A selection of some of the better / more interesting coins SOLD through

HistoryInCoins.com

 

in 2026

 

 

 

WAu-9294:  1594 James VI Scottish Hammered Gold Rider.  Seventh coinage, pre accession - circulated at 100 shillings.  Initial mark Quatrefoil, pellets by the 1594 date.  Obverse: the king in armour with a sword, on a galloping horse, right; reverse: crowned shield.  SCBI 58, 1278ff; B4, fig.954, S.R.5458.  Good provenance with a great amount of tickets.  Minor marks to the left of the shield otherwise a nicely toned VF grade.  We note the March 2026 Davisson's auction example of similar date rarity achieved a hammer price of US $9,500 with associated add-ons.  The coin on offer here is of comparable grade and, unlike the Davisson example, actually has its front legs prominently on view!  SOLD

Provenance:

Old ticket, marked at £1,750 reduced to £1,500

ex Baldwin, November 2012, ticket market at £3,500, sold to...

ex William N. Clarke collection, many tickets

 

WI-9364:  **Choice** Charles 1st Irish Hammered Silver Ormonde Money Shilling.  The Great Rebellion in Ireland.  Issued by the Lords Justices at Dublin and termed Ormond Money due to the Earl of Ormonde being appointed Lieutenant of Ireland in 1643.  This was the final coinage of the rebellion period to be issued.  This issue demonstrated allegiance to the monarch by incorporating the king’s crown on the obverse.  Issued 1643-1644.  Obverse: a large C•R with a non flourished R, crown above; all within a linear and beaded border / reverse: a large X.II with a small D above (12 pence); all within a linear and beaded border. S.R.6546.  Very much along the lines of the English Newark, Pontefract, Carlisle etc siege pieces; the Ormonde Money was crudely cut from flattened silver plate and hammered with the die.  These dies were not engraved to anywhere near the quality of regular coinage, resulting in a coin far from what we might expect a professional moneyer to produce working out of an official mint.  As a result, Ormonde coinage is usually poor, as ever summed up eloquently and concisely by Coincraft: "This [shilling] issue, whilst scarce, is obtainable but rarely found in better than Fine condition."  Emanating from the famous Marshall collection, renowned for the exceptional quality of the coins it contained.  Enthusiastically graded to EF on the old, accompanying ticket, but still a solid VF for issue.  Choice.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Marshall Collection, dispersed...

ex Spink, 2004

 

WTH-8121:  High Grade 1590 Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Tudor Sixpence.  Sixth issue, initial mark Hand, S.R. 2578B.  1590 as a date represents a frequency of 1.0% for the 2,716 recorded single finds of Elizabeth 1st coins and 1.2% for all 5,588 recorded Elizabeth 1st hoard coins.  1590 is the fourteenth rarest of all forty two dates.  Outstanding grade for a coin so late in the series.  Ex Chris Comber collection.  SOLD

 

WJC-9327:  Impressive 1642 Charles 1st Oxford Declaration Half Pound.  Early Civil War large denomination piece - ten shillings.  Initial mark Plume.  Obverse die depicting the Shrewsbury horseman with an Oxford plume behind.  The second iteration of the Oxford half pound.  The accompanying ticket suggests this coin utilises a Shrewsbury reverse die (S.R.2944) but in reality, the reverse die is Morrison A-2 with a group of x7 pellets at 3 o'clock, very much an Oxford die.  S.R.2945, Brooker 867 and 868 (die duplicates).  Excellent weight, an even strike both obverse and reverse, good solid toning and most importantly, no striking cracks whatsoever - to get any kind of impression on such a large lump of cold silver (far from being a soft metal at room temperature) required not only considerable skill but a great deal of focused force, which invariably caused planchets to crack or split open at the edges.  Here we have none of that.  As stated at the start, a most impressive coin.  SOLD

 

WI-9271:  Irish Edward IV Rare Mint Medieval Hammered Silver Groat.  Second reign, type VII - third Light Cross & Pellets coinage of 1473 only.  VILLA DE TRIm - Trim mint.  Nothing on breast with just a single pellet in the 6 o'clock spandrel; it's usually a pellet in some spandrells with one at 12 o'clock OR a pellet just at 12 o'clock.  S.R.6368A.  Weight at 1.92g - some clipping but also struck on an undersized flan.  There is evidence showing that at least one mint-master, Germyn Lynch, was indicted in 1472 for, "...making light groats at Drogheda".  With that in mind, the ticket grade of good fine appears somewhat undercooked.  For issue, overall I'd grade this as abt VF.  Rare mint and high grade for issue.  SOLD

Provenance:

Bought September 1995 (original ticket)

ex Spink

 

WSC-9263:  Choice Alexander III Scottish Medieval Hammered Silver FARTHING.  Second coinage of 1280-86.  This farthing was the first to be seen in Scotland.  Four mullets, each of x6 points, as per the penny, but with a reverse legend reading an abbreviated :SCOTORVM.  S.R.5063.  It is interesting to note that the halfpenny, obviously lying in between the penny and farthing in value, differentiated itself by only having two mullets, each of x6 points.  Actually a jolly good idea but it put the pressure on the die sinkers to create a coin so small but having virtually the same legends as the penny, bar just three letters.  The obverse is a similar story - a reading of ALEXANDER REX as opposed to ALEXANDER DEI GRA on the penny so again, we're only talking about losing three letters and one of those is an I, so would take up minimal space.  Incidentally, there is a variety of farthing having the full penny obverse legend, although I've never seen one.  Some of the early contemporary Edward 1st English farthings have dies as accomplished as those on this coin so I suspect there was some sort of collaboration either side of the border in terms of personnel. 

The reign of Alexander III was notable for three major events. Firstly he was to succeed where his father, Alexander II, had failed in ridding the Western Isles of Scotland of Norse influence. Secondly, he was to make one Scottish family - the MacDonald clan - so powerful that they would be a rival to the future kings of Scotland in influence. Thirdly, dying with no heir was to plunge Scotland into a succession crisis that would ultimately lead to war with England.  It was an unfortunate death - he rode his horse over a cliff in the dark - and an inopportune death in that his wife, who was pregnant with the heir to the throne at the time of Alexander's death, gave birth to a still-born child.  After those tragic events came John Baliol, Robert the Bruce and the English ... and the rest is history.

Alexander III farthings are seldom encountered but here, we have one that is full flan, perfectly centred obv & rev, full and clear legends, strong portrait and beautifully toned.  Clearly choice and easily the best example I've seen, and by quite some margin.  SOLD

 

WTH-7904:  Elizabeth 1st Early Hammered Silver Groat or Fourpence.  Initial mark Martlet, bust 1F, second issue, S.R. 2556.  Second issue Martlet hammered groats were only struck for a total of 10 months (9th December 1560 to 24th October 1561) – interestingly, the Martlets and Cross Crosslets were the last hammered groats issued under her reign, even though Elizabeth reigned for a further 40+ years.  This is a beautiful coin, being excellent grade, centrally struck, attractively toned, etc etc.  SOLD

 

WMH-9318:  Outstanding Richard 1st Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.  Voided short cross, class IVb, +WILLELM.ON.LVI - London but a much rarer mint signature (see The Short Cross Coinage 1180 - 1247 by C.R. Wren).  S.R.1348C.  Collectors will be all too aware that Richard 1st pennies as an issue are invariably poor, being by far the worst of the x4 short cross monarchs.  This coin is an exception to that rule.  Rare thus, especially with the mint signature.  SOLD

 

WTH-9076:  Mary and Philip Hammered Silver Tudor Groat in High Grade.  Initial mark Lis, 1554-58, S.R. 2508.  A single portrait, left, of Mary but with the legend PHILIP ET MARIA indicating this coin is 1554-58, after Mary married Philip of Spain.  Mary was the only child of Henry VIII (her mother was Catherine of Aragon) to survive to adulthood.  Mary quickly and efficiently disposed of Lady Jane Gray – proclaimed Queen when Mary’s younger brother Edward VI, died at age 9 – by beheading her, a process not unfamiliar to her, being the daughter of Henry VIII.  Interestingly, all the silver denominations of this joint reign, higher than a groat, had busts of Mary AND Philip but groats and below only had Mary's bust.  This may well be a result of lack of space on a smaller flan but bearing in mind the vast majority of the general population at the time would only ever handle these smaller denominations, the crown was perhaps missing a trick in getting out the message to the populace (and coinage was really the only way of doing this) that Philip was here.  Or perhaps this was a calculated act on behalf of the crown in an effort not to upset the apply cart?!  A terrific example of this usually worn and problematic issue.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Tim Owen

 

WJC-9234:  Charles 1st Hammered Silver WORCESTER Civil War Halfcrown.  Clear initial marks of a slender Castle (obv) and a Helmet (rev).  Worcester mint.  Grass under the king's horse / an oval shield topped with a crown on the reverse.  S.R. 3096.  Worcester is not quite the definitive attribution for this group of coins that you might think.  Some coins within the family have a "W" below the horse which was previously accepted as Weymouth, a Devonshire coastal town.  T. F. Dymock in the 1861 Numismatic Chronicle first postulated this theory.  Weymouth was indeed held for the King from August 1643 to 17th June 1644 when it finally surrendered but the declaration halfcrown from this family is 1644 which would have meant the entire coinage would have to have been crammed into just two and a half short months before surrender, a highly unlikely scenario.  In 1981, George Boon, the then Curator of the National Museum of Wales, wrote an article suggesting that the attribution should not be Weymouth but instead Worcester.  This was included in the John Brooker Collection of Charles 1st Coins book, published by Spink in 1984.  That attribution was based on the above difficulties with Weymouth, the fact that leaving Oxford on the night of 3rd June 1644 with approximately 7,000 men, Charles 1st did pass through Worcester with his troops early in June, but, predominantly, on the evidence suggested by the location of coin hoards - the Worcester surrounding area being rich in such finds (the 1982 Telford Hoard being one such example - x367 AR coins, £26 8s face value.  6d.; L: Sun 2/6 (10), 1/– (1). R (all 2/6): Shrewsbury 1642 (1); Oxford 1642 (3), 1643 (3); 1644 (1), 1645 (2), 1646 (2); Bristol 1644 (2), 1645 (2); A 1645 (1); W/SA group (9); HC (1). S: James VI 30/– (1). ECWCH, 23–32) and Weymouth being almost, if not completely devoid of any such finds from this family of coins.  This coin was part of that famous and provenance-defining 1982 Telford Hoard: see old tickets here and Provenance below.  Of good weight (14.35g - the Brooker examples being 14.04g, 13.86g, 15.23g & 13.73g) and being very well centred.  The reverse is particularly pleasing with the obverse, whilst not suffering from worn dies (they simply did not strike enough coinage to come even close to wearing out the dies), does show a degree of lack of definition as a result of either shallow obverse dies or the manor of the strike, as occasionally happens with this provincial issue - see Brooker plate coins 1141-1144.  A rare coin with outstanding provenance.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex PRIORSLEE hoard: Telford, Shropshire, 29th April 1982 - hoard discovered on a mechanical excavation during construction work on M54 motorway.

ex Spink, purchased after hoard inquest, sold September 1984 for £350 to...

ex Dr John Hulett (died 4th March 2017 aged 87), collection dispersed by DNW Auctions between September 2017 and October 2020, purchased by...

ex AMR Coins (sold 2019 for £2,350)

 

WCom-8154:  1649 Commonwealth Hammered Silver Shilling.  Initial mark Sun, S.R. 3217.  The very first date in the Cromwell Commonwealth period.  An apparent eight strings to the harp and, most importantly, a sideways 6 in the date which is entirely unrecorded, both in ESC and the excellent Sun&Anchor.com.  The date itself is wide, indicating a late 1649 reverse die.  Whilst this coin is not part of the famous Blackfriars' Hoard of 1995 (some 1500+ coins all found on the Thames' Foreshaw), you may be interested to learn that of that hoard, only x2 were 1649 shillings (there were x72 1653 shillings to give you some context).  If you look at the cross hatching on the shield, you'll note that it isn't up to much.  The new regime, following on from the very different Charles 1st coinage, found it incredibly hard to get this cross hatching right.  It was one of the main reasons why 1650 didn't happen for silver coinage - they were busy perfecting their dies.  1651 bore the fruits of their labour, especially on the silver crowns.   S.R. grade this coin to almost VF.  Rare thus.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Haddenham collection

ex Spink

 

WCom-9196:  1649 Commonwealth Hammered Silver Sixpence.  Initial mark Sun, S.R. 3219.  The very first date in the Cromwell Commonwealth period.  Seven strings to the reverse harp with the sate obviously not an overdate although interestingly, the 4 of 1649 has been struck or entered twice compared to once for the other digits.  If you look at the cross hatching on the shield, you'll note that it isn't up to much, ie it's worn but you can see from what remains that it had a very low definition courtesy of the die.  The new regime, following on from the Charles 1st coinage (I wonder what the public would have made of this coin, following on from very different style that had been the norm for 100 years?)  found it incredibly hard to get this cross hatching right.  It was one of the main reasons why 1650 didn't happen for silver coinage - they were busy perfecting their dies.  1651 bore the fruits of their labour, especially on the silver crowns which were clearly harder to get the design off the dies and onto the planchet.  A sought-after first date - 1649 being rarer in its own right anyway - on a problem-free good flan in very collectable grade.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Tim Owen (his iconic ticket)

 

WJC-9346: (14) Edward V : 1616-38 Silver Simon de Passe Token.  Machine-pressed silver tokens or counters depicting the monarchs of England, issued in sets (thought to be thirty six), composed either of pieces of different monarchs or repetitions of the same type.  Thought to be primarily used as markers or counters "for reckoning and for play".  The dies were very cleverly sunk to give the impression of a hand-engraved silver token.  Some of these counters were executed early in the 1616-38 period by Nicholas Hilliard, jeweller; goldsmith and engraver to Elizabeth 1st and afterwards to James 1st.  In 1617, Hilliard received a patent granting him the monopoly for twelve years of all the engraved portraits of the King and the Royal Family.  He subsequently sold licences to other engravers to execute these counters, one of which was to Simon de Passe and his brother, both of whom excelled in the art of engraving.  This sub-licence to the de Passe brothers was issued late in the reign of James 1st.  Collectively, these tokens are all termed De Passe tokens for convenience.  SOLD

Provenance:

From a collection put together over a great many years; dispersed by Spink.

WJC-9094: Stuart De Passe Token - James 1st with Charles 1st.  Circa 1625 - 1629/30.  From a series of Medalets issued by Simon van de Passe (1595-1647) depicting the kings and queens of England.  It is generally accepted that they were issued as gaming tokens.  The dies were cleverly sunk to imitate a hand-engraved appearance and indeed, the uninitiated even today will readily state hand-engraved when asked.  They were not; they were machine-pressed.  There is a commoner Charles 1st De Passe token with his wife, Henrietta Maria, on the reverse but this token, issued when Charles 1st was on the throne, is unusual in that it depicts two monarchs.  Mitchener 4784.  Rare.  SOLD

 

WSC-9209:  James V Scottish Hammered Silver Stuart Groat.  Second coinage (the first was just gold), 1526-39.  Type IIIc, S.R. 5378.  Holyrood Abbey Mint.  James ascended the throne aged just one year old.  Coincidentally, upon her father's death, Mary (the future Mary Queen of Scots), James's only legitimate heir, was only seven days old when she ascended!  You'd be challenged to source average or lesser grade James V groats for under £1,000 these days - this coin is definitely not one of those.  A high grade example of one of the most attractive hammered silver coins ever to be issued, not just in Scotland but in the entire British Isles.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Brian Reed - his old ticket (1997)

ex Baldwin's

 

WI-9254:  A Superb Irish Edward VI Hammered Billon Silver Sixpence.  Issued under Edward VI but struck in the name of his father, Henry VIII.  Struck at 0.250 fine, being groat sized but very much a sixpence.  Dublin mint, the rarer and more desirable type II with the large facing bust of "local style" as opposed to Tower dies, S.R. 6486.  It gets better - initial mark BOAR'S HEAD, and then there's the grade!  It is interesting to note that this entire issue was struck in Henry's name, not because Edward was a mere child (he was only 15 when he died in 1553), rather because the ministers in England wanted to deceive the Irish public.  The state of coin in Ireland under Henry VIII was dreadful, as it was in England, although Ireland was worse.  The plan was to "clean up" the Irish coinage along the lines of the English 1551 "Fine Silver" issue but to finance that, the Irish would be fed a further several years of little better than base coinage purporting to be silver.  To issue this coinage in Edward's name would be to red-flag what the ministers were not just plotting but literally doing, but to suggest that the new coinage was actually not new, rather old Henry VIII coinage, might just pull the wool over the Irish eyes.  Bad enough, you might think, but when you consider that the next monarch, Mary, issued Irish coinage at 0.583 fine (the English 1551 Fine Issue was 0.925 fine), the following (Mary & Philip) at 0.250 fine, and even Elizabeth 1st until 1561 at 0.25 fine, you realise that the Irish had it bad.  In 1561, Elizabeth 1st finally upped the silver content, not to 0.925 but to a respectable 0.916 fine).  Coincraft states that this local, S.R. 6486 issue is really only obtainable in lower grades with examples tending to be "...poorly struck" and "...often rather dull due to their low metal [silver] content".  A rare coin, an interesting history behind it, and in excellent grade for issue.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Tim Owen

 

WTH-9246:  Rare Edward VI Tudor Hammered Silver HALF Penny.  Struck under his father, Henry VIII, 1547-51.  York mint, billon silver - inherited from the latter part of the Henry VIII reign, finally dispelled in 1551 under the Fine Silver issues - S.R.2428.  Edward was crowned on 20 February 1547 at the age of just nine years of age.  He was the only surviving son of Henry VIII by his third wife, Jane Seymour.  Sadly, Edward died in July of 1553 aged just 15 years old.  It was a very strange decision to keep Henry's name and portrait on some of the currency once he'd died, and then for x4 years, considering that from April 1547, just x2 months after Henry VIII died, Edward's First Period coinage, with both Edward's name and portrait, including pennies and even halfpennies, was issued into everyday currency.  Good provenance (see old tickets here) and outstanding grade for issue.  These halfpence denominations are rare coins indeed.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex R.A. Shuttlewood collection

Dispersed by Spink 2001

ex J.P. Rosen collection

Dispersed DNW 2003

 

WTH-9156:  Rare Type Henry VII Hammered Silver Tudor Halfpenny.  Facing bust issue, the only York halfpenny issued under Henry VII, circa 1502-4.  An Episcopal issue under Archbishop Savage with an arched crown which actually breaks the pellet circle.  A very large and extremely clear key below the bust.  S.R.2249.  The York Episcopal issues, including up to halfgroats, under Edward IV (second reign), Richard III, Henry VII and Henry VIII favoured a variety of devices for inclusion on the obverse or reverse, being mainly letters but sometimes keys (upright or slanted), trefoils, crosses etc.  It seems bizarre that on the tiniest York denomination struck, they decided to place a huge horizontal key underneath the bust, thereby pushing the portrait higher up on what was already a challenging small space.  However, different is nearly always good in numismatics - that unusual decision presents us with a coin which stands out from the crowd as much as the second issue Henry VIII farthing and, although not quite in the same league, the later Charles 1st declaration issues.  I believe I'm correct in saying this is the only example I've had in all the decades of handling coins!  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Tim Owen (his older ticket)

 

WTH-9166:  Extremely Rare 1566/5/4 Elizabeth 1st Machine Pressed Silver Sixpence.  "Milled" coinage, initial mark Star, dated 1566.  Not quite as rare as either of the later 1570 issues but contrary to what the reference books suggest, there's not too much in it.  Be under no illusion here - this is an incredibly rare date in the milled series.  London coins has seen but a single example in 20+ years and for me personally, this is the first example I've ever seen in the flesh.  S.R.2598A.  When you consider that “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562.  This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage”, you gain an insight into just how rare all non 1562 milled coins are.  Queen Elizabeth 1st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10th July 1561.  She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery.  The visit was reported to be six hours in length.  Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting.  An extremely rare date that will not be represented in the vast majority of both private and institutional collections throughout the UK and beyond.  Sold with an old Bermondsey Coins ticket together with a large, old coin envelope with much annotation.  SOLD

 

WTH-9117:  Extremely Rare Elizabeth 1st Hammered Shilling.  Initial mark Martlet, second issue, 1560-61.  What makes this a very rare coin indeed is a combination of grade and the fact that this coin is a contemporary counterfeit.  The base metal core of the coin is evident where blistering over the centuries has occurred, as well as on the edge.  This would have been laminated with a decent silver plating, but obviously the combined metal value would have been much lower than an actual shilling, which is where the counterfeiter would have made his money.  I've seen two or three of these over the years and without exception, the extant silver plate is virtually non-existant.  This coin retains 98% of the original silvering.  Better still is the die with which they struck the prepared blank to create the actual coin.  Clearly this would have been a non-official, hand-made die, copying the official 3C bust, but the workmanship is truly outstanding - astonishing, in fact.  This would fool many people today, bar the base metal blisters, and would surely have fooled everyone back in the day!  I have never seen the like before, both in the quality of the die used and also in the almost unbelievable grade of the coin, not just in the 1560's, when this coin would have hit the streets of London but today, 460 years on!  I can't remember the last time I came across a coin that excited me, was in exceptionally good grade, and was relatively inexpensive.  SOLD

 

WTH-9281:  1572 Elizabeth 1st Tudor Cast Silver Medal - "Defence of the Kingdom".  A crudely cast silver medal, undated but circa 1572.  Obverse: Elizabeth 1st facing left, a portcullis before her face, a rose to the right / Castle on a mount or hill, dividing ER, a globe below.  Medallic Illustrations (i) 120/57, Eimer 48A.  Very similar in style to the milled coinage of Elizabeth's reign.  The absence of a date suggests no one specific event was being commemorated, rather simply how well things were going in general with the country, although usually when that happens, things are far from "going well"!  The reverse, clearly showing the British Isles on top of the world, has an interesting legend: "What is this without weapons".  This alludes to the fortification of the kingdom at around this time in response to the anticipated threat of attack from the Roman Catholic powers of Europe.  A very rare medal, it being the first I've ever seen, let alone owned.  SOLD

Provenance:

Unidentified old (detailed) ticket

ex British Hammered Coins, £475, sold to ...

ex "collection of a gentleman"

ex Spink

 

WTH-9111:  1585 Elizabeth 1st Jetton or Medalet - ASSISTANCE TO THE UNITED PROVINCES.  As ever, much imagery: Elizabeth 1st, enthroned, gives roses to two deputies - "THE SOUL IS SLAIN BY THE NECTAR OF THE (ENGLISH) ROSE".  The reverse depicts two Spaniards eating hay along with a donkey and an ass: "I DESPISE AMBROSIA; I EAT HAY".  Medallic Illustrations 133/86, Dugn 3044.  Europe asked England to step in and help, which she did, and successfully - the Rose of England is compared to the immortalising nectar of the gods.  The Spaniards, who refused the Ambrosia of England, were reduced to absolute want, being glad to obtain even the food fit only for cattle.  A high grade example - remember, this is 1585 and copper is a soft metal.  SOLD

Provenance

ex S & B Coins (Simon Monks & Brian Reeds)1995

ex Baldwin's

 

WTH-9112:  1586 Elizabeth 1st SILVER Jetton or Medalet - ASSISTANCE TO THE UNITED PROVINCES.  As ever, much imagery: Elizabeth 1st, enthroned, attended by Leicester, presenting English swords to two attendants from the United Provinces.  The Earl of Leicester was a staunch Protestant and was close to the queen.  The reverse shows a sword piercing the clouds, meaning that no matter how good the sword of Elizabeth, a reliance upon the word of God must be their mainstay.  Medallic Illustrations 133/87, Dugn 3096.  Europe asked England to step in and help, which she did, and successfully - the Rose of England is compared to the immortalising nectar of the gods.  The Spaniards, who refused the Ambrosia of England, were reduced to absolute want, being glad to obtain even the food fit only for cattle.  A high grade, rare silver example - remember, this is 450 years old.  SOLD

Provenance

ex S & B Coins (Simon Monks & Brian Reeds)1997

ex Baldwin's

 

WTH-8139:  Edward VI Hammered FINE Silver Sixpence; the Great Re-coinage of 1696!  Fine silver issue of 1551-3, initial mark y, London mint, S.R. 2483.  A pleasing example of this attractive and sought after issue which is rarer than the shillings and, just like the shillings, often presents as problematic - damaged, bent, worn etc.  Some damage is undoubtedly down to a very sceptical public in 1550 who had lived through 50+ years of debased coinage thanks to Henry VIII.  They would be disbelieving of these fine silver coins and so would bite them and bend them to test they weren't fakes.  This coin is centrally pierced but this was not a product of a wary public, rather it was pierced intentionally at the mint, under the governance of Sir Isaac Newton himself, in 1696 at the Great Re-Coinage.  Hammered coinage in England was phased out at the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 and was officially ended in 1662 with the introduction of Charles II milled silver coins.  Whilst no more hammered coins were minted post 1662, the old hammered coinage was still legal tender; hammered and milled running side by side, although much of it was battered and bruised through shear over-usage, not to mention seriously underweight through clipping.  In 1696, although hammered coinage was still popular with the public, it was decided that enough was enough – all circulating hammered coinage was to be assessed by the mint.  Anything substandard was to be exchanged for the new milled coinage and anything in high enough grade and, most importantly, of the correct weight, was allowed to circulate for a few years more.  This latter cohort was identified as “of still legal tender” by the addition of a central punch or piercing administered by the mint.  There were problems, as one would perhaps expect with such a huge national undertaking: 

1.  Due to the mint’s promise of a like-for-like value replacement, regardless of condition, many enterprising individuals, before submitting for exchange, clipped their hammered coinage further still, retaining the silver shavings to be utilised for effectively what was free money later on. 

2.  As a direct result of this extra clipping, together with the high cost of minting the new milled coinage, the government lost a great deal of money – nearly £3 million. 

3.  The timing was appalling – the new milled money was not ready in time for an exchange.  Riots threatened and there was great public unrest until the government bridged the period by issuing paper notes.

4.  The infamous Window Tax, of which we’re all still cognisant of today, was introduced specifically to pay for this near £3 million financial black hole.  There have been some bad government taxes over the years, but a window tax?!

Bearing in mind there were not actually that many hammered coins that passed the grade in 1696 (the process was actually 1696-99), together with the fact that post 1699, whenever a pierced hammered coin passed through the hands of officialdom, it would inevitably be withdrawn, it’s perhaps easy to see why these coins are rare.  You really don’t see than many of them.  Georgian and Victorian gentlemen collectors would not be interested in pierced coins (for goodness’ sake, these were the people who mutilated the Cromwell crowns by smoothing over the infamous die flaw because they couldn’t live with them as they were!!), which is another reason why these extremely interesting coins are so rare.  SOLD

 

WTH-9109:  Significant 1551 Edward VI Hammered Silver Sixpence.  Third period, "Fine Silver" issue.  London mint, S.R. 2483.  Initial mark y so one of the very first coins struck (circa 1551).  This issue, coming on the back of decades of Henry VIII coinage that didn't look like silver - and actually didn't contain much silver - took the populace by surprise.  Many were suspicious at handling this unfamiliar looking coinage, often biting and bending it to test the silver.  However, much more interesting than all that - this coin is a rare survivor of the 1696 Great Recoinage.  The Great Recoinage was the first part in a two part process to remove all the old fashioned hammered coinage, most of it clipped, worn and underweight, from British circulation.  The entire point of a coin back then was that the silver content represented the actual value, so a badly clipped silver hammered penny was actually not worth a penny anymore in real terms.  Milled currency, featuring milled edges as proof against clipping, had started some 30 years earlier at the start of the Restoration.  However, the earlier hammered coinage had been around for many, many centuries and thus couldn’t be removed overnight.  In 1696, all hammered currency had to be assessed.  Coins that were still “full weight, of a presentable nature, with a piercing that conforms to the Act – central, no metal loss; signs of having been in circulation for at least 50 years” (this last criteria presumably to protect against counterfeits), were certified and allowed to circulate freely alongside the new milled coinage post 1696.  All other hammered coins were removed from circulation by exchanging them for the new milled currency.  The sting in the tail was that the old hammered currency was exchanged by weight, not value!  In actual fact, the majority of hammered coinage was effectively withdrawn from circulation under this process.  This was, however, only a temporary stay of execution as under George II, just a few decades later, all hammered coinage was removed from circulation and legally made non-currency.  There are no exact surviving records of numbers for this process but it was generally considered to be far from a success economically for the state.  Many centrally pierced hammered coins probably ended up melted down as later collectors probably assumed the hole was merely damage, making these few survivors even rarer.  Sixpences turn up less frequently than shillings, especially in this VF grade.  That, coupled with the Great Recoinage association, makes this an extremely important and desirable coin.  SOLD

Provenance

ex Baldwin's

 

WSC-9148:  1633 Charles 1st Scottish Hammered Silver Six Shillings.  First coinage, Edinburgh mint.  Initial mark Thistle.  Burns 5 (fig. 999), SCBI Scotland 70:163-164, S.R. 5543.  Interesting in that Charles 1st, being on the throne since 1625, was still using the image of his father, James 1st of England or James VI of Scotland, on a coin eight years on from that date!  A very similar looking issue to both the English James 1st sixpences and the Scottish James VI six shillings and being equally poorly struck from badly made dies.  The penultimate Scottish six shillings date for this dated first issue.  The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford has only a 1626 and a 1631, both quite poor.  The Hunterian Museum in Glasgow has only a 1626 and a 1632 - the former being as bad as the two Ashmolean examples; the latter being better but absolutely not as good as this 1633 example.  I think this illustrates just how rare a coin this is?  Slabbed by PCGS and graded by them as VF35 making it a "Top Pop" coin.  This is such an impressive coin in both rarity and grade - you might think that you can find better elsewhere but I'll wager you can't.  I certainly can't!  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Dolphin Coins, circa 1990

ex Richard August collection

 

WI-9269:  1601 Irish Elizabeth 1st Hammered Copper Penny.  Third issue, initial mark Star and on a generous planchets.  Most of these coins come out of the ground (it is interesting to note that examples have been unearthed from the Jamestown site in America, along with later James 1st hammered silver coinage although far from the condition of this coin) and as a result the copper corrodes.  The entire Third Issue of Irish coinage, 1601-02 only, was an emergency issue brought about by the need to pay the large numbers of soldiers who were in Ireland.  Their role was to defeat the “independent and warlike” Irish of the North, under the leadership of O’Neil, and to expeditiously “Shire” Ireland and bring it under English rule, basically making Ireland an extension of England.  The Earl of Essex was in command of the English troops but was recalled to England where he was duly executed.  His replacement, Mountjoy, somewhat motivated by the fate of his predecessor, did a much better job.  Virtually as struck with just a few flat strike areas.  Better than the S.R. plate coin.  SOLD

 

WI-9270:  1602 Irish Elizabeth 1st Hammered Copper Penny.  Third issue, initial mark Martlet and much the rarer of the two dates.  Most of these coins come out of the ground (it is interesting to note that examples have been unearthed from the Jamestown site in America, along with later James 1st hammered silver coinage although far from the condition of this coin) and as a result the copper corrodes.  The entire Third Issue of Irish coinage, 1601-02 only, was an emergency issue brought about by the need to pay the large numbers of soldiers who were in Ireland.  Their role was to defeat the “independent and warlike” Irish of the North, under the leadership of O’Neil, and to expeditiously “Shire” Ireland and bring it under English rule, basically making Ireland an extension of England.  The Earl of Essex was in command of the English troops but was recalled to England where he was duly executed.  His replacement, Mountjoy, somewhat motivated by the fate of his predecessor, did a much better job.  Virtually as struck - I've never seen better - and as such, choice.  SOLD

 

WMH-9245:  Choice Edward IV Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.  The more desirable second reign of Edward IV, 1471-83.  York Episcopal mint, struck under Archbishop Neville whist he was suspended in the period 1472-5.  An E and a Rose by the king's neck with a Quatrefoil on the reverse long cross.  S.R.2128.  George Neville was the brother of the Earl of Warwick, the Earl being largely responsible for Edward becoming king.  Unfortunately, Archbishop Neville was arrested for Treason in April 1472 and promptly despatched to France, thereby being "suspended".  The E by the neck alludes to York.  Lord Stewartby in his seminal numismatic publication, English Coins 1180-1551, states that, "Pence attributed to Neville's long suspension in 1472-5 are relatively scarce."  Further, this entire second reign period, going right through to the demise of Richard III, was a period in which the Northern mints, ultimately under the control of the Church, issued hugely underweight coinage in order to make money - Archbishop Rotherham of York was literally arrested by the crown as, "....The flow of ill-struck and often illegible pence from the Northern Episcopal mints continued unabated".  This coinage was always short of flan, giving the perception of clipping.  You simply do not see well-struck pence from this period... apart from this coin.  Obviously on a short flan (as already alluded to, they all were) but a truly exceptional portrait for issue.  I don't recall ever seeing a better second reign penny.  Choice for issue.  SOLD

 

WMH-9201:  Extremely Rare Mint Edward 1st Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.  Unusually, no star or pellet on breast - class 9b, circa 1299-1300.  VILL' KYN GES TON - the very rare Kingston upon Hull mint.  There were three reverse dies: VILL, VILL' and VIL' so this would be the second die, class 9b2.  The no star or pellet on breast obverse die is by far the rarest.  Chester, Kingston-upon-Hull and Exeter are the rarest of all the Edward 1st provincial mints (Kingston-upon-Hull and Exeter also being the only Edward 1st pennies issued over a single class).  Out of the 12,236 pennies found in the Aberdeen Hoard of 1886, over 12,000 were English with only 2 being from the Chester mint (both class IIIg), a single coin from Kingston (IXb) and only two from Exeter (IXb).  To give some context, Bristol is far from common and yet there were x52 Bristol mint coins in that hoard; London was well over 5,000 coins.  The few coins you do see from these three rare mints are nearly always worn.  This is a particularly good example with provenance back to 2016.  An extremely rare coin, more so with grade and rarer obverse die.  SOLD

 

WJC-9268:  1627/6 Charles 1st Hammered Silver Stuart Sixpence.  King in ruff & armour.  Tower (London) mint under the king, group B, second bust, type 1a1.  An overdate is 1627 over 6 with the initial mark is a Castle over an African Head.  Although pierced, this is a rare variety and a key date.  SOLD

 

WJC-9265:  Rare Variety Charles 1st Hammered Silver Civil War DECLARATION Shilling.  Bust of Charles 1st, left, mark of value to tight, nothing left.  Reverse Bristol Declaration, dated 1645.  Initial mark BR reverse only - S.R.3018.  Some light clipping, indicated by being 0.6g underweight at 5.39g.  S.R.3018.  This is one of the rarest Bristol Declaration shillings, being the last to be struck there.  Incidentally, the well respected and extremely comprehensive Brooker collection of Charles 1st coinage had but a single example of this late type - a fabulous full flan, well centred, high grade coin.  It was 5.7g.

This coin has been centrally pierced as part of the 1696 Great Re-coinage, largely overseen by Sir Isaac Newton at the mint.  Hammered coinage in England was phased out at the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 and was officially ended in 1662 with the introduction of Charles II milled silver coins.  Whilst no more hammered coins were minted post 1662, the old hammered coinage was still legal tender; hammered and milled running side by side, although much of the former was battered and bruised through shear over usage, not to mention underweight through clipping.  In 1696, although hammered coinage was still popular with the public, it was decided that enough was enough – all circulating hammered coinage was to be assessed by the mint.  Anything under-weight was to be exchanged for the new milled coinage and anything of the correct weight was allowed to circulate for a few years more.  This latter cohort was identified as “still legal” (crucially, these hammered coins were not legal currency, rather they were officially sanctioned to pass as lumps of bullion only, so technically still actual money, but not legally) by the addition of a central punch or piercing administered by the mint.  There were problems, as one would perhaps expect with such a huge national undertaking: 

1.  Due to the mint’s promise of a like-for-like value replacement, regardless of condition, many enterprising individuals, before submitting for exchange, clipped their hammered coinage further still, retaining the silver shavings to be utilised for effectively what was free money later on. 

2.  As a direct result of this extra clipping, together with the high cost of minting the new milled coinage, the government lost a great deal of money – nearly £3 million. 

3.  The timing was appalling – the new milled money was not ready in time for an exchange.  Riots threatened and there was great public unrest until the government bridged the period by issuing paper notes.

4.  The infamous Window Tax, of which we’re all still cognisant of today, was introduced specifically to pay for this near £3 million financial black hole.  There have been some bad government taxes over the years, but a window tax?!

Bearing in mind there were not actually that many hammered coins that passed the grade in 1696 (the process was actually 1696-99), together with the fact that post 1699, whenever a pierced hammered coin passed through the hands of officialdom, it would inevitably be withdrawn, it’s perhaps easy to see why these coins are rare.  You really don’t see than many of them.  Georgian and Victorian gentlemen collectors would not be interested in pierced coins (these were the people who mutilated the Cromwell crowns by smoothing over the infamous die flaw because they couldn’t live with them as they were!!), which is another reason why these extremely interesting coins are so rare.

In summary, not just a Stuart Charles 1st Civil War Declaration shilling, and not just one of the rarest types; all of that and a shilling of the 1696 Great Recoinage to boot.  History In a Coin!  SOLD

 

WJC-9257:  Extremely Rare 1630 Dated Charles 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence.  Group B, second bust, type 1a2 with the reverse having no cross fourchee, initial mark Plume over Heart, although under a lens, unlikely as it may seem, the obverse at least looks very much like Heart over Plume.  Tower mint under the king.  S.R.2808.  Very few examples of this late date exist in collections, either institutional or private, 1630 being very much the key date.  Collectors will be fully cognisant of this, together with the fact that the entire dated issue (1625-30) is nearly always problematic (poor strikes / dies, double strikes, flans, legend issues etc) as a result of the dies / minting process.  Museum reference number of "5446" to the right of the shield.  You'll have waited ages for an example to turn up but rest assured, unlike busses, you'll not see another of these any time soon!  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Ian Davison

 

WI-9253:  A Truly Exceptional, "As Struck" Irish Charles 1st Hammered Silver “BLACKSMITH’S” Halfcrown.  The Great Rebellion - issue of the Confederate Catholics, circa 1642.  Struck at Kilkenny.  Initial mark Cross Pattee (obv), Irish Hark (rev).  Struck shortly after 15th November 1642, very much in the style of the London Tower issues but from crude dies, hence "Blacksmith".  A very clear reverse initial mark Harp (this image being taken in natural light, via a camera phone and actually being much more representative of the actual coin itself).  Obverse initial image is a Cross.  13.41g, 8h,  and 35mm.  Bull 30, D&F 335, CC IC1HC-030, Spink 6557A.  An unusually high grade example of this excessively rare, usually poor issue and rare thus.  Coincraft states:  “...struck in Kilkenny, this issue was very crude in both style and production…”  I dug out my (very) old listing of a previous Blacksmith halfcrown in which I'd stated: "If you’re waiting to acquire something resembling an English Charles 1st half crown for your collection, even in Fine or less grade, save yourself an indeterminate wait as they do not exist".  I was perhaps a little hasty in that statement because apart from the obvious crude nature of the dies and the angled strike, this coin is actually as good, and better, than a lot of English Charles 1st halfcrowns!  Imaged here are the only other two examples of this issue that I have owned and sold over many decades.  Moving on to the Coincraft plate examples (S.R.6557 and 6557A), both show decent reverses but both obverses are blurred / wishy-washy; an indication as to just how hard it was to get these Blacksmith dies up to muster - or perhaps this was an intentional feature by the moneyer as worn coins attract far less attention, something to be coveted if you're issuing non-Regal coin!  The S.R. plate coins are quite good examples (as you'd expect, those plate coins probably being the two best grade examples extant), but even there, the level of detail for Charles 1st is not a patch as to what it is on this coin.  The dies were not only crude but were made with perhaps not intentional built-in wear, but in a way that made it nigh on impossible for a quality coin to be produced from said dies.  Those of you familiar with this issue will appreciate just how good an example this coin actually is, albeit minted with a very angled strike.  The silver content of this coin in particular would easily have been good enough to sit alongside all the other eclectic coinage of the day as general currency in 1600's Ireland.  Only 4,000 of these coins were struck, using at least two different obverse dies, which is a tiny number - I recently came across some research by the excellent Chris Comber, Walter Wilkinson and David Brown which stated that Elizabeth 1st sixpences had a current-day survival rate of between 4-10 coins per die.  Now although slightly earlier in date, Elizabeth 1st sixpences are clearly going to be greater survivors that Irish Blacksmith halfcrowns struck during the tumultuous period of the English Civil War, so by those figures, 20 extant Blacksmith halfcrowns would be exceedingly optimistic!  Note the regnal name together with the king's upper half - beautifully toned and getting on for EF in grade, which is frankly amazing.  In view of what I wrote above [... dies were not only crude but were made with perhaps not intentional built-in wear, but in a way that made it nigh on impossible for a quality coin to be produced from said dies], I'd suggest a Blacksmith halfcrown could never be minted in high grade, no matter how good the dies were, UNLESS the strike was angled, such was the nature of the dies themselves, together with the "Blacksmith's" undoubted skill at making horseshoes but perhaps not so much at minting coins!  A fabulous and excessively rare coin.  Find better!!  SOLD

 

WSC-9260:  1553 Scottish Mary Portrait Testoon.  First period, 1542-58, before marriage.  Type 1 with crowned bust, right and a crowned shield on the reverse with a cinquefoil both sides.  Edinburgh.  c.f. S.R.5401.  In 1553, Mary would have been just 11 years old.  Struck in lead from official dies, presumably to fool nobody, rather to be used as an official pass or ticket (see http://www.HistoryInCoins.com/A.29-7-23-1.jpg for a similar concept), perhaps to allow entry into and out of Edinburgh?  For me, I think that of all the varied and different coinage from this reign, including the gold left facing portrait issues, and even the later portrait testoons where Mary adopts the same fashionable high hair line as Elizabeth 1st (they never met although Mary pushed hard for such a meeting over many years, so I wonder if this later depiction was some sort of homage to Elizabeth?), this is the one that most captures the essence of who Mary really was, or at least who I think Mary really was - the history books are sometimes less than accurate on such matters, especially those written south of the border!  A very interesting coin and with a price tag of £20,000+ for the silver issue coin in a similar grade to this one, a very attractive alternative.  SOLD

Provenance:

Unknown collection (old coin cabinet ticket)

ex Spink

 

WJC-7474:  1642 Charles 1st Shrewsbury Declaration Civil War Pound of Twenty Shillings.  King on horseback, plume behind; Declaration between two straight lines, three Shrewsbury plumes above, five pellets to the left of the declaration.  S.R. 2917, North 2361, Brooker 796.  A most interesting (unique?) coin struck in lead alloy, but being almost of the correct weight (or at least it would have been if the silver plating was still intact) of the silver example, which it needed to be in order to pass as the real thing.  However, lead is nearly 10% heavier than silver, so there must have been some clever metallurgical manipulation of the alloy in order to get this so precisely to just under 120g with the correct diameter (54mm) and thickness (5mm)!  Sold with an old auction information slip as well as a collector’s cabinet ticket.  I have never seen anything like this before – it was certainly an ambitious undertaking by the counterfeiter.  SOLD

 

WJC-9324:  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 significant 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.  Peck 499 and listed as Very Scarce.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Colin Cook (2005)

 

WJC-9325:  Charles II Copper Ticket-Token for the Touching Ceremony.  Copper throughout.  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 would not have entered circulation as currency because 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, thus it likely to be a piece from early on in the reign of Charles II.  Peck 496 and listed as Scarce.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Colin Cook (2005)

 

WJC-9317:  1631-39 Charles 1st Silver Pattern Halfgroat.  Nicolas Briot's first milled issue of 1631 - 1632 only.  Obv: King Charles 1st, facing right and with no crown, with a sizable ruff, rev: x2 crowned interlocked C's indication denomination.  S.R.2856A.  These do turn up but when they do, they're invariably worn - the Briot dies produced excellent coins but were unfortunately shallow in relief and thus did not stand up well against circulatory wear.  This coin very much VF for issue and thus rare.  SOLD

Provenance:

1973 (unidentified) ticket priced at a lowly £18 and later corrected from Groat to Halfgroat

 

WJC-7521:  1614 James 1st Hammered Silver Dated Sixpence.  Second Coinage, fourth bust, initial mark Cinquefoil.  S.R. 2658.  An excessively rare date being fairly comparable with 1618 which S.R. 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 Baldwin’s 1951 (their old ticket) with their 1951 auction estimate given as £500 - £700.  Ex Wootton collection.  SOLD

 

WTH-9302:  Elizabeth 1st Milled or Machine-Pressed Silver Shilling  "Milled" coinage, initial mark Star, 1560-66. Without rose or date; decorated dresss, small size (29.5mm diameter), S.R. 2592.  When you consider that “85% of Mestrelle’s meagre experimental machine-made coins were sixpences dated 1562.  This leaves 15% for all the other Screw-Pressed sixpences, shillings, groats, threepences, halfgroats, threefarthings and the gold coinage”, you gain an insight into just how rare all non 1562 milled coins are.  Queen Elizabeth 1st herself visited both mints (Upper & Lower Houses) upon the occasion of the near completion of the recoinage on 10th July 1561.  She met with Eloye Mestrelle and viewed his machinery.  The visit was reported to be six hours in length.  Eleven years later, Eloye Mestrelle was dismissed from the mint in 1572 and just six years after that, he was executed (hanged) for counterfeiting.  When this issue first appeared on the streets of London in the later months of 1561, it was so different looking to what was in peoples' pockets at the time that it was met with immediate suspicion and distrust.  People literally bit and bent the coins to test the metal content.  Old tickets here.  These milled shillings had no great depth of design, particularly on the portrait, thus they invariably turn up worn.  This is a very good example.  SOLD

Provenance:

Old sales list ticket, grading the coin at VF

ex Michael Trenerry - his ticket, dated 2023, priced £795

 

WMH-8112:  High Grade Henry VI Medieval Hammered Silver Groat.  First reign, Pinecone-Mascle issue of 1431-32/3, Calais mint.  S.R. 1875.  The town of Calais in what is now Northern France was under English rule from 1347 until 7 January 1558, being a bit of a vanity statement for the English monarchs in their claim on the French crown. It cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue collected in England to maintain Calais as an English possession.  The mint closed in 1440 after really only producing limited coinage under Edward III, a tiny amount of gold under Richard II and Henry IV, a miniscule quantity of farthings under Henry V and some of the earlier coinage of Henry VI.  Sold with an early 1980's ticket using an old fashioned typewriter.  Better than VF - a most attractive coin.  SOLD

 

WMH-9300:  Choice Grade Henry VI Medieval Hammered Silver Penny  First reign, Annulet issue of 1422-30.  Full flan.  The rarer London mint.  Initial mark Plain Cross.  Annulets in two reverse quarters; no annulets to the obverse.  0.91g.  S.R.1844, Whitton 3a.  Henry VI was born December 6, 1421 in Windsor, Berkshire and died May 21 or 22, 1471 in London.  He reigned from 1422 to 1461 and then from 1470 to 1471. He was a pious and studious recluse whose incapacity for government was one of the causes of the Wars of the Roses.  From a small collection of high grade, medieval coins; this penny being no exception, especially when you consider the generally indifferent nature of Henry VI pennies, although to be fair, the Calais pennies somewhat buck this trend.  An attractive and pleasing coin.  SOLD

 

WMH-9299:  Choice Grade Henry VI Medieval Hammered Silver Groat  First reign, Annulet issue of 1422-30.  Full flan.  The rarer London mint.  Initial mark Pierced Cross (1422-27).  Annulets to reverse legend and in two reverse quarters; no annulets to the obverse.  No fleur to the breast.  3.71g.  S.R.1835, Whitton 12a.  Henry VI was born December 6, 1421 in Windsor, Berkshire and died May 21 or 22, 1471 in London.  He reigned from 1422 to 1461 and then from 1470 to 1471. He was a pious and studious recluse whose incapacity for government was one of the causes of the Wars of the Roses.  From a small collection of high grade, medieval coins; this groat being no exception!  SOLD

 

WMH-9301:  Choice Grade Henry VI Medieval Hammered Silver Halfpenny  First reign, Annulet issue of 1422-30.  Full flan.  The better London mint.  Initial mark Pierced Cross (1422-27).  Annulets in two reverse quarters; no annulets to the obverse.  0.54.  S.R.1848, Whitton 5.  Henry VI was born December 6, 1421 in Windsor, Berkshire and died May 21 or 22, 1471 in London.  He reigned from 1422 to 1461 and then from 1470 to 1471. He was a pious and studious recluse whose incapacity for government was one of the causes of the Wars of the Roses.  From a small collection of high grade, medieval coins.  Full legends, toned - a very nice, superior example.  SOLD

 

WSax-7896:  Harold 1st Late Saxon Hammered Silver Penny.  Fleur-de-lis type, B.M.C. V, Spring 1038-40.  London mint.  Obverse armoured and  diademed bust left, +HAROLD REC R; reverse voided long cross with fleur-de-lis between two pellets: +BRINTNER ON LV – moneyer Brintner struck at the London mint.  0.96g.  S.R. 1165.  Harold was elected regent of England following the death of his father in 1035. He initially ruled England in place of his brother Harthacnut, who was stuck in Denmark due to a rebellion in Norway.  It was not until 1037 that Harold, supported by earl Leofric and many others, was officially proclaimed king.  If you’re in the market for trivia, the term Harefoot is said to mean “fleet of foot”.  Harold died at Oxford on 17 March 1040, just as Harthacnut was preparing an invasion force of Danes, and was buried at Westminster Abbey. His body was subsequently exhumed, beheaded, and thrown into a fen bordering the Thames when Harthacnut assumed the throne in June 1040.  The Saxon kings were not ones to hide their feelings about people, even blood relatives!  Possibly an ex hoard coin, now beginning to re-tone.  Very nice grade.  SOLD

 

WSC-9008:  James II Scottish Hammered Silver Stuart Groat.  Circulated at six pence.  First coinage, Edinburgh mint.  Third (type IIIa) fluer-de-lis issue with tall, narrow crown - S.R. 5225.  Old tickets here.  R.W. Kirton states on his ticket that the crescent stop reverse of this coin is unpublished.  The other ticket highlights the apparent die flaw to the king's face as possibly being an attempt by the die sinker to highlight the large birthmark which is known to have disfigured the king's left side.  SOLD

Provenance:

J & R Edmiston Auction, Glasgow, May 1976

ex R.A. Macpherson collection, September 2009

ex R.W. Kirton collection (an excellent numismatic researcher who amassed a comprehensive collection of Scottish coinage)

 

 

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.  SOLD

 

WAu-9297:  Celtic Britain Gold Stater - Trinovantes: Addedomaros.  Full gold stater: Crossed Wreath type with a reverse horse, facing right, a wheel below, A DOM above and an annulet with pellet (clogged dies) below that.  Originally occupying an area around their main centre of Colchester, they were neighbours of the Catuvellauni tribe - their base being around St Albans - and later appeared to have amalgamated under the control of the Cunobelin.  S.R.200, circa late first century BC.  Old tickets here.  An absolutely outstanding piece of artwork, in gold, from well before AD43 when the Romans invaded these shores.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex D. Palm collection - his white ticket where he incorrectly attributes this as a "silver" stater

ex Tim Owen - early ticket with plain reverse

 

WAu-9298:  Celtic Britain Gold Stater - Corieltauvi - Kite Type.  Early uninscribed full gold stater, mid to late first century BC.  Obverse: a very crude laureate head, regularly seen on all Corieltauvi types as little more than a plain surface.  The reverse depicts a wonderfully stylised and disjointed Celtic horse, facing left, with a trefoil of pellets before the hind legs and the trademark kite, containing a quatrefoil of pellets, above.  S.R.392.  Formally known as the Coritani, this tribe occupied Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, up to Yorkshire, down the Leicestershire and even into Northamptonshire.  The South Ferriby type (S.R.390) is the one that nearly always turns up so this Kite type, although not really being reflected as such in Sovereign Rarities, is much the rarer variety.  Old tickets here.  An absolutely outstanding piece of artwork, in gold, from well before AD43 when the Romans invaded these shores.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Andy Gillis collection

ex Mike Vosper

ex Gentleman Collector - his very old looking ticket which would appear to date Messrs Gillis & Vosper rather harshly!

 

WSax-7842:  Kings of Northumbria Saxon Silver Styca or Penny.  Eanred, 810-30 (although the reign lasted until AD 841), moneyer Eadwine.  Base silver regal issue, phase 1, S.R. 860.  A really nice example - the much rarer earlier silver variety (we are now regularly seeing base Stycas selling for well in excess of £100) and excellent grade.  SOLD

 

WMH-7479:  Stephen Norman Hammered Silver Halfpenny.  Unusual Norman Hammered Silver Cut Halfpenny of Stephen’s B.M.C.1, "Watford" type, 1136-45, S.R. 1278.  An irregular coin struck using Local Dies with part ornamental / part retrograde / possibly meaningless legends.  To the best of my ability the legends are: [...]ENSI+EFR+E[...] and [...]ENR or E? ON G[...].  Taken at face value, the reverse could indicate ALFWINE (blundered) of Gloucester?  Richard Mooney, a numismatist I hold in high esteem for his knowledge and understanding of not just Norman coinage but virtually all hammered coinage, has kindly provided the following:  ”The best I can think of is that the "G" on the reverse might be the beginning of the Gloucester mint signature.  If this is actually true, a reasonable moneyer could be Alfwine, but then the spelling is blundered, [...]WENE ON G[...]. I saw no names ending  ENE in Martin Allen's 2012 paper on Norman moneyers of type 1 Stephen.”  Recorded on the EMC database as EMC 2023.0066 although as you’ll see if you look this coin up, Martin Allen is also struggling.  Unique?  Further research required – something to definitely get your numismatic teeth into!  SOLD

 

WMH-9291:  Choice Edward III Medieval Hammered Silver Full Groat.  Pre-treaty period, 1351-61.  London mint, unbroken (new) letters in legend, initial mark 3(4), class G (1356-61), S.R.1570.  Class G usually has an annulet under the bust and an annulet in one of the four reverse quarters.  This coin has no such annulets.  Further, there is an unexpected absence of trefoils in the spandrels cusps on the lower half of the obverse.  The interesting und uncommon anomalies aside, this is an excellent grade coin.  SOLD

 

WMH-9283:  Richard II Hammered Silver Half Groat.  Class II with new lettering but no French title, initial mark Cross Pattée, London mint.  S.R.1682.  All Richard II halfgroats are rare - actually rarer than the groats, and they're rare enough! - as evidenced by the fact that on all three old tickets, the description is either Rare or even V. Rare.  Lord Stewartby states that whilst production of gold throughout the reign remained constant, silver was somewhat erratic and far from prolific.  During the reign of Richard II (even at the end of Edward III), and most definitely going through the subsequent reign of Henry IV, silver was haemorrhaging out of England to the Continent at an alarming rate which was compounded by the fact that the country was far from awash with silver in the first place - the price of silver on the Continent was greater than in England and cross-channel merchants were quick to take advantage.  With the exception of the halfpenny, the larger Richard II silver denominations are virtually all flat; lacking any kind of obverse definition.  Although perhaps not the most pleasing of coins, this is actually a very good example for issue.  SOLD

 

WAu-9194:  Celtic Gold Full Stater - Belgae Cheriton Smiler.  The Belgae of the Solent hinterland, between Bosham Harbour in the east and the River Avon in the west, and around the valley of the Test or Treget which includes the Danebury Hill Fort in the north of that region where several of these Belgae staters have been found since the 1980's.  These coins were originally thought to be part of either the Durotriges of Dorset or the Attrebates of North Hampshire tribes but neither of them used this coinage.  The name Belgae was derived from the Roman named Winchester, or Venta Belgarum, meaning "market place of the Belgae".  The obverse is described as a "Turf Cutter", although "Large Crescent Face" and "Smiler" are also used (rotate 180 degrees to see), for obvious reasons.  The reverse is an incredibly disjointed horse, left, with the rarer three horizontal tails (typically it's four or more) with pellets above, three of which are linked to make a triangle, and an apparent "eye" or coffee bean next to the tails.  There is a crab below the horse's body (sometimes it's a fish, or shrimp or any of the other marine fauna that were supposed to represent the diversity of the Solent seaway) on this reverse.  Unique or extremely unusual reverse die features of this coin: the dots between the rear legs of the horse, the triangle of pellets, the bottom crescent of the horse's body continuing up the neck (should be the top one only) and then there's the three necks, including barley-twist, toothed and plain - usually just a single plain neck.  The front legs are off the coin (was there any way that the full horse, resplendent with tails, was ever possible on any of these coins?!) but there should at last be the top pellet showing where the missing legs were attached to the body.  There is not, perhaps indicating that front legs, if indeed they are legs, were never part of this particular die?  Extra image here.  ABC 755 var, S.R.24 var, Van Arsdell (he had the obverse as an abstract head of Apollo but did state of this type that "Most are in museums") 1215 var.  Van Arsdell also goes on to say that the issue has a ..."high tin percentage suggests melted down cast bronzes were added to debase the alloy".  An outstanding example of this enigmatic issue (much better gold content than usually seen, bearing in mind that all are debased) that was held by ancient Britons who at that point in time had not experienced the Roman invasion and what that ultimately brought to these shores.  There are many unusual features to keep the researcher in you happy over the long winter nights to come!  SOLD

 

WI-6934:  1693 William & Mary Conjoined Busts Copper Halfpenny – High Grade.  A Dublin halfpence that was struck for only three years (the English version was only in operation for one year).  S.R. 6597.  Made from the softest of copper (the Charles II copper halfpence issue was equally soft), ie without the “hardening” elements to the alloy of later years, these coins were notoriously prone to wear through minimal handling.  This one an unrecorded overdate.  Rare.  SOLD

 

WI-7340:  1694 Irish William & Mary *High Grade* Copper Halfpenny.  Struck at Dublin during a short three year run.  Near all the copper issues from Charles II until the Hanoverians, but particularly so this specific Irish W&M issue, were struck on planchets made from a very soft copper alloy, one that was really not up to the job.  As a result, these coins quickly deteriorated through initial circulation.  What made the W&M coins in particular so susceptible to wear was the large relief conjoined busts obverse.  I’d almost go as far to suggest that the W&M Irish halfpence wore down through circulation at a faster rate than the tin issues, and they really did wear down fast!  Sold with an old auction slip stating “Very Fine”, together with an old cabinet ticket.  SOLD

 

WSax-7843:  Kings of Northumbria Saxon Silver Sceatta or Penny.  Eadberht, 737-58.  Phase A silver regal issue, class Bi, S.R. 847.  A "fantastic" quadruped (currently thought to be a stylised stag), left.  Rare.  SOLD

 

WMH-7613:  Norman ANGEVIN PARTY Hammered Silver Halfpenny – Henry of Anjou.  **A coin of major historical significance**  Struck under the Empress Matilda’s Angevin Party circa 1142-47 using an exceptionally well crafted pair of dies: the obverse has Henry of Anjou facing right; crowned, whilst the reverse is based on the Henry 1st final type 15 Quadrilateral on Cross Fleury type although the Cross Fleury is more a Cross Pellet.  Obverse: HEN[RICVS], reverse: +RAO[---ON---]IGE.  This reverse is the reading taken directly from the EMC / SCBI entry (EMC 2019.0360) – see here.  I would suggest that the mint is, in fact, Gloucester – Mack 247 is a type 3 example of this coin with a mint signature GLOE and GLO could possibly be this reading.  Recorded mints for Henry of Anjou, this type, are Hereford, Gloucester, “CRST” and “CAO[--]”.  I’m at a loss as to where EMC derives Wallingford from, other than Wallingford was a beleagured garrison which sent for Henry, from his home in France, in 1153, a date way in advance of this coin.  If the reader is interested, all recorded Angevin mints are: Bristol, Gloucester, Sherbourne(?), Hereford, Malmesbury, and “Uncertain” - Cirencester?  The moneyer on this coin (given by EMC as RADVLF, RAVLF or RAVL) is a previously unrecorded moneyer; Gloucester Henry of Anjou was only ROBERT prior to this coin.  Mack 248-53, S.R. 1329, North 940/2.  Empress Matilda’s eldest son, Henry of Anjou, Lived in France.  He came to England in 1147, aged 14, and 1149.  The former was to do battle at Pevensey (he attacked Cricklade & Bourton but both were abject failures and to make a bad day at the office worse, his men deserted him), the latter was to be knighted by his great uncle, David 1st of Scotland, at Carlisle.  In between times, he was fully occupied in fighting a war against Louis VII, briefly taking time out to marry Eleanor of Aquitaine, the former wife of Louis VII.  Interesting times.  The chronology of coinage is as follows: Empress Matilda coinage in hr name, 1139-42.  Henry of Anjou very much replaced his mother on coinage from 1142 with the profile types lasting until the death of Earl Robert in 1147, after which Henry of Anjou adopted a front facing style to match the Stephen regular type 2 coinage (voided cross & stars, 1145-50).  Post 1147, the fortunes of the Angevin Party were at a low ebb and very little, if any, coinage was issued.  A point of interest on this coin is the unusual placement of the regnal name, starting about 10 o’clock.  Cut coins were very much done so at the mint, not in the field, obviously to generate small change where no round fractional coins existed.  This was the case right through until the practise all but ceased under Edward 1st.  It is extremely interesting to note that this cut half has virtually 100% of the bust of Henry of Anjou remaining.  Once the civil war was over and Henry II was enthroned (Henry II was Henry of Anjou), the mint had little consideration as to whether the king’s head was or was not on a cut half – indeed it is thought that of the miniscule quantity of coinage put aside for “cutting” at the mint post civil war, BOTH sides of individual whole coins were released into circulation as halfpence.  Prior to this, it was definitely NOT the case – only carefully selected coins, with Henry’s portrait favouring one side of the coin, were chosen and when cut, the side without the portrait was immediately put back in the melting pot.  This was to ensure that all coinage, even smaller denominations held by peasants, bore the rightful monarch’s portrait.  It was basically the forerunner to propaganda and advertising.  When you consider this, these cut halves represent a miniscule fraction of all struck coinage and then whatever that miniscule percentage was, it was immediately halved in size by only using one half of every cut coin.  An excessively rare and extraordinarily high grade example.  If this were a full coin, in this grade, it would be somewhat over £10,000; probably more as it’s an unrecorded moneyer.  It is common practice in Scandinavia to charge a straight 50% of the value of a full coin on all cut half coins, even English coins.  Don’t miss out on this one as there will be no repeat.  SOLD

 

WJC-7655:  James 1st Stuart Hammered Silver Shilling – High Grade.  Third coinage, initial mark Trefoil, sixth bust, S.R. 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 S.R. 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.  SOLD

 

WMH-8164:  Henry V Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.  House of Lancaster, Durham mint, class C with a mullet and worn broken annulet by the crown.  Most importantly, the quatrefoil at the end of the legend is very clear.  S.R.1782.  Henry V of the Battle of Agincourt fame: I pray thee, wish not one man more. By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not if men my garments wear; Such outward things dwell not in my desires: But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive.  This is obviously Shakespeare's interpretation on Henry's St Crispin's Day speech but it's generally believed that Henry V gave a rousing speech to his men, who, remember, were vastly outnumbered, just before they defeated the French.   Much above average grade for any mint of Henry V penny, but particularly the northern mints - more so Durham - with local dies in use.  SOLD

 

WMH-7666:  Henry 1st Hammered Silver Norman PAXS Penny.  A desirable early issue, being B.M.C. III – circa 1103 only.  +IIHGMII[ND O[N C]AN – Agmundr of Canterbury.  A very rare type / mint combination, there being only two B.M.C.iii Canterbury pennies listed on the world famous EMC / SCBI database, this coin being one of them (EMC 2012.0295), the other being a totally different moneyer.  In effect, a unique coin.  The method pf photography employed greatly enhances any flaws etc.  In this case, the flan cracks look off-putting.  I would refer you to the images on the EMC / SCBI database which literally don’t show them at all.  They are not visible to the naked eye.  Found Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, 2012, bought by Tim Owen, bought by the Causeway Collection.  A rare coin indeed.  SOLD

 

WTH-9280:  CHOICE Edward VI Tudor Hammered Silver PORTRAIT Penny.  No initial mark, the rarer Bristol mint (CIVI TAS BRIS TOLIE - the actual mint being housed at Bristol Castle), first period, in Edward's own name: April 1547 to January 1549, although this issue was only struck until February 1548.  S.R. 2462.  Obverse: crowned bust of the boy-king Edward VI facing right; reverse: square topped shield over long cross fourchée.  A billon issue with the Spink XRF spectrometer showing a tad over 0.500 fine.  Full flan, well centred, high grade - an absolutely outstanding example of this great Tudor penny rarity and from the better Bristol mint.  There is a tiny pin prick just past the end of the ascender of 6 - everything else is just camera reflection or uneven colouring, the latter being synonymous with all billon coinage.  Truly a remarkable coin.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Stack's, sold to...

ex Richard August collection

ex Spink

 

WJC-7639:  1648 Charles 1st Civil War Pontefract Besieged Silver Shilling.  Cut from silver plate literally inside Pontefract castle whilst it was under attack by Cromwell’s forces, June 1649 – March 1649.  Issued to pay the garrison defending the castle, it was made by cutting any available silver bullion and plate. The inscription 'DVM SPIRO SPERO' translates as “Whilst I breathe, I hope”.  Struck the year prior to the execution of Charles 1st.  The rarer of the two varieties with no mark of value – S.R. 3148.  Ex Fred Rist, ex DNW, ex M.H. Coins.  Particularly high grade – these suffered quickly from wear, often being kept as touch-pieces by local and bereft supporters during the dark days of the Commonwealth that followed.  5.59 grams, 43mm tip to tip.  There is a slight Z bend to the coin which has resulted in minor wear to those corresponding high points.  Equally as good grade as the S.R. plate coin, bar the contemporary piercing, but interestingly from a different obverse die – this coin has obverse pellet stops with no stop after SPERO.  The reverse die is the same.   Find another for sale in such high grade!  SOLD

 

WI-9249:  1555 Irish Mary and Philip Hammered Silver Shilling.  Facing bust type.  0.250 fine silver so very much billon - it was at this point in time that large quantities of smaller denomination, earlier debased coinage (Henry VIII and Edward VI) was shipped over from London to Ireland to "satisfy the demand [of the Irish] for small change".  S.R.6500.  A single date, single issue, large denomination that was struck specifically for the Irish economy but not really what was required in terms of everyday run-of-the-mill market commerce.  Consequently, a relatively small issue that was not repeated for the remaining three years of the reign, and due to the nature of the poor metal content, one that did not survive the rigours of time and circulation at all well.  Some of you are probably wondering why it's down as Mary & Philip as opposed to the much more familiar Philip & Mary?  I've never really understood why Philip always came first.  Mary was Queen of Spain through marriage, so by all means have Philip and Mary there but here, Mary was the Queen through bloodline, after initially being declared illegitimate and thus barred from the line of succession following the annulment of her parents' marriage in 1533.  Thankfully for Mary (and Philip), the line of succession was restored via the Third Succession Act, 1543.  She was Queen of England for a year before her marriage to Philip so patriarchy aside, it's Mary & Philip, at least on this site!  William & Mary, 130 odd years later, is debate for another time!  This coin is arguably better overall than the Sovereign Rarity 2026 plate coin - the very best coin available to them from all the collections and databases that they have access to.  Rare thus.  I have certainly never seen better.  SOLD

Provenance:

Old, unidentified ticket

ex Tim Owen

 

WI-9273:  Irish Edward IV Rare Medieval Hammered Silver Groat.  Second reign, type VIII - issues of the Ungoverned Mint, 1470-77.  CIVITAS LIMIRICI - Limerick mint.  L on breast, rosettes by the neck (and in two reverse quarters and interspersed within the legends) and with English & French titles - S.R.6380A.  Coins were issued outside of the governance of the Pale authorities by just three mints: Limerick, Cork and Wexford, with the first of those two mints issuing coin autonomously as a result of the Desmond rebellion by those respective Irish towns.  Wexford was not involved in this rebellion but opportunistically joined in minting their own coinage anyway.  Weight at 2.03g which, bearing in mind the standard weight was around 2g at the time due to the weight being reduced from that of the previous issue by 25% (these were in reality unofficial issues so it's entirely to be expected that they would make money this way - indeed, I'm surprised they stuck at 25%), tells us that this coin was probably struck on the usual short flan and is not far off what it would have looked like when it left the mint.  For issue, and bearing in mind it's not a clipped coin, overall I'd readily grade this coin as VF (2025 price guide £1,200) - it is as good, if not slightly better than the S.R. plate coin.  A rare find.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Steve Mitchell, Studio Coins, 1991 (original ticket)

ex Spink

 

WJC-9261:  1646 Charles 1st NEWARK Besieged Hammered Silver Shilling.  Emergency coinage whilst supporters and troops of Charles 1st were besieged in Newark in 1646.   The desirable later year of 1646 with Newark spelt correctly.  S.R.3143.  1646 was within the third siege of Newark during the Civil War.  It was the actual town of Newark that was besieged, not just the castle, although then and now, the castle lies in the heart of the town.  On 26 November 1645, Scottish and Parliamentarian troops launched a twin attack on Newark. The Scots besieged Newark from the north; Parliamentarian forces besieged from the south. The garrison refused to capitulate and aggressively defended the town. During the harsh winter, the Scots built up siege works which were manned by 16,000 men. They also tried to dam the River Deven (a tributary of the famous River Trent which literally laps up the side of the present day castle walls) to starve the town’s grain mills power. Despite this sustained attack, Newark held out.  Townspeople who survived later recounted that they were forced to eat horses and dogs because food was so scarce. The town was blighted by the plague. These silver Newark siege pieces - sixpences, shillings, ninepences and halfcrowns - were emergency money; literally cut from the silver pate at Newark Castle and then stamped with the dies.  Circular coins would have been difficult to hand cut, hence the diamond shape.  Examples with original underlying designs / gold gilding from the silver plates have been recorded.  The town only surrendered at the order of Charles 1st, who was himself forced to order the surrender as part of the conditions for his own capitulation. Newark finally surrendered on 8 May 1646, thus this later date coin was clearly only struck for four months.  It is interesting to note that soldiers from the Newark garrison fought at the famous battle of Marston Moor (2 July 1644).  Remarkably well centred for this issue, both obverse and reverse (this was a rushed, emergency issue which resulted in the majority of coins being regularly off-struck) with an interesting "wobble" on both the obverse right diagonals where the person in charge of cutting up the silver plate presumably utilised a vaguely straight edge to save himself at least one cut and then for whatever reason, had to cut very slowly on the adjacent diagonal.  The Brooker collection contained only one example dated 1646 - a smaller but thicker flan, pierced & plugged.  Newark siege pieces are increasingly rare and as collectors will be aware, when they do turn up, the vast majority are pierced (siege pieces were often kept as touch-pieces to be worn around the necks of loyal supporters), damaged, worn, etc.  A rare coin.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Tim Owen

Old unidentified ticket

 

WSC-9045:  1565 Mary and Henry Darnley Scottish Hammered Silver Two Thirds Ryal.  Fourth period, circulated at 20 shillings.  Edinburgh mint.  Obv: +MARIA & HENRIC DEI GRA R & R SCOTORV and totally different to the 1565 first issue Ryal, no images of either Mary or Henry.  S.R. 5426.  Mary became queen at only seven days old.  She married Lord Henry Darnley (second marriage) in 1565 - this coin very much from that union period.  Darnley was killed in an explosion in 1567, thereby bringing this date run to an abrupt end.  It is interesting to note that this reverse die was struck 156- in order to insert the appropriate final digit as and when.  Unusual to find this denomination NOT counterstamped under Mary's son (Darnley was officially the father), the future James VI of Scotland and James 1st of England.  Scottish circulation was much more intense than south of the border due to lack of sufficient coinage physically in circulation, so that, coupled with the inadequate and shallow-sunk dies, led to very, very few coins of this type or similar ending up in anywhere near VF today.  SOLD

 

WMH-7446:  Stephen NORMAN Hammered Silver CROSS & PILES Penny.  B.M.C. VI, 1150-54: (+)GERFREI ON (TEF) – Geffrei of Thetford.  S.R. 1281.  There are only six recorded examples of Thetford mint B.M.C VI coins on the EMC database with only two for this moneyer, one of which is a cut half of questionable attribution.  Sold with a variety of old tickets etc - ex W.J. Lawson collection (sold by Spink Aus in 1989).  Toned, virtually VF and just a lovely coin.  SOLD

 

WMH-9258:  Extremely Rare and Finest Known Henry IV Hammered Silver HALFGROAT. Choice.  Light Coinage of 1412 - 1413 only, London mint.  An annulet to the left of the crown, a pellet to the right.  S.R.1730, this being dies sunk under Henry IV as opposed to altered Richard II dies (S.R.1729).  Nine arcs in the tressure indicating the later of the two obverse dies for this Stewartby class P with annulet/pellet arrangement.  Lord Stewartby (English Coins, 1180-1551) states: "The halfgroats and London pence of later class P are of considerable rarity."  Further confirmation of this being a later die: the m of Adiutorem is dropped.  The previous owner reported that Dave Greenhalgh stated only x20 Light Coinage halfgroats are extant (both altered R.II and H.IV types) and that this example is the finest known of that cohort.  There are more groats extant than halfgroats.  Readers may be questioning why a Light Coinage coin, ie very much towards the end of Henry IV's reign, would be derived from the previous reign's "left-over" dies - the assumption being that the earlier H.IV Heavy Coinage (1399 - 1412) would have utilised those?  That was indeed the case - there is even an example of a H.IV Heavy Coinage muled with an Ed.III obverse although bizarrely, the portrait on that Ed.III halfgroat was actually R.II! - but so few H.IV halfgroats were struck in the Heavy Coinage that those old dies were still serviceable when the Light Coinage of 1412 - 1413 came along.  Even within this period, with the Burgundian Alliance reinstating wool exports (a main industry in the day), together with the silver reduction in coinage, the output of all H.IV coinage was miniscule, with the halfgroat being much rarer still.  With a degree of difficulty, and some expense, you may be able to obtain H.IV pennies (nearly always extremely worn).  Halfpennies are slightly easier and usually in better grade.  Groats are extremely difficult to source.  However, of all the silver issues, it is the halfgroats that pose by far the greatest challenge.  Coincraft, who I have a lot of time for, state: "Henry IV halfgroats are extremely rare in any grade and collectors may have difficulty obtaining an example, regardless of condition."  Ask any numismatist who the rarest medieval monarchs are in terms of obtaining a coin from that reign and they'll quickly give you Henry IV and Richard III.  Ask the which everyday denomination of those two monarchs are the hardest and they'll be just as quick to tell you that it's halfgroat for both.  Incidentally, Sovereign Rarities 2026 Coins of England do have a R.III halfgroat as a plate coin but were unable to locate an example to illustrate for either the H.IV Heavy or Light coinages!  Here we have not just one of the rarest British monarchs, but the rarest denomination and the very best grade example known, and don't forget that's all extant examples: institutional collections and private collections.  And as if that wasn't enough, the provenance (see old tickets here) is also impressive.  Choice on several levels.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex D. Mangakis collection

ex Raymond Carlyon-Britton collection (his tickets, December 1958, £45)

ex Spink

Old ticket (unidentified) states: "Acquired from Spink March 1970"

ex Spink (1984)

ex unknown collection, dispersed...

Numismatica Ars (Zurich), Auction 145, May 2024, lot 1180, £4,500 after commissions but before import duties

 

WJC-9184:  1625 Charles 1st Silver Pattern Halfcrown - reportedly one of only four known.  Engraved by either Thomas Rawlins or, more likely, Abraham van der Doort.  Obv: Bust of Charles, lovelock on shoulder, falling lace collar and armour, rev: cast and chased Royal Arms in garnished shield, the style imitating engraving, very much along the lines of the work De Passe was producing around this time.  Listed in Medallic Illustration as (i)373/267 as a pattern for a half crown.  The internet yields this:

The Charles I pattern half-crown is one of the rarest examples assumed to be by Abraham Van der Doort. It shows the bust of King Charles I with no crown and a lace collar on the obverse. Additionally, the Royal Coat of Arms is on the reverse. In 1625 this coin was produced as a prototype before beginning full-scale production. This was due to the intricacy of the design and the decision that it would slow down coin production. Ultimately the design for the 1625 half-crown is King Charles on a horse holding a sword, with the other side depicting an oval quartered shield of arms.  The 1625 Charles I pattern half-crown is spectacularly rare, with possibly only four currently recorded. It would be a remarkable addition to any numismatic collection.

and also this:

Abraham Van der Doort and the 1625 Charles I Pattern Half-crown

A talented artist from the early 17th century. He is known for painting and designing medals and coins. His documented catalogue of the King’s paintings, sculptures and coins is impressive.

Not much is known of the Dutch artist before he moved to England, but once here his talent was recognised and sought after. He first worked with the royals, creating medal and coin designs, through which his working relationships flourished.

In 1609, Abraham Van der Doort was tasked with being Prince Henry’s ‘Curator of his cabinet of Medals and Coins’. After Prince Henry’s death, he worked for Prince Charles I. Once Charles ascended to the throne, Van der Doort started producing new designs of the King for the Royal Mint. Charles instructed the Dutch artist to make the designs for ‘his majesty Coynes and his assistance to the engravers’. The King entrusted Van der Doort with two posts for life: Provider of Patterns and Life Keeper of the Kings Coins Collection.

Van der Doort was the first Surveyor of the King’s Pictures. This meant that he was responsible for the care of the Royal Household’s collection of pictures, specifically Charles I’s art collections.

Sadly, there is only a small number of Abraham Van der Doort’s work in today’s market. His most famous work is with the Juxon Medal. This medal has very similar imagery to the rare 1625 Charles I pattern half-crown, however, the designer of which is uncertain. The style techniques and imagery however suggest that it had been designed by Van der Doort rather than Thomas Rawlins.

Another example of the Abraham Van der Doort pattern halfcrown sold in 2024 for £1500 + buyer's commissions on top.  Here, there is no such buyer's commission and you probably won't even have to pay the full asking price either!  An extremely rare and important coin from this most interesting, not to mention vast area of numismatics.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex John Williams collection

ex HistoryInCoins (2024)

 

WJC-7961:  1625 Charles 1st Hammered Silver Sixpence.  Initial mark Lis, Tower mint under the king, Gp. A, first bust, type 1: small bust with double arched crown.  S.R. 2805.  Issued right at the very start of the reign, so much so that the king is literally depicted in his coronation robes on this coin.  These early dated sixpences are all fairly rare, although 1625 is not the rarest date.  What elevates this coin is the grade.  Collectors will be aware that nearly all dated Charles 1st sixpences turn up worn or damaged.  This one is exceptional for issue.  SOLD

 

WMH-7269:  Henry V Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.  Class F, York mint, S.R.1788.  Henry V of the Battle of Agincourt fame: I pray thee, wish not one man more. By Jove, I am not covetous for gold, Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost; It yearns me not if men my garments wear; Such outward things dwell not in my desires: But if it be a sin to covet honour, I am the most offending soul alive.  This is obviously Shakespeare's interpretation on Henry's St Crispin's Day speech but it's generally believed that Henry V gave a rousing speech to his men, who, remember, were vastly outnumbered, just before they defeated the French.   Generally a poor issue with little effort put into the dies or indeed the end product.  This coin is much above average for issue.  SOLD

 

WTH-8023:  Edward VI Fine Silver Issue Hammered Shilling.  Initial mark Tun, third period, fine silver issue of 1551-3, London mint, S.R. 2482.  Lost very soon after it was issued from the mint but lost to the plough soil so although VF, which is actually rare to see in these shillings, there are associated surface marks.  SOLD

 

WSC-8124:  Robert III Scottish Medieval Hammered Silver Groat.  Heavy coinage, Edinburgh mint.  First issue with obverse colon stops and reverse saltire "colon-esque" legend terminals.  Seven arcs to tressure.  The facing bust is not typical of this issue, being anything but tall.  S.R. 5164.  John, Earl of Carrick, eldest son of Robert II, changed his name to Robert on succeeding to the throne.  Being almost entirely disabled by an accident before his father's death, the country was effectively run by yet another Robert - Robert Stewart, Duke of Albany, the king's younger brother.  Just as in England, there was a severe shortage of silver being brought to the mint.  SOLD

 

WI-9149:  Irish Henry VII Late Three Crowns Hammered Silver HALF Groat.  Issue of 1488-90 with mint name: CIV[I TA]S DVB LIN - Dublin and large annulet stops throughout with a trefoil of annulets (sometimes referred to as annulet crosses) obverse and reverse at 12 o'clock.  S.R.6444.  Full groats are fairly rare and usually turn up with very little, if any legends.  Even these indifferent Three Crown full groats are now achieving impressive prices.  To get a full groat with legends is challenging and the price obviously rises exponentially, as it does with nearly every coin when you're chasing grade.  Nicely toned with as full legends as you're ever likely to see (these were not only clipped but often struck on small flans - you have neither of that with this coin).  To find both a HALF groat, and one in such good grade, is extremely rare.  SOLD

 

WRS-9086:  Roman Silver Legionary Denarius: Legion II - Extraordinary Provenance.  Roman Imperatorial coinage, post Second Triumvirate, Mark Antony.  Struck Autumn 32 to Spring 31 BC.  RSC 27, Sear 349.  Legionary denarii is the modern name for a series of Roman silver denarius coins issued by Mark Antony in the eastern Mediterranean during the last war of the Roman Republic from 32 to 31 BC, in the lead up to the Battle of Actium.  They were struck for one purpose only - to pay the legionary soldiers.  This coin is Legion II - present in the British invasion force of the imperial propraetor Aulus Plautius in AD43, during which it was placed under the command of the young legionary legate Titus Flavius Vespasianus, later to become emperor.  Twenty Three legions were honoured in this "Legionary" denarius issue.  The coins were struck in reduced silver content (!) and so survived the rigours of circulation much better than standard denarii.  This meant that they continued to be used in circulation and would have been present on the invasion force of AD 43.  The entire legion apart from a small caretaker force, plus detachments of Legio VI Victrix and Legio XX Valeria Victrix, was put to work on the construction of Hadrian’s Wall.  Part of the very famous Helmingham Hoard of 2019 - the largest mixed hoard of British Iron Age and Roman coins ever found in Britain.  This hoard was deposited AD 46-7, only 3 or 4 years after Legion II landed.  Sold with an impressive array of tickets & literature here and here.  The large A4 double-sided glossy document makes very interesting reading as it attempts to focus in on the individual who deposited this hoard into the ground.  A very good coin for issue, bearing in mind its nearly 80 years of circulation, but more than that, true history in a coin!  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Helmingham Hoard of 2019

 

WAu-9241:  1654/0 Commonwealth Hammered Gold Crown.  Initial mark Sun, S.R. 3212.  Generally, larger denominations such as this never really made it out of London into the shires; gold coins especially so - silver crown and all gold Commonwealth coinage was predominantly NOT in general circulation, rather being held as collateral in banks (although the Commonwealth period at this point were so bereft of money that there was very little, if any reserve in the vaults), or for use by the government or merchants, which is why Commonwealth crowns and greater did find their way over to the Continent.  A coin falling within the Protectorship period (1653-59) under Oliver Cromwell.  The date is a clear overdate of 1654 over 1650, meaning the dies were originally sunk for the enigmatic 1650 coinage, of which there was zero silver and one of the lowest quantities of gold (all three denominations combined in total) compared to all the Commonwealth years - even the exceptionally rare year of 1657 struck more gold than 1650.  Thus it is not surprising to see that literally every 1654 gold crown, without exception, derives from the recycled 1650 die because it got but the briefest of outings in 1650.  Interestingly, 1654, this coin, was the penultimate gold crown issued under the Commonwealth, the final being a 1658.  So little gold coinage was able to be struck because the bullion just wasn't available.  The gold coinage, unlike the later silver coinage, had to be maintained at exactly the correct fineness because it was this coinage, along with the silver crown, that as has been already pointed out above, was used for overseas trade.  The gold coinage of 1654, that's all three denominations combined in total (crown, double crown & unite) is roughly equivalent to the total output of  exceedingly rare 1649 silver crowns (Spink auctioned one of the two varieties off a few years back with a hammer price of £40,000+ before commission).  There was perhaps slightly more combined gold struck but if you break down the gold and just look at gold crowns, 1654 gold crowns will have been struck in much less quantity than the 1649 silver crowns.  In terms of extant silver 1649 crowns, there are less than 20 known, both in private and public collections, and it's almost certainly closer to 15.  A very rare and interesting coin.  SOLD

 

WSC-9187:  1547 Mary Queen of Scots Hammered Billon Silver PORTRAIT Penny.  First period, 1542-58, before marriage although this coin represents the very first portrait issue of Mary - she was just 5 years old in 1547, so a long time before the first marriage.  Facing infant head of the very young Mary with an arched crown.  The reverse is a cross fourchee with cinquefoils and crowns in alternate angles.  Edinburgh mint.  Burns 3 (fig 864), SCBI 71 (Stewartby), S.R. 5440.  Very few coins in the reign of this iconic monarch had a portrait of the queen so if you collect by portrait, this is for you.  Old tickets here.  An exceedingly rare coin, it being the second only that I've handled in many a decade.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex DNW 2009, sold to

ex Raymond collection

 

WJC-9247:  1645 Charles 1st NEWARKE BESIEGED Hammered Silver Shilling.  Emergency coinage whilst supporters and troops of Charles 1st were besieged in Newark between 1645 and 1646.  The rarer crude, fat-topped crown variety; S.R.3142.  1645 was within the third siege of Newark during the Civil War.  It was the actual town of Newark that was besieged, not just the castle, although then and now, the castle lies in the heart of the town.  On 26 November 1645, Scottish and Parliamentarian troops launched a twin attack on Newark. The Scots besieged Newark from the north; Parliamentarian forces besieged from the south. The garrison refused to capitulate and aggressively defended the town. During the harsh winter, the Scots built up siege works which were manned by 16,000 men. They also tried to dam the River Deven (a tributary of the famous River Trent which literally laps up the side of the present day castle walls) to starve the town’s grain mills power. Despite this sustained attack, Newark held out.  Townspeople who survived later recounted that they were forced to eat horses and dogs because food was so scarce. The town was blighted by the plague. These silver Newark siege pieces - sixpences, shillings, ninepences and halfcrowns - were emergency money; literally cut from the silver pate at Newark Castle and then stamped with the dies.  Circular coins would have been difficult to cut, hence the diamond shape.  Examples with original underlying designs from the silver plates have been recorded.  The town only surrendered at the order of Charles 1st, who was himself forced to order the surrender as part of the conditions for his own surrender. The town finally surrendered on 8 May 1646.  It is interesting to note that soldiers from the Newark garrison fought at the famous battle of Marston Moor (2 July 1644).  This coin, a twelve-penny shilling, needed to be 6g as that was its intended buying power - literally x12 pennies worth of silver (the good old days when the coin in your hand wasn't just a worthless lump of base metal with an attached bank promise of value, rather the coin in your hand was literally worth what the coin said it was worth in metal, be that copper, silver or gold).  In size alone this was a very generous blank that the moneyer initially cut out for a shilling (presumably larger in size because the silver plate being cut up at the time was a thinner plate?); one that clearly came out at more than the stipulated 6g because either the moneyer himself, or someone further up the food chain, cut off and rounded the four corners in an attempt to reduce the weight.  At still over 6g, even with circulation and the passage of time, that effort was only partially successful.  This is something you rarely see - in fact, I've never witnessed it before.  The Brooker collection contained only one example of this rarer die variety but looking at all the Brooker Newark denominations, and indeed his Pontefracts, none had their corners removed in this way to reduce weight.  A rare coin in its own right.  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Oriole collection of gold and silver English coins

Dispersed by Spink 2025

 

WTH-9250:  Choice Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver Tudor Penny.  Second coinage, 1st December 1560 to 24th October 1561 only.  Initial mark Martlet, S.R.2558.  The end of September 1560 witnessed the government recalling all older coinage and literally demonetising it.  The old debased coinage was circulating freely at less than face value, eg earlier English base issue halfgroats were, pre September 1560, circulating at three farthings and debased Irish issues circulating at 25% face value in London.  Incidentally, a lot of this debased coinage was sent to Ireland where is was gratefully received.  The English public was confused and so action was taken in the form of a brand new mint, working alongside the old one, issuing coinage at .925 fine.  The original mint was the Nether Mint (situated on the west side of the Tower of London by the main entrance); the new one, again situated within the Tower of London but between the walls of the east side, was called the Upper Houses.  This new Upper Houses mint, for this second coinage, struck coinage only using the privy mark Martlet, meaning that the coin on offer here originated out of the new, Upper Houses mint.  An exceptionally good, choice coin.  Find better!  SOLD

Provenance:

ex Tim Owen (his original ticket)