WJC-7580: 1608 James 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Second coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Coronet. Spink 2658. Hard to photograph – the first attempt wasn’t the best. Rare date - the rarest of the entire single digit dates although as ever with this issue, not the best of grades. Still a rare coin though. £355
WJC-7858: 1608 James 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Second coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Coronet. Spink 2658. An interesting "Filled" 0 in the date. Rare date - the rarest of the entire single digit dates and actually one of the very best grade examples of the half dozen or so 1608 coins I've seen in the last 30 odd years. £485
1609
WJC-7511:
1609 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Possible overdate? Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Coronet. Spink 2658. Scarce date. Ex Wootton
collection. £275
WJC-7512:
1609 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Key. Spink 2658. Scarce date. Ex Wootton
collection. £195
WJC-7531:
1609 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Key. Spink 2658. Scarce date. Very good grade indeed for
date. £425
WJC-7926:
Unrecorded 1609/8/7 James
1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Second coinage, fourth bust, Spink 2658. By no means a pretty coin (maybe the
understatement of the year?!) but for those of us who appreciate the technical
side of our hobby, this is an enormously interesting coin. Elements of the underlying 8 and 7 are just
about discernable. Initial mark Coronet, which did in fact span
the entirety of the three years on this coin, so no adjustment needed
there. £445 RESERVED (M.He.3-12-23)
1610
WJC-7515:
1610 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark
1611
WJC-7516:
1611 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence.
Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Mullet, although this is
absent on the obverse. Spink 2658. A very rare date indeed with only a handful of recorded examples. Ex Wootton
collection. £495 SOLD
WJC-7859:
1611 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark
1612
WJC-7518:
1612 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Tower over Mullet. Spink 2658. An excessively rare date. I had always understood there to be only two
known examples recorded. Stephen Jerrams has seen one go through the market recently,
although I have since been informed that the coin was in fact a 1612 Scottish
six shillings - a completely different, albeit near identical coin (see
introduction above). Three
or four known examples? Either
way, this date is fairly comparable with 1618 which Spink rate at £850 -
£2,750. Ex Wootton collection. £1,395 SOLD
WJC-7860:
1612 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Tower over Mullet. Spink 2658. Unlike WJC-7518, this coin clearly
shows the tricks of the trade at the mint: it was a 161- die with the final
digit being inserted as appropriate.
Now, this is a 1612 coin so presumably this 161- die had been through
1610 and 1611 before still being good enough to be used in 1612. Now I say "good enough", but let's
be honest here; producing good dies and nice looking coinage appears to have
been the last thing on their minds in the mint at that time. Another
image here using a camera phone. The sloppy placement of the final digit (it's
also been double struck) also adds credence to that theory. An excessively rare date. I had always understood there to be only two
known examples recorded. Stephen Jerrams has seen one go through the market recently,
although I have since been informed that the coin was in fact a 1612 Scottish
six shillings - a completely different, albeit near identical coin (see
introduction above). Three
or four known examples? Either
way, this date is fairly comparable with 1618 which Spink rate at £850 -
£2,750. £1,395
1613
WJC-7519:
1613 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Trefoil. Spink 2658. A rare date which seldom
turns up. Ex
Wootton collection. £550
WJC-7520:
1613 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Trefoil but no stop
before reverse trefoil. Spink 2658. A rare date which seldom turns up. Ex Wootton
collection. £495 SOLD
WJC-7914:
1613/2 James 1st Hammered
Silver Sixpence. Initial
mark Tower, second coinage, fourth bust.
Spink 2658. A previously unrecorded overdate on this rarer, im Tower coin.
In recent years, Elizabeth 1st sixpences have become really popular with
collectors. I predict that even though
James sixpences are virtually impossible to get in nice grades, not to mention
that some of the dates are virtually impossible to find, these hitherto almost
ignored coins will be the next big thing.
Who doesn't enjoy chasing and collecting by date?! To my knowledge, a unique
overdate coin. £550
1614
WJC-7521:
1614 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Cinquefoil. Spink 2658. An excessively rare date
being fairly comparable with 1618 which Spink rate at £850 - £2,750. I had always understood there to be only two
known examples recorded of 1614 but the literature accompanying this coin
states four known examples. Lingford collection, sold to
WJC-7861:
1614 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Cinquefoil. Spink 2658. An excessively rare date
being fairly comparable with 1618 which Spink rate at £850 - £2,750. I had always understood there to be only two
known examples recorded of 1614 but the literature accompanying WJC-7521 states
four known examples. A
coin which would win no beauty contest but never-the-less, a very clear date
and an excessively rare date.
£995
1615
WJC-7582: 1615 James 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Second coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Tun. Spink 2658. One of the rarest of the entire series and remarkably good grade for issue. Ex Wootton collection and sold with his ticket. A very rare coin. £675
1616
1617
No
examples exist to date
1618
1619
No
examples exist to date
1620
No
examples exist to date
1621
WJC-7524:
1621 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Third Coinage, sixth bust, initial mark Thistle. Spink 2670. An uncommon date and actually,
very nice grade. Ex Wootton collection. £295
WJC-7525:
1621 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Third Coinage, sixth bust, initial mark Rose. Spink 2670. An uncommon date. Ex Wootton
collection. £165
WJC-7532:
1621 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Third Coinage, sixth bust, initial mark Thistle. Spink 2670. An uncommon date. Ex New Horizons, ex AMR, ex
Vosper. Outstanding grade and
toned. Several old
tickets together with a cabinet ticket.
£650
1622
WJC-7533:
1622 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Third Coinage, sixth bust, initial mark Thistle. Spink 2670. An uncommon date. Old tickets. Outstanding grade. £650
1623
WJC-7862:
1623 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Third Coinage, sixth bust, initial mark Lis. Spink 2670. An uncommon date but more
importantly, a very nice grade indeed for issue. £285
1624
WJC-7528:
1624 James 1st
Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence. Third Coinage, sixth bust, initial mark Trefoil. Spink 2670. Ex Wootton
collection. £125 SOLD
WJC-8129:
1624 James 1st
Hammered Silver Sixpence. Third
Coinage, sixth bust, initial mark Trefoil so not just the final date in the
series but also the final (and rarer) initial mark - it's normally Lis for 1624. Spink 2670. In the
last couple of years, it's been noticeable that the previously unpopular James
1st sixpences have finally become keenly sought-after, particularly the better
grade examples, of which there are actually very few around that aren't
1603. An uncommon date
but more importantly, a very nice grade indeed for issue. £425
Halfgroats
1st coinage:
WJC-7489: 1603-4 James 1st Hammered
Silver "Portrait" Halfgroat.
First
coinage, initial mark Thistle. Spink
2649. A superb
coin being as good as the Spink plate coin. £245
WJC-7583: James 1st Hammered Silver "Portrait" Halfgroat. First coinage, first bust, initial mark Thistle. Spink 2649. A very nice coin with some interesting double striking on the reverse. £165
WJC-7892:
James 1st
Hammered Silver "Portrait" Halfgroat. First coinage, 1603-4. Initial mark Thistle, first
bust, Spink 2649. Old tickets: Ex CS,
ex JNM coins (2021), ex Ian Davidson.
£175
WJC-8098: James 1st
Hammered Silver Portrait Halfgroat. Initial mark Thistle, first coinage, first bust, Spink 2649. Full flan, nice grade. £195
2nd coinage:
3rd coinage:
WJC-7043:
James 1st
Hammered Silver Halfgroat. Initial mark Thistle – third coinage, 1619-25. Spink 2671. A nice example. £59
Pennies
WJC-7083:
James 1st
Hammered Silver Stuart Penny. Second coinage, 1604-19.
No crowns either side, initial mark Escallop (1606-7), Spink 2661. £75
Halfpennies
WJC-7893:
James 1st
Hammered Silver Halfpenny. Second coinage, 1604-19.
Initial mark Cinquefoil, Spink 2663. A beautiful coin! £135
WJC-7430:
James 1st Hammered Silver
Halfpenny. Third
issue, 1619-25, with no initial mark.
Spink 2673.
James 1st was really James VI of
Copper Farthings
WJC-8115: James 1st Stewart Hammered
Copper Lennox Farthing. No obverse initial mark (a result of an obverse double or triple
strike - read below), early type 4, Spink 2680.
This is a tentative attribution based on the mess they made of the
obverse - the initial mark is nowhere to be seen; the regnal name is all but
obliterated; the letter formation is all over the place; where the legend
starts and stops is wildly wrong, etc.
But you look at the reverse and it's a delight?! There is a possibility that we have a
contemporary counterfeit coin (Spink 2680A) with a high execution reverse and
an average obverse, but I think the reverse is just too good. It comes with a ticket stating "Type
3d" which leads into type 4 but for Spink attribution, we go with type 4
with x9 jewels to the crowns. A most interesting coin from a series which has witnessed much
renewed interest by collectors over the past few years. £125
