Irish Coins & Tokens

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Irish / American (Colonial)

Halfpennies& Farthings

WI-8100: 1674 Irish-American St Patrick Copper Farthing. Brass anti counterfeiting plug very much in situ with excellent detail both sides. No damage or repairs. S.R. 6571. Struck on a large flan (25mm diameter) but still termed “Small Size”. This is the best grade example I had ever handled, even better than WI-7576 which some of you may remember. Collectors of this issue will be aware that they were struck in Dublin on soft metal and that virtually all extant examples, and there aren’t really that many in total, are grim in the extreme. A rare and desirable coin in any grade but clearly much more so this coin. £975

WI-7126: 1674 Irish-American St Patrick Copper Farthing. Brass anti counterfeiting plug very much in situ with excellent detail both sides. No damage or repairs. S.R. 6569. Struck on a large flan (25mm diameter) but still termed “Small Size”. This was possibly the best grade example I had ever handled until WI-7576 came my way! Collectors of this issue will be aware that they were struck in Dublin on soft metal and that virtually all extant examples, and there aren’t really that many in total, are grim in the extreme. A rare and desirable coin in any grade but clearly much more so this coin. £785

WI-6648: 1722 Type 1 Irish American William Wood Copper Halfpenny. About VF. Rare in this grade, rarer still being this first issue. £355

Irish "Confederate Catholics" Kilkenny Issues

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!! £5,875

Irish The Great Rebellion, Coinages of the Lords Justices Issue - "Ormonde Money"

WI-9035: Irish Charles 1st Hammered Silver ORMONDE Groat. 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 issue demonstrated allegiance to the monarch by incorporating the king’s crown on the obverse. Issued 1643-1644. Large C•R; crown above; all within linear and beaded border / Large IIII; D above; all within linear and beaded border. S.R. 6548. This was the final coinage of the rebellion period to be issued. The crude fashion with which this coin has been cut, together with the rudimentary die-sinking, and the indifferent strike, is somewhat reminiscent of the Charles 1st besieged issue just across the Irish Sea in Carlisle a year or so later. £235

WI-9105: Charles 1st Irish Hammered Silver Ormonde Money Sixpence. Issued during the Great Rebellion, this is an issue of 1643-44. S.R. 6547. 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 then stamped. These stamps were not engraved to anywhere near the quality of coin dies and the "stamping" resulted 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. This is the very best example of a sixpence that I have ever handled and possibly even seen. Rare thus. £695

Provenance:

ex Alexander Christopher collection

Irish James II Civil War Issues - "Gun Money"

Crowns

WI-7550: 1690 Irish Gun Money Full Crown. James II emergency Civil War coinage of 1689-91. S.R. 6578. Overstruck on the large Gun Money halfcrowns as by 1690, these were obsolete; replaced by the small size halfcrowns. The obverse of the Gun Money crown (and it is just the crowns) has similarities to the earlier Charles 1^st halfcrowns and crowns, which I’m sure was far from accidental. It won’t have escaped readers’ attention that Gun Money coinage is currently riding high in terms of popularity. After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. £285

WI-9135: 1690 Irish Gun Money Full Crown. James II emergency Civil War coinage of 1689-91. S.R. 6578. Overstruck on the large Gun Money halfcrowns as by 1690, these were obsolete; replaced by the small size halfcrowns. The obverse of the Gun Money crown (and it is just the crowns) has similarities to the earlier Charles 1^st halfcrowns and crowns, which I’m sure was far from accidental. It won’t have escaped readers’ attention that Gun Money coinage is currently riding high in terms of popularity. After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. The underlying halfcrown detail can be seen in places, especially around the date which, incidentally, reads 169. £325

Provenance:

ex John Noel Simpson collection

ex Spink

WI-9136: 1690 Irish Gun Money Full Crown. James II emergency Civil War coinage of 1689-91. S.R. 6578. Overstruck on the large Gun Money halfcrowns as by 1690, these were obsolete; replaced by the small size halfcrowns. The obverse of the Gun Money crown (and it is just the crowns) has similarities to the earlier Charles 1^st halfcrowns and crowns, which I’m sure was far from accidental. It won’t have escaped readers’ attention that Gun Money coinage is currently riding high in terms of popularity. After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. The underlying halfcrown detail can be seen in places, especially around the outer areas - see below the horse. A very different metal composition from WI-9135, which is perhaps not so surprising considering these were made from whatever scrap metal they could get their hands on at the time. £325

Provenance:

ex John Noel Simpson collection

ex Spink

WI-9167: 1690 (and, rarely, 1689) Irish Gun Money Full Crown. James II emergency Civil War coinage of 1689-91. Struck at Dublin. S.R. 6578. Overstruck on the large Gun Money halfcrowns as by 1690, these were obsolete; replaced by the small size halfcrowns. The obverse of the Gun Money crown (and it is just the crowns) has similarities to the earlier Charles 1^st halfcrowns and crowns, which I’m sure was far from accidental. It won’t have escaped readers’ attention that Gun Money coinage is currently riding high in terms of popularity in today's market. After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from latten: old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. The underlying halfcrown detail can be seen in places, but most importantly, the underlying host date of 1689 is as clear as daylight - in fact the 1689 date is actually clearer than the intended date of 1690, something I have never seen before. Even better, the crown was struck with its reverse on the reverse of the host halfcrown AND at a near 180 degree die rotation, meaning both dates are side by side. There is a clear capital letter O by the OM of DOM which even gives us the month this host halfcrown was struck - October of 1689. I challenge you to find a more interesting example of this issue for sale anywhere on the open market today! A very desirable and quite probably a unique coin. £435

Provenance:

ex Spink

Halfcrowns

WI-7675: 1690 (May) James II Irish Gun Money Half Crown. Small-sized halfcrown. S.R. 6580c. Limerick bust. After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. If today’s money had still been based on the value of the coin in your hand being worth its face value in precious metal, then the Chancellor in 2009 would perhaps have done something very similar! This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. £275

WI-7482: March 1689 Irish Gun Money Half Crown. A unique example of an Irish coin dated by year AND month! After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. If today’s money had still been based on the value of the coin in your hand being worth its face value in precious metal, then the Chancellor in 2009 would perhaps have done something very similar! This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. £115

WI-9137: March 1689 Irish Gun Money Half Crown. A unique example of an Irish coin dated by year AND month! After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. £155

Shillings

WI-9276: January 1689 Irish Gun Money Shilling. A unique example of an Irish coin dated by year AND month! After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. If today’s money had still been based on the value of the coin in your hand being worth its face value in precious metal, then the Chancellor in 2009 would perhaps have done something very similar! This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. Very nice grade, just not that well struck or perhaps more accurately, struck well enough but the scrap metal just wasn't good enough, which is no surprise. Interestingly struck en-medaille (ie like a medal as opposed to a coin). Sold with an old ticket. £175

WI-9277: December 1689 Irish Gun Money Shilling. A unique example of an Irish coin dated by year AND month! After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. If today’s money had still been based on the value of the coin in your hand being worth its face value in precious metal, then the Chancellor in 2009 would perhaps have done something very similar! This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. Very nice grade, just not that well struck or perhaps more accurately, struck well enough but the scrap metal just wasn't good enough, which is no surprise. Interestingly struck en-medaille (ie like a medal as opposed to a coin). A pleasing example. £185

Sixpences

WI-7659: 1689 (November) James II Irish Gun Money Sixpence. Rarer denomination. S.R. 6583f. After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. If today’s money had still been based on the value of the coin in your hand being worth its face value in precious metal, then the Chancellor in 2009 would perhaps have done something very similar! This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. £165

WI-7734: 1689 Irish Gun Money SIXPENCE under James II. Struck January 1689. S.R. 6583H. After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. If today’s money had still been based on the value of the coin in your hand being worth its face value in precious metal, then the Chancellor in 2009 would perhaps have done something very similar! This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. The sixpence is a rarer denomination. £195

WI-9067: 1689 Irish Gun Money SIXPENCE under James II. Struck January 1689. S.R. 6583H. After fleeing from England to France in 1688 – an effective abdication from the English throne – James II landed in Ireland March 1689 in order to promote his Catholic cause, something we are perhaps still living with today?! He had insufficient funds to prosecute this war so the plan was to raise money by issuing base metal coinage in place of what would previously have been silver issues. This was a less subtle example of the Quantitative Easing that we all witnessed a few years ago. If today’s money had still been based on the value of the coin in your hand being worth its face value in precious metal, then the Chancellor in 2009 would perhaps have done something very similar! This coinage was set up with an intention for them to be exchanged for sterling coinage once the dust had settled. This never happened. The metal for these coins came from old cannon, bells and various other scrap metals that were termed “Gun Money”. The sixpence is a rarer denomination. £225

Irish James II Civil War Issues - "Pewter Money"

Irish James II Civil War Issues - "Siege of Limerick" Money

WI-6888: 1691 (this coin undated – read on!) Limerick Besieged Copper Irish Halfpenny. Limerick was besieged in 1690-91 with no fresh metal available to mint coinage. As a result, they gathered in as much of the large Gun Money shillings (from 1689-90) as they could and over-struck them with the new "Limerick Besieged" dies. It is interesting to note that the old theory of “large shillings being halfpennies; small shillings farthings” has been resolved. It would appear that large Gun Money shillings were still used to make these Limerick halfpence pieces (evidenced so clearly on this coin) but the supposed Limerick farthings are actually still Limerick halfpennies but struck on virgin flans (presumably when they ran out of Gun Money large shillings) that were slightly smaller in flan, perhaps as a money saving exercise? This coin is the most unusual Limerick halfpenny I have ever seen:

Obverse:

1. The central crown of the reverse gun money host coin can clearly be seen, inverted 180 degrees.

2. The V is IACOBVS is an inverted A whereas it was a definite V on the obverse die itself.

Reverse:

1. The king's hair of the host coin can clearly be seen, again inverted 180 degrees.

2. There is no date (1691) whatsoever as IACOBVS (and note the V is a V, not an inverted A) still remains.

3. The N of HIBERNIA, always inverted on the die, looks more like an A with a vertical line to the right.

A truly unique and extremely interesting coin! S.R. 6594. £465

WSC-7163: 1691 Irish “Limerick Besieged” James II Copper Halfpenny. Limerick was besieged in 1690-91 with no fresh metal available to mint coinage. As a result, they gathered in as much of the large Gun Money shillings (from 1689-90) as they could and over-struck them with the new "Limerick Besieged" dies. This example having much of the original host coin still visible – a desirable characteristic. S.R. 6594. It is interesting to note that the old theory of “large shillings being halfpennies; small shillings farthings” has been resolved. It would appear that large Gun Money shillings were still used to make these Limerick halfpence pieces (evidenced so clearly on this coin) but the supposed Limerick farthings are actually still Limerick halfpennies but struck on virgin flans (presumably when they ran out of Gun Money large shillings) that were slightly smaller in flan, perhaps as a money saving exercise? A most interesting and historical coin. £185

"Hammered" Coinage

King John (as Lord of Ireland)

WI-9118: John (as Lord) Irish Medieval Hammered Silver Halfpenny. Listed in reference books as pennies but circulated at halfpence (the halfpennies duly circulated as farthings). Second DOM[inus] coinage with the unusual obverse DOM having the D over an M, which I've never seen before! Circa 1185/1190 and no later than 1208/9. Dublin mint; Norman as moneyer. With a cross potent as opposed to a cross pommée reverse, this is a Group 1b coin, S.R. 6205. Prince John (his father still being very much alive at this point) was given Lordship of Ireland in 1177. He finally visited in 1185 which coincided with the first (excessively rare) issue. This later issue followed on from that. In 1208, John became king, so heralding the third "Rex" coinage. An outstanding coin - choice. £495

Provenance:

ex Tim Owen (his earlier colour ticket)

WI-9032: John (as Lord) Irish Medieval Hammered Silver Halfpenny. Listed in reference books as pennies but circulated at halfpence (the halfpennies duly circulated as farthings). Second DOM[inus] coinage with obverse legend ending -OM, c.1185/1190 and no later than 1208/9. Waterford mint; Walter as moneyer. With a cross potent as opposed to a cross pommée reverse, this is a Group 1b coin, S.R. 6210. Prince John (his father still being very much alive at this point) was given Lordship of Ireland in 1177. He finally visited in 1185 which coincided with the first (excessively rare) issue. This later issue followed on from that. In 1208, John became king, so heralding the third "Rex" coinage. Waterford is a rarer mint for this issue. £385

Provenance

Ex M.J. McKeever collection

WI-8172: John (as Lord) Irish Medieval Hammered Silver Halfpenny. Listed in reference books as pennies but circulated at halfpence (the halfpennies duly circulated as farthings). Second DOM[inus] coinage with obverse legend ending -OM, c.1185/1190 and no later than 1208/9. Waterford mint: [+GE]FREI ON W[--]. With a cross potent as opposed to a cross pommée reverse, this is a Group 1b coin, S.R. 6210. Prince John (his father still being very much alive at this point) was given Lordship of Ireland in 1177. He finally visited in 1185 which coincided with the first (excessively rare) issue. This later issue followed on from that. In 1208, John became king, so heralding the third "Rex" coinage. Waterford is a rarer mint for this issue. £385

Provenance

Ex M.J. McKeever collection

WI-8173: John (as Lord) Irish Medieval Hammered Silver Halfpenny. Listed in reference books as pennies but circulated at halfpence (the halfpennies duly circulated as farthings). Second DOM[inus] coinage with obverse legend ending -DOM, c.1185/1190 and no later than 1208/9. Dublin mint: TOMAS [ON D]VV. With a cross pommée as opposed to a cross potent reverse, this is the rarer Group 2b coin, S.R. 6213. Prince John (his father still being very much alive at this point) was given Lordship of Ireland in 1177. He finally visited in 1185 which coincided with the first (excessively rare) issue. This later issue followed on from that. In 1208, John became king, so heralding the third "Rex" coinage. £385

Provenance

Ex M.J. McKeever collection

King John (as King of Ireland)

Penny

WI-8047: Irish King John Medieval Hammered Silver Penny - Choice. Third "REX" coinage, ROBERD as moneyer at the Dublin mint. S.R. 6228. An exceptionally nice grade coin - attractively toned and with much eye-appeal. £495

WI-7943: Irish King John Medieval Hammered Silver Penny - Choice. Third "REX" coinage, ROBERD as moneyer at the Dublin mint. S.R. 6228. An exceptionally nice grade coin - attractively toned and with much eye-appeal. £495

WI-9107: John Irish Medieval Hammered Silver Penny - Rare Mint. Third "REX" coinage of 1208/9 - 1211/12. WILLEM ON LIME - Willem on Limerick. S.R. 6229. This is the very first Limerick King John penny I have ever seen in the flesh - they are that rare. Graded VF. £595

Provenance:

ex Spink

Halfpenny

WI-7728: John, as King of Ireland, Medieval Hammered Silver Halfpenny. Third REX coinage, circa 1199 - 1216. Dublin mint with ROBERD as the moneyer. S.R. 6231. I have a lot of time for Coincraft’s informative and sometimes insightful comments (less so their pricing although to be fair, it’s an old publication) and they have not let the collector down on this coin – see what they say here. As presentable an example of this rarer denomination as you’re likely to find. £285

Henry III

WI-7942: Irish Henry III Medieval Voided Long Cross Hammered Silver Penny. Class 1a, RICARD as moneyer at the Dublin mint. S.R. 6235. An unusually nice example from this rarer Irish monarch. £285

WI-7244: Henry III Hammered Silver Irish Penny. Type IIa, RICARD.ON.DIVE – Dublin mint – the moneyer Ricard thought to be the London moneyer Richard Bonaventure operating in absentia. S.R. 6240. A very long reign but actually a remarkably short issue because the Dublin mint started to issue coinage in 1251 and then in 1253-54, the Dublin mint was closed. You would imagine that Irish coinage would be for Irish consumption but unusually, large quantities of the Dublin coinage (and Dublin was the only mint in operation under Henry III) were exported to England and the Continent. Even though this was such a short mint run, a great deal of the coinage left Ireland to England and the Continent. The famous Brussels’ Hoard of 1908 consisted of roughly 64,000 continental coins but also 81,000 English, Scottish and Irish silver pennies. Of the latter, 16,000 were Irish Henry III – that’s an astounding 20% of all non Continental coinage, in a hoard found in Belgium of all places, being Irish. This is one of the best examples of an Irish Henry III penny that I’ve had in a long while. This coin would win no beauty contest but it should be acknowledged that S.R. 6240 dies were course in nature. £125

Edward I

WI-9316: Irish Edward 1st Hammered Silver Long Cross Penny. Second "EDW" coinage, late issue of 1297 - 1302, single pellet below bust, class IV. Dublin mint. S.R.6264. Part of a small hoard or purse-loss where the coin was in contact in the ground with the copper surround. £235

Edward IV

Second Reign

Groats

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. £775

Provenance:

Bought September 1995 (original ticket)

ex Spink

WI-9272: Irish Edward IV Rare Variety Medieval Hammered Silver Groat. Second reign, type VII - third Light Cross & Pellets coinage of 1473 only. CIVITAS WATERFORD - Waterford mint. V on breast - S.R.6369B. This "V on king's breast", S.R.6369B, is a great rarity. The G on breast (moneyer Germyn Lynch), L on breast (Limerick) and even the sideways W on breast (Waterford) coins do turn up but crucially, not the V on breast coins. I've never seen one before, let along owned one and indeed, along with everyone else, I don't even know what the V stands for. The only reference I can find to this extremely rare variety is by a gentleman called Aquilla Smith, M.D., who in 1839 published "On the Irish coins of Edward the Fourth. Within that work he states: "... another has a V on the king's bust, and weighs only twenty-eight grains - Pl.III, fig.64" with a footnote stating: "... a trefoil is the mintmark of this variety, as appears by the coin published by Simon, Pl.IV, fig.84". The coin on offer here weighs a comparable 25.6 grains and actually has a Pierced Cross (not a Short Cross Fitchee) as the reverse initial mark, which is seen on similar coins (althpigh not V coins) of this period. Some clipping in the area of the regnal name although the coin is also struck on a short flan. A great rarity - find another! £795

Provenance:

ex G.A. Singer (original early ticket)

ex Steven W. Damron (ticket)

WI-9274: 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 / interspersed within the legends) and with the much rarer Irish title - S.R.6380B. 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 £1,350). A very rare coin indeed with the Irish titles. £1,345

Provenance:

ex Sovereign Rarities (original tickets)

ex Spink

Pence

WI-7831: Unrecorded Irish Edward IV Hammered Silver Penny. Light cross & pellets issue of 1473-79. Dublin mint. S.R. ----, Burns ----. An unrecorded coin with Cinquefoils by the crown on the obverse and a Quatrefoil in the centre of the reverse. Not recorded in Burns, which is the definitive guide to Irish Medieval pennies, being now into the fifth issue. Obviously a great rarity, perhaps even unique. £275

Richard III

Henry VII

WI-9106: Henry VII Irish Hammered Silver Tudor Groat. Late portrait issue of 1496 to 1505. Dublin mint, type 1A with arched crown breaking the plain tressure. S.R. 6455. High grade for issue with excellent provenance. £685

Provenance:

ex Patrick Finn (early 1990's, ticket price £200)

ex Steven Damron

ex Tim Owen

WI-9275: Irish Henry VII Hammered Silver Tudor Groat. Late portrait issues of 1496-1505. CIVITAS DVBLInIE - Dublin mint. Open crown, saltires on all points of the tressure, type IIC. S.R.6460. Following on from the Henry VII "Three Crowns" coinage, this issue is very similar in style to the English counterparts but with the Irish issues being much cruder, and obviously rarer. This issue was only struck at the Dublin mint, and occasionally with silver that was below the standard of the day, which was something of a running theme with Irish coinage under English control. The standard weight of the early late portrait issues was 32 grains, reducing to 28 grains after type IIA. This type IIC coin is a more than healthy 28.4 grains. An interesting, not to mention difficult coin to source in this weight and grade. £475

Provenance:

Purchased Spink, 14th April 1976 (original ticket)

Henry VIII

WI-9215: Henry VIII with Katherine Howard Irish Hammered Silver Groat. Issued in commemoration of Henry’s marriage to Katherine Howard. Spink 6474. The rarer First (1st) Harp Issue, 1534-40 and the rarest of the three wives mentioned on silver coinage, at least according to Spink. Dated to 1540 only, in commemoration of a marriage that, in just 18 short months, ended with Katherine being beheaded. Katherine had unwisely taken a lover (perhaps the unwise thing was getting found out!) and as the axe was poised over her soon to be severed neck, she took what little solace was available to her by (possibly) uttering the now famous line: " I die a queen, but would rather die the wife of Culpepper", that being the name of her lover. And what of the infamous Culpepper? He stood trial and, rather predictably, was found guilty. He was sentenced to be hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, although Henry VIII, oddly enough, commuted Culpepper's sentence to a mere beheading. There is no contemporary source illustrating just how grateful Culpepper was at Henry's magnanimous leniency. Here is a list of all Henry's wives:

Catherine of Aragon: Married from 1509 to 1533, her marriage was annulled.

Anne Boleyn: Married in 1533, she was beheaded in 1536.

Jane Seymour: Married in 1536, she died shortly after giving birth to their son in 1537.

Anne of Cleves: Married in early 1540, their marriage was annulled a few months later.

Catherine Howard: Married in 1540, she was executed in 1542.

Catherine Parr: Married in 1543, she outlived Henry and became his widow.

Wives to see their names (initials) in lights, or specifically on Irish Harp groats, were:

wife 2 (Anne Boleyn),

wife 3 (Jane Seymour),

wife 5 (Katherine Howard - this coin).

There are also English Henry VIII hammered gold coins commemorating three of the wives (numbers 1,2 and 3), but this Irish issue is the only one to mention Katherine Howard. Catherine of Aragon (# 1) and Anne of Cleves (# 4) seem to have been overlooked by Henry on the Irish issues and by the time of Catherine Parr (# 6), Henry seemed to have finally realised that perhaps the coinage, both Irish and English, couldn’t really keep up with his marriages. This Irish issue is at 0.842 silver fineness with later issues going the same way as that of the English silver coinage, ie downhill. A most historically interesting coin. £545

WI-9040: Irish Henry VIII Hammered Silver Groat. Issued in commemoration of Henry’s marriage to Jane Seymour. S.R. 6473. The rarer First (1st) Harp Issue, 1534-40 but this coin dated 1536-7 in commemoration of Henry’s marriage. Subsequent wives to see their names (initials) in lights, or specifically on Harp groats, were Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Anne of Cleves seems to have been overlooked by Henry and by the time of Catherine Parr, he seemed to have realised that perhaps the coinage couldn’t keep up with his marriages. This issue is at 0.842 silver fineness with later issues going the same way as that of the English silver coinage, ie downhill. £545

WI-6369: Irish Henry VIII Hammered Silver Groat. 1540. First (1st) Harp Issue, DOMINVS, “HR” by harp. S.R. 6475. These groats circulated at 6d during Henry’s reign and were subsequently devalued to 4d during a later reign (those being counterstamped with x4 pellets). Initial mark Trefoil. With a silver content of 0.758 which although a lot better than the debased English Third Coinage issues of 1544 onwards, this does illustrate that debasement of silver was actively in progress in Ireland 4 years before it was introduced into England. As we all know for our history lessons at school, Henry VIII led a lavish lifestyle as well as going to war with Scotland and France. The country was fiscally challenged and so the idea was to create more coinage from the same amount of precious metal, resulting in coins often looking coppery in appearance. Not really a good way of going about things (although I’m minded of quantitative easing in recent years!) as the practise led to inflation with the hoarding of earlier, high silver content coins. The rarer earlier issue and sold with a very old collector’s ticket (Edward Watkins). £289

WI-9054: Henry VIII Second Harp Issue Irish Hammered Silver Groat. Second (2nd) Harp Issue, struck 1540-42 at 0.758 fine, which is an interesting silver content, being firmly sandwiched between the first harp issue at 0.842 fine and the third harp issue at 0.833 fine! Initial mark Trefoil. S.R. 6479. In my experience, a bit rarer than the third harp issue. £295

WI-6394: Irish Henry VIII Hammered Silver Groat. 1543. Third (3^rd) Harp Issue, 1543 only. 0.833 silver fineness, which interestingly, in view of Henry VIII’s penchant for progressively reducing the silver content of his coinage throughout the reign, is actually a HIGHER silver content compared to the Second Harp issue of 1540-42. Rest assured though, the fourth issue was 0.666, the fifth 0.500 and the sixth 0.250. Initial mark Tudor Rose. S.R. 6481. Nice grade. £225

Edward VI

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. £875

Provenance:

ex Tim Owen

Mary & Philip

WI-7898: 1557 Philip & Mary Irish Tudor Hammered Billon Silver Groat. Debased (0.250 fineness issue) hammered silver - nice grade for this usually poor issue. Two old tickets going back to 1973 and 1974 - see here and here. Re the slip ticket: for "chipped", please read "clipped". £275

Elizabeth 1st

Sixpences

WI-7838: 1601-02 Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Sixpence. Struck at the very tail end of the reign in order to pay the troops England sent over to quell the “warlike” Irish of the North, led by O’Neill. The context was England’s desire to “Shire” Irish land. The Earl of Essex was sent over to lead the troops but he was recalled to London where he was promptly executed. The deceased Earl’s successor, Mountjoy, had a slightly better campaign, based on the fact that he wasn’t executed upon his return to London. This coinage was very base, but not as base as the pence of this issue, which literally contained no silver – a revolutionary action (although Henry VIII got in there first with his “Old Copper Nose” coins) when you bear in mind that the entire foundation of currency was based on these coins actually being worth, in precious metals, what they were circulating as. For example, in medieval times, a penny coin literally contained silver to the value of one penny. S.R. 6508. This coin very high grade for issue - although an indifferent strike (these were struck in haste with little thought to presentation), this is virtually as it left the mint. £345

Groats

WI-7348: 1558 Irish Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Silver Groat - Choice. Base coinage of 1558 with 0.250 silver fineness. Initial mark Rose, S.R. 6504. This first issue was very much a continuation of the previous base issues - it took until 1561 for the “Fine Silver” coinage to be issued. This coin is mint state – virtually “As Struck”, although to the initiated, it may not appear that way. This is an example of the finest known Irish 1555 Philip & Mary shilling to give you some idea as to how good this groat is. The billon nature of this coin defeated my usual camera, although I still include that image here. The main image is via a cheap camera phone in artificial light. Choice. £1,950

WI-6671: 1558 Irish Elizabeth 1^st Hammered Billon Silver Groat. Base issue of 1558 only. S.R. 6504. Very good grade for issue. £185

WI-9150: 1561 Irish Elizabeth 1st Hammered Silver GROAT. Second "Fine" silver coinage of 1561. S.R.6506. Interestingly, although the groat had been a regular denomination in currency as far back as Edward III (Edward 1st issued them but they were very unpopular and extremely short-lived), this was the last Irish groat issued under Elizabeth 1st (the English groats also ended at this date). James 1st didn't strike any in either Ireland or England and they only reappeared in general currency again under Charles 1st, but not in the regular coinage, rather the later Civil War coinage. The excellent Chris Comber stated that only 72,000 groats in total were struck of the second issue. When you consider the survival rate of hammered coinage (losses to the soil, handing in for exchange when they became out of date due to changes in monarchs, the forced withdrawal of all hammered coinage started in 1696, etc), that figure soon dwindles to a very small amount indeed. Coincraft simply state: "This issue is rare in any grade." Old tickets here. A very rare denomination (and for once one that the price guides actually credit as being rare with their valuation of £1,500 in 2020) and although clipped, a coin in remarkably good grade. This is only the second ever example I've handled in all the decades I've been involved with coins. £895

Provenance:

ex John Noel Simpson collection

ex Spink

Threepences

WI-7923: Elizabeth 1st Hammered Billon Silver Threepence - Emergency War Money. Third (base) coinage of 1601-02 with silver at 3oz fine. Initial mark Star, S.R. 6509. The entire Third Issue of Irish coinage 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. The threepence, although rated by S.R. as the rarest of all silver and copper third issue coins (apart from the undated penny, extant examples of which can be counted on the fingers of one hand where the counter had unfortunately lost two or more fingers in an accident with something very sharp indeed), is not rated anywhere near as rare as they actually are. This coin, apart from the deposits which any decent conservator could easily remove, is better than the S.R. plate coin and as I've often stated, the S.R. plate coin is the best example S.R. could find from their huge contacts list. A very rare coin indeed. £945

Pennies

WI-9288: 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. A good example. £175

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. £335 RESERVED (M.He 17-2-26 Lay-Away)

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. £495 RESERVED (M.He 17-2-26 Lay-Away)

Pre 1800 "Milled" Coinage

Charles II

WI-7307: 1681 Charles II SILVER Proof Irish Halfpenny. Armstrong & Legge’s regal coinage issue of 1680-84. The coinage was split into two types: large and small lettering. This is a silver proof for the small letter 1681 issue – the only other silver proof in the entire series is the 1680 large letter halfpenny. 1681 small letters (S.R. 6575) is extremely rare with, I think, only one example known, which may well be a copper trial piece using the silver proof dies. Slabbed by PCGS and grade PR53, which I understand to mean “Proof , about Uncirculated” – the AU grading system goes down to 50, at which point in becomes “Extremely Fine”, eg EF45. At the risk of disagreeing with an American multi national company, this coin is clearly not uncirculated, although don’t be fooled by the obverse and reverse flat areas because to a point, these were built into the dies. It’s a bit better than VF. Choice. £2,985

WI-7211: 1681 Charles II Copper Irish Halfpenny. An excellent grade coin, especially so when you appreciate just how soft the copper was. Armstrong & Legge’s regal coinage. Interestingly, pre 1680 (the first Armstrong & Legge date), Ireland had nothing but old (and terribly worn) hammered coins, small (worn) traders tokens and foreign coins in circulation. S.R. 6574. Sir Thomas Armstrong and Col. George Legge were granted a twenty one year licence which was ultimately so successful that it drove out all the old currency – great at the time but problematic several years down the line when this coinage was reduced to much worn copper discs. £225

William & Mary

WI-6725: 1692 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), this one being the rarest date. 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. The S.R. plate coin is truly exceptional, being the best known example and worth well into four figures. Planchet flaw – obverse king’s hair. A very nice coin indeed. £225

George III

WI-9084: 1769 Rare Irish George III Copper Halfpenny. First "London" coinage, type I, S.R. 6612 but a contemporary counterfeit. Contemporary counterfeits were known to have been struck in Birmingham and shipped to Ireland to supplement the meagre 1st (1766 and 1769) and second (1775, 1776, 1781 and 1782) issues. We have an official figure of 50 tones of coin for the 1769 copper halfpence being struck in London. There were no farthings. 50 tons might seem a lot of coin but was in fact completely inadequate for the requirement in Ireland, hence the need to supplement. These contemporary counterfeits were derived from poor dies, were lightweight, being of dubious metal content and were often made to look "worn" before release into circulation (a worn coin attracted much less scrutiny) by a number of ingenious, albeit ham-fisted methods. It was a very serious offence indeed to make or peddle counterfeit coinage, attracting stiff draconian penalties. Two things:

1. The coin is in remarkable grade for any 1st or 2nd issue Irish halfpenny.

2. The dies that were used were what is termed High Execution dies.

Provenance:

ex Spink

WI-9052: About EF Grade 1775 Irish Copper Halfpenny. The rarer Type III - it's usually types I & II - with the longer, flowing hair. S.R. 6614. There's just a hint of the upright of the vertical of a 4 in-between the bottom of the vertical and the end of the bottom curve of the 5 which would make this the extremely rare 1775/4 variety. Very high grade for type - just like the early Scottish coins, supply of currency was way, way below what was required by the populace (Ireland was renowned for having a wide range of foreign coinage in circulation alongside the official coin to fill the void) and that, coupled with the soft nature of this copper, resulted in quick and extreme wear. Not this coin, though. Rare thus. £385

WI-9075: 1773 Exceptionally Rare Irish George III Copper Halfpenny. Second "London" coinage, type III, S.R. 6614. This is a so-called impossible date, 1775 being the first date in the second coinage series, other than the 1774 pattern, which I've never seen but am assured it exists. The date is completely unambiguous - 1773 - so what gives? If you look on the internet, you might stumble across a website stating that the Irish 1773 halfpenny exists as a rarer pattern than the 1774. I'm dubious as to the legitimacy of this coin but am open-minded enough to welcome any evidence. However, even if the 1773 pattern halfpenny does exist, this coin is not it. Here we have a contemporary counterfeit or, depending on your definition, an evasion. Contemporary counterfeits were known to have been struck in Birmingham and shipped to Ireland to supplement the meagre 1st (1766 and 1769) and second (1775, 1776, 1781 and 1782) issues. We have an official figure of 50 tons of 1766 and 50 tones of 1769 copper halfpence being struck in London. The later dates were substantially less than 50 tones. There were no farthings. 50 tons might seem a lot of coin but was in fact completely inadequate for the requirement in Ireland, hence the need to supplement. These contemporary counterfeits were derived from poor dies, were lightweight, being of dubious metal content and were often made to look "worn" before release into circulation (a worn coin attracted much less scrutiny) by a number of ingenious, albeit ham-fisted methods. Evasions were the same as contemporary counterfeits with one very important difference - they were NOT direct copies of Regal coinage. The theory was that if and when people got caught and prosecuted for issuing fake coinage into circulation (a very serious offence indeed, attracting stiff draconian penalties), the counterargument in court would be that these "Evasions" were simply unofficial, private tokens as they were not copying the real coinage. A 1773 Irish halfpenny is technically an evasion because it doesn't exist as a Regal coin but the strength of argument in a court of law in the late 1700's would be tenuous in the extreme! This coin is not recorded as an evasion in the excellent and comprehensive COBWRIGHT publication by Malachy Greensword (and as he did include some 1781 halfpennies as evasions), nor the equally iconic team of Paul Withers et uxor in their Galata Evasion Halfpennies section. See old tickets here.

Two things:

1. The coin is in remarkable grade for any 1st or 2nd issue Irish halfpenny.

2. The dies that were used were what is termed High Execution dies.

The hair on George III was always difficult to get right on the non-Regal dies but it generally wasn't a problem as by the time the coin had been messed around with at the "mint", there wouldn't be much hair left to see. On this coin we have virtually all the hair but as you can see, it's too simplistic compared to the Regal issue. The die orientation on this coin is irregular, being 150 degrees, which is actually quite strange - why go to all the trouble of sinking high execution dies as well as good weight planchets, only to mess up on the easiest thing? It should be 180 degrees. Another indicator is the reverse crowned harp device - it's a tad too squashed in around the lettering. Most conclusively, the coin is off-struck (actually a desirable trait amongst some collectors) showing us clearly that the obverse and reverse are not surrounded by a toothed outer border derived from the collar holding the planchet in place but rather by an outer circle of pellets which were added to the dies. The weight is fairly good, the copper content looks good so again, what gives? The point of issuing fakes into circulation was, and this is a simplistic example, to send out something that cost you 1/4d to produce in order that you could pass it as 1/2d. Double your money. That couldn't be the case here though, plus the dies are way too good for one of these back-street factories to have created. In summary, a high execution, high grade example of an Irish 1773 halfpenny, a date that I have never seen or heard the like of in all my years of having a toe dipped into this particularly interesting area of numismatics. Find another! £495

Provenance:

ex Spink

WI-9104: 1781 George III Irish Copper Halfpenny in High Grade. Type III, "London" coinage, S.R. 6614. Lustrous with hints of red bloom. Graded About Uncirculated but realistically, gEF. We have an official figure of 50 tons of 1766 and 50 tones of 1769 copper halfpence being struck in London with the later dates, including 1781, being substantially less than 50 tones. There were no farthings. 50 tons might seem a lot of coin but was in fact completely inadequate for the requirement in Ireland, which entirely explains the over circulated, worn state of virtually all George III copper coins today. Not so this coin - you just do not see these coins in this grade. £475

Provenance:

ex Alexander Christopher collection

Post 1800 Coinage

1/2d’s

WI-6548: 1805 Irish GILT-PROOF Copper Halfpenny. Plain edge, EF or better. £265