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ENGLAND - SOUTH-EASTERN AND EASTERN REGIONS - AR Sceatta n.d. (circa 680-710)
weight 1,30gr. ; silver Ø 11mm.
series F, variety d
obv. Crude bust right, either helmeted or with richly curled hair,
beaded pyramidical neck, + behind, surrounded by blundered legend
rev. Cross on two steps, annulets at ends of arms, pseudo-legend around.
Spink 781 ; Metcalf pag. 125-132, nos.136-137 ; North - ;
vgl. MEC 688-680 ; cf. Abramson page 71, no.F120var. ;
BMC AS 242 ; op den Velde/Klaassen pag.32-33 (Pl. 2, 53) R
Minor scratch on obverse, otherwise very attractive well preserved
specimen with fine details. Rare.
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ENGLAND - NORTHUMBRIA - AR Sceatta n.d. (circa 715-725), probably York
weight 0,84gr. ; silver Ø 12mm.
series J, type 85
obv. Diademed head right, braided hair, angular nose, crescent ear,
within beaded border
rev. Outline dove right on cross, annulets on limbs, five dots
before bird , within beaded border
Northumbria minted silver sceattas from the late 7th century, initially in a good quality primary series with a few examples attributed to King Aldfrith (c. 685–704). The secondary series, beginning around 750, included more types attributed to kings like Eadberht, with their distribution concentrated around Yorkshire but also found elsewhere. Mintage quality declined, leading to the later production of low-value bronze stycas after around 810, as the silver sceatta production ceased by the end of the 8th century.
Due to trade relations between England and the European mainland, this type of coin was also frequently found in the coastal regions of Northern France, Belgium, the Netherlands (Frisia) and Denmark. A very interesting historical coin.
BMC type 27 ; Spink 802 ; Metcalf page 345-350, no.294 ;
North 128 ; MEC 695 ; Abramson page 68, no.J110 ;
vgl. op den Velde/Klaassen page 29 (plate I, 23) ;
Abramson page 68, no.J120
very attractive specimen with good portrait
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ENGLAND / NETHERLANDS - DUCHY OF GUELDERS - ELEANOR OF WOODSTOCK, as Guardian over Reinoud (Reginald) III of Gelders, 1343-1344 - ¼ Groat n.d., Harderwijk
weight 0,92gr. ; silver Ø 17mm.
obv. English leopard walking left, head facing
+ALYNORA DVCIS (AGNЄL)
rev. Long cross MONE - TA.DЄ - H′DЄR - WICN
Eleanor of Woodstock (18 June 1318 - 22 April 1355) was born in Woodstock, Oxfordshire to Edward II of England (also called Edward of Carnarvon) and Isabella of France. Eleanor was named after her paternal grandmother Eleanor of Castile. In May 1332 Eleanor married the reigning Duke of Guelders, Reinoud II "the black" (English: Reginald), of the House of Wassenberg (born c. 1287), a marriage arranged by her mother′s cousin Jeanne of Valois. The groom, quite dark of colour and character, was a widower with four daughters. He was known for having imprisoned his father for over six years. Due to her unhappy childhood, Eleanor grew nervous and over-eager to please her husband, who tired of her and sent her from court (1338) by pretending she had leprosy. Her husband then tried to annul the marriage. Eleanor turned up in Court in Nijmegen to contest the annulment, and proceeded to strip down, proving she was no leper, and thus forcing her husband to take her back. He died from a fall from his horse on 12 October 1343. Eleanor then helped rule with her nine year old son Reginald but they later quarreled over making peace with his younger brother and he confiscated her lands. On 22 April 1355, twelve years after she became a widow, Eleanor died in poverty in a Cisterian convent (continuity?) aged 36. She had been too proud to ask her Brother Edward III of England for help and was buried in Deventer Abbey. Her tomb stone had the simple inscription ELEANOR on it, however in England on the south side of Queen Philippa of Hainault′s tomb in Westminster Abbey there is an image of her and her husband. Extremely rare coin of great historical importance.
cf. van der Chijs 3,2 RRR
some weak parts
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ENGLAND, KINGDOM - CHARLES II, 1660-1685 - Crown 1668, London
weight 29,14gr. ; silver 925/1000 ; Ø 38mm.
Engraver John Roettier
Second Bust
obv. Laureate and draped bust right, surrounded by the legend;
CAROLVS•II• - DEI•GRATIA
rev. Crowned cruciform shields; England, Scotland, France and Ireland,
interlinked C′s in angles, 16 - 68 flanking top crown, surrounded by the legend;
•MAG - BR•FRA• - ET•HIB - REX•
with edge legend ☩• DECVS•ET•TVTAMEN•ANNO•REGNI•VICESIMO•
KM.422.3 ; Spink 3357 ; ESC.36 ; Davenport 3775B
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ENGLAND, KINGDOM - CHARLES II, 1660-1685 - Farthing 1674, London
weight 5,24gr. ; copper Ø 22mm.
plain edge
obv. Laureate bust of Charles II wearing armour facing left,
around the legend; CAROLVS . A - CAROLO (Charles son of Charles)
rev. Britannia seated facing left on a globe, extending an olive branch and
holding a spear, her left hand rests on a shield decorated with the crosses of
St. George and St. Andrew, around the legend BRITAN - NIA•, 1674 in exergue
The farthings of Charles II were the first regal issues of copper coins to be struck at the Royal Mint, first issued in 1672. Previous copper farthings had either been struck under licence privately, or as tokens issued by local merchants. They used copper imported from Sweden. These coins also marked the first time that the image of Britannia appeared on British coins since Roman times. It was rumoured that the model for Britannia used on the reverse was none other than Frances Teresa Stewart, one of King′s many mistresses, who later became the Duchess of Richmond.
Spink 3394 ; KM.436.1
usual weak strike
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ENGLAND, KINGDOM - WILLIAM & MARY, 1688-1694 - Halfcrown 1689, London
weight 14,88gr. ; Ø 33,5mm.
First busts ; 2nd shield.
obv. Conjoined busts of King William and Queen Mary right,
surrounded by the legend; GVLIELMVS•ET•MARIA•DEI·GRATIA
rev. Crowned quartered shield with arms of England, Scotland,
France and Ireland, and arms of Orange-Nassau in the centre,
16 - 89 on either side of crown, surrounded by the legend;
•MAG•BR•FR•ET•HIB•REX•ET•REGINA•
edge inscription; •+•DECVS•ET•TVTAMEN•ANNO•REGNI•PRIMO•+•
William III of Orange-Nassau was born on 14 November 1650 in The Hague in the Netherlands. He was an only child and never knew his father William II who died of smallpox before his birth. His mother was Mary eldest daughter of Charles I of England. William was appointed Stadtholder (chief magistrate) and captain-general of the Dutch forces in 1672 to resist the French invasion of the Netherlands. He forced Louis XIV to make peace in 1678 and then concentrated on building up a European alliance against France. In 1677 he married his cousin Mary, eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, the future James II. The marriage was intended to repair relations between England and The Netherlands following the Anglo-Dutch wars. William was a successful soldier, but had several male favourites, was dour, asthmatic, 12 years older and several inches shorter than his English wife Mary who was a reluctant bride.
In 1688 they were invited by the parliamentary opposition to Mary′s father James II to take the crown on England and were assured of English support. William landed at Torbay on 5 November 1688, in 463 ships unopposed by the Royal Navy, and with an army of 14,000 troops which gathering local support grew to over 20,000 and advanced on London in what became known as ′The Glorious Revolution′. James fled to France, and in February 1689 William and his wife were crowned King William III and Queen Mary II. Parliament passed the Bill of Rights which prevented Catholics for succeeding to the throne ensuring that Mary’s sister Anne would become the next queen, and after the autocratic rules of Kings Charles II and his brother James II limited the powers of monarchs so that they could neither pass laws nor levy taxes without parliamentary consent.
William and Mary were faced in 1689 with two Jacobite attempts to regain the throne. In Scotland government troops were defeated at Killiekrankie by Scottish Jacobites but won shortly afterwards at Dunkeld, and James II landed in Ireland with French troops and laid siege to Londonderrry. William′s navy relieved the siege and he led is army to victory at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690. James fled back to France. William returned several times to the Netherlands but found the English parliament reluctant to support his continuing war with France. The Bank of England was founded in 1694 to control public expenditure. Williamsburg and the college of William and Mary in Virginia, were named after the King and Queen in 1693.
Queen Mary II Stuart died of smallpox in 1694 and had no surviving children. William now ruled alone. The Peace of Rijswijk in 1697 marked the end of the war with in Flanders with Louis XIV. William formed an alliance between England, Holland and Austria to prevent the union of the French and Spanish crowns. This became known as the ′War of Spanish Succession′. In 1701 following death of Prince William, the only surviving son of Mary′s sister Anne, the Act of Settlement was passed ensuring succession of Protestant heirs of Sophie of Hanover instead of the Catholic heirs of James. William died on 1702 of pneumonia following a broken collar bone after a fall from his horse. Because his horse had reputedly stumbled on a mole′s burrow Jacobites toasted ′the little gentleman in the black velvet waistcoat.′
KM.472.2 ; Spink 3435 ; Bull 846 ; ESC.512
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ENGLAND, KINGDOM - WILLIAM III, 1694-1702 - Shilling 1697, Exeter
weight 5,75gr. ; Ø 25mm.
engraver: James Roettier
first bust
reeded edge
obv. Laureate and draped bust of William III right, E below,
surrounded by the legend; GVLIELMVS • - III • DEI • GRA•
rev. Crowned cruciform shields; England, Scotland, France and Ireland,
and shield of Orange-Nassau in the centre, 16 - 97 above, surrounded
by the legend; •MAG – BR•FRA• –- ET•HIB• – REX•
William III of Orange-Nassau was born on 14 November 1650 in The Hague in the Netherlands. He was an only child and never knew his father William II who died of smallpox before his birth. His mother was Mary eldest daughter of Charles I of England. William was appointed Stadtholder (chief magistrate) and captain-general of the Dutch forces in 1672 to resist the French invasion of the Netherlands. He forced Louis XIV to make peace in 1678 and then concentrated on building up a European alliance against France. In 1677 he married his cousin Mary, eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, the future James II. The marriage was intended to repair relations between England and The Netherlands following the Anglo-Dutch wars. William was a successful soldier, but had several male favourites, was dour, asthmatic, 12 years older and several inches shorter than his English wife Mary who was a reluctant bride. In the years 1688-1694 he ruled England together with his wife Mary. Mary died of smallpox in 1694 and had no surviving children. William now ruled alone until his death in 1702.
By the late 17th century many coins in everyday use were old, worn and clipped, so the ′Great Recoinage′ was instituted by William III to introduce a coinage of uniform standard. In 1696 mints were set-up in Exeter, Bristol, Chester, Norwich and York to supplement the production of the Tower of London mint. Exeter, a cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England, produced sixpences, shillings and half-crowns in 1696 and 1697 (shown here), recognisable by the letter E under the bust of the king. Nearly £500,000 worth of coins were produced at Exeter, which was second to Bristol in output among the provincial mints.
variant: laurel-wreath without tie
KM.485.4var. ; Spink 3500var. ; Numista 53612var.
Some minor weaknesses of strike and small scratch on reverse. Rare.
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ENGLAND, KINGDOM - WILLIAM III, 1694-1702 - ½ Penny 1701, London
weight 10,32gr. ; Ø 28mm.
obv. Laureate and cuirassed bust of King William III facing right,
legend around; GVLIELMVS· - TERTIVS·
rev. Seated figure of Britannia facing left, holding trident in left hand,
olive branch in raised right hand, shield with Union flag resting at left,
1699 in exergue, legend around; BRITΛN - NIΛ •
Spink 3556 ; KM.503
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ENGLAND - UNITED KINGDOM - GEORGE II, 1727-1760 - Shilling 1734, London
weight 5,88gr. ; silver Ø 25mm.
engraver: John Croker
Young bust - roses and plumes in the angles
obv. Laureate and draped bust of King George II left, surrounded
by the legend; GEORGIVS • II • - DEI • GRATIA •
(Translation: George the Second by the Grace of God)
rev. Crowned cruciform shields with central Garter star,
17 - 34 above, surrounded by the legend; •M•B•F•ET -
H•REX•F•D•B - ET•L•D•S•R•I - A•T•ET•E
Unabridged legend: Magnae Britanniae Franciae Et Hiberniae Rex Fidei Defensor Brunsviciensis Et Lunebergensis Dux Sacri Romani Imperii Archithesaurarius Et Elector, translation; King of Great Britain France and Ireland Defender of the Faith Duke of Brunswick and Luneburg Arch Treasurer and Elector of the Holy Roman Empire
variant; date correction. Originally the 3 in 1734 was positioned slightly more to the left and touched the crown. The die cutter, John Croker, was clearly not satisfied with this and re-cut the 3, this time slightly more to the right.
Spink 3700 ; KM.561.5 ; ESC 1197 ; Numista 13093
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ENGLAND - UNITED KINGDOM - GEORGE III, 1760-1820 - 3 Shilling 1814, London with countermark “MORGAN” (New York ?)
weight 14,56gr. ; silver Ø 35mm.
Second bust, plain edge.
Bank of England issue (1804-1816).
obv. Laureate head of George III facing right, surrounded by the legend;
GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX
rev. Oak wreath containing BANK / TOKEN / 3 SHILL. / 1814
Issued by the Bank of England these tokens although strictly speaking were not authorised tokens, they were still readily used and bridged a gap until the great re-coinage of 1816.
Private (bank) countermark “MOR / GAN” stamped in the obverse right field;
This countermark is possibly related to the Morgan family which originated in Wales during the 17th century whose descendants would develop into an important family of bankers in the US. In the 17th and 18th centuries they mainly fulfilled functions in the farming industry and the English army. After American independence in 1776, it was Joseph III Morgan who broke with this tradition. He was the first to enter the financial industry, which is what the family is known for today. In 1812, he joined the Washington Benevolent Society as a private banker, located in New York. Junius Spencer (J. S.) Morgan, Joseph III′s son, played a prominent role in the banking industry. His son John Pierpont Morgan Sr. was the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known as J.P. Morgan and Co. Highly interesting countermark and to our knowledge extremely rare.
Spink 3770 ; KM.Tn.5 ; Bull 2083
very minor scratch
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ENGLAND - UNITED KINGDOM - GEORGE IV, 1820-1830 - Shilling 1826/2, London
weight 5,67gr. ; silver Ø 23,5mm.
obv. Head of George IV left, • 1825 • below,
surrounded by the legend; GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA
rev. Crowned lion above crown, rose below,
surrounded by the legend; BRITANNIARUM REX FIDEI DEFENSOR
The date 1826 has been altered from 1822. Only a few specimens are listed from this overdate. This overdate is listed in the reference literature of Spink and Krause & Mishler, both mentioning no price but only “extremely rare”. This coin is lacking in most important English collections, and is a "must have" for the serious England collector.
Unfortunately, this coin is packed in an ugly plastic capsule. Because some collectors still value the qualifications that commercial slab companies give to coins, we have not yet removed the coin from this capsule. However, we will be happy to do so at your request. This coin has been certified by PCGS as genuine, but marked as cleaned / UNC details. With this PCGS is showing its incompetence. The coin is full lustrous uncirculated, and has only very very minor contact marks/hairlines. No real cleaning marks and certainly not circulated. Mintstate. For this overdate one of the finest known.
Spink 3812 ; KM.694 RRRR
Wonderful lustrous coin.
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ENGLAND - LONDON - DUKE OF GLOUCESTER, 1764-1805 - Token 1773
weigt 5,27gr. ; copper Ø 25mm.
medallist workshop ; John Kirk
obv. Bust of the Duke of Gloucester right,
KIRK lower left, FEC. lower right
rev. DUKE - OF - CLOCESTER - 1773
Token, or more accurately medalet, engraved by toy maker and noted medalist John Kirk. These medalets, a serie of thirteen, were all executed at the Kirk workshop in St. Paul′s Church Yard in London. John kirk was the head of the firm and thus responsible for all these medalets. However, it does not follow that John Kirk himself engraved all these dies, In this context it should be noted that the obverse dies are all signed for the family business (′KIRK′) rather than by John kirk personally (′I.KIRK′). These were given to subscribers to The Sentimental Magazine in England in the 18th Century.
The ″Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh″ was a title created by King George III , and given to his brother Prince William Frederick on 19 November 1764. There had previously been Dukes of Gloucester and of Edinburgh, but Prince William′s full title was "Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh". This title was a sole creation for Prince William Frederick, and ended with his death on 25 August 1805.
Mitchiner 5164
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ENGLAND - LIVERPOOL - 1 Penny token n.d., circa 1900
weight 7,51gr. ; copper Ø 28,5mm.
obv. COCOA ROOMS / BRITSH WORKMAN PUBLIC
HOUSE COMPANY LIMITED / LIVERPOOL
rev. 1 within wreath
The British Workman Public House Company in Liverpool was founded in 1875 by the temperance movement in response to the drunken behaviour of the lower classes . It was suggested that if food was provided in places other than alehouses people might be weaned off the demon drink. Within two years 18 premises known as ″Cocoa Rooms″ were opened , almost all in working class areas , and they were well patronised. The peak of the company′s operation was reached in 1907 when they had 69 cocoa rooms, 7 cafes, 7 kiosks, 1 coffee cart, plus their own bakery . Between 1897 and 1904 they even had their own brewery in Cunliffe Street, off Tithebarn Street , where ginger beer and mineral water were manufactured. By 1923 The British Workman Public House Company had amalgamated with their subsidiary company and become Liverpool City Caterers Ltd . Further takeovers occurred in later years and the last to my knowledge was their acquisition by Ladbrokes in 1978.
Some light edge damage.
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ENGLAND - WALES - THE PARYS MOUNTAIN COPPER MINES - ½ Penny 1789, Soho Mint (Handsworth/Birmingham)
weight 13,52gr. ; copper Ø 29mm.
obv. Druid head left within oak-wreath with 25 acorns
rev. Large PMCo-monogram, 1789 above, surrounded
by the legend; THE ANGLESEY MINES HALFPENNY •
Edge inscription: • x • PAYABLE IN ANGLESEY LONDON OR LIVERPOOL
Anglesey is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island and some islets and skerries. Parys Mountain has been confirmed as a site of prehistoric mining, has some indications of Roman activity and became probably the world′s largest copper mine in the 1780s. Until 1800 most mining was by open cast but from 1810 Cornishmen opened up significant underground workings. By 1910 all significant mining activity had ceased.
These distinctive ′Druid′ tokens, struck in both Penny and Halfpenny denominations from 1787, were the tokens that kick started the ′Conder′ token manufacturing craze amongst British employers looking for a solution to the coinage crisis afflicting the country at that time. The Parys Mining company, which was responsible for these tokens, had a glut of copper on its hands but a dearth of coin with which to pay its wage bills and other expenses. Minting these tokens provided a solution to both problems and the concept soon caught on and spread to all corners of the Kingdom. Although these tokens are quite common, the fact that they are the first of their kind makes them an essential acquisition of for anyone who collects tokens of this period.
Dalton & Hamer 357-364
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ENGLAND - KENT - WOOLWICH - ROYAL ARTILLERY CANTEEN - Token n.d. (ca.1851-1865)
weight 14,97gr. ; copper Ø 34mm.
obv. Arms of the Royal Artillery, ribbon with the text SUA TELA
TONANTI below, within dotted cirkel, surrounded by the legend;
GREGORY BROWNE / TENANT BY APPOINTMENT /
OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT
rev. Stamped 46 within circle, surrounded by the legend;
ROYAL ARTILLERY CANTEEN / •WOOLWICH•
Woolwich Barracks was the headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Artillery from 1776 until 2007 when it was relocated to Larkhill Garrison in Wiltshire, housing at its peak as many as 4,000 personnel. The soldier’s mess was an essential part of any barracks and provided food, drink, and a chance to socialise. These ′Canteen Tokens′ are wonderful pieces of that history dating from around 1850 when Gregory Browne obtained a concession from the Royal Artillery to operate canteens at the barracks. Usually these canteen tokens are stamped with a number in the centre, probably indicating a table number, but others have no number on them. All of these would have been used daily by the service personnel as their meal pass at the time and are quite scarce so are available in very limited numbers.
Yarwood, Military Tokens of the British Commonwealth, BMT 002.
some minor edge nicks
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