DENOMINATIONS.--_Silver._ Crown, Half-crown, Shilling, Sixpence,
Half-groat, Penny, and Halfpenny. _Gold._ First issue. Sovereign
or Thirty-shilling-piece, Half-sovereign or Double-crown (15_s._),
Quarter-sovereign or Crown (7_s._ 6_d._), Eighth-of-Sovereign or
Half-crown (3_s._ 9_d._). Second issue. Unit (20_s._), Double-crown
(10_s._), British-crown (5_s._), Half-British-crown (2_s._ 6_d._),
Thistle-crown (4_s._). Third issue. Rose-rial or Sovereign (30_s._),
Spur-rial (15_s._), Angel (10_s._), Angelet or Half-angel (5_s._).
Last issue. Rose-rial or Sovereign (Thirty-shilling-piece), Spur Rial
(Fifteen-shilling-piece), Angel, Laurel or Unit, Double-crown or
Half-laurel, British-crown or Quarter-laurel. The current values were
from time to time raised.
OBVERSE.--_Type._ Crown and Half-crown, king on horseback, in armour,
crowned, drawn sword in his right hand; on the caparison the royal rose
or the thistle crowned.
On some IACOBVS D G MA (or MAG) BRI (or BRIT) FRA (or FRAN) ET HI (or
HIB or HIBER) REX.
Shilling, Half-shilling, etc., dexter bust profile, robed, crowned;
long pointed beard and mustachios, hair short, numerals at back of
head for value. Twopence, the bust as before on some, on others the
royal rose crowned. Penny, bust as before, or I. R. crowned; a rose
on one side the letters, and a thistle on the other: others, a rose.
Halfpenny, a portcullis, or rose.
_Legend._ I. IA. IACOBV. or IACOBVS. D. G. ANG. SCO. FRAN. ET. HIB.
REX., and other abbreviations. Half-groat, etc., I. D. G. ROSA SINE
SPINA. Penny with I. R.; and Halfpenny, no legend.
REVERSE..--_Type._ Crown, etc., royal arms, quarterly, 1 and 4, France
and England quarterly; 2, Scotland; 3, Ireland. The shield of the
Crown and Half-crown mantled, the others plain; Twopence, on some the
same arms, on others a thistle, crowned. The Penny, with I. R. has
a portcullis crowned; the others, a thistle; others have the arms.
Halfpenny, cross moline with three pellets in each quarter; or a
thistle.
_Legend._ Crown, Shilling, etc., EXVRGAT DEVS. DISSIPENTVR INIMICI;
or QUÆ DEVS CONIVNXIT NEMO SEPARET. Half-groat, Penny, TVETVR VNITA
DEVS. Penny same as Half-groat; other pennies and halfpennies without
legend. _Rarity._ All common, except Half-crown.
_Gold._ Thirty-shilling, Unit, and other pieces, king enthroned, in
full regalia, his feet upon a portcullis, the field diapered; or
half-length or shorter portrait of king in armour, crowned, sceptre in
right and orb in left hand: reverse, shield of arms. Rose-rial, king
enthroned as before; reverse, a large double rose with shield of arms.
Spur-rial, king in armour, standing in a ship with sword and shield;
or, the Scottish lion, sejant, crowned, holding a sceptre in his right
paw and supporting with his left a shield of the royal arms; reverse,
within a tressure a Spur-rowel, or star of 16 points centred with a
rose, four points terminated with lions, and four with fleurs-de-lis.
Angel, etc., usual type. Thistle crown, a double rose on its stem,
crowned, between the initials I. R.; reverse, a thistle crowned in like
manner. Some of the legends or reverses are EXVRGAT DEVS DISSIPENTVR
INIMICI; TVEATVR VNITA DEVS; FACIAM EOS IN GENTEM VNAM; HENRICVS ROSAS,
REGNA IACOBVS; A DNO. FACTVM EST ISTVD ET EST MIRAB. IN OCVLIS NRIS; A
DNO. FACTVM EST ISTVD, etc.
_Copper._ Farthing, crown and two sceptres in saltire, IACO. D. G.
BRIT. Reverse, Irish harp, crowned, FRA. ET. HIB. REX. For Scotland a
brass Twopence, called “Hardhead” was struck: obverse three thistles on
one stem, IACOBVS D. G. MAG BRIT; reverse, lion rampant, FRAN and HIB
REX.
CHARLES I. (1625 to 1649).
DENOMINATIONS.--_Silver._ Twenty-shilling-piece or Pound,
Ten-shilling-piece or Half-pound, Crown, Half-crown, Shilling,
Sixpence, Groat, Threepence, Half-groat, Penny, and Halfpenny.
_Gold._ Tower Mint. Unit, Broad, or Twenty-shilling-piece; Double-crown
or Half-broad or Ten-shilling-piece; crown, Britain-crown,
or Five-shilling-piece, Angel. Oxford Mint, Treble-Unit, or
Three-Pound-piece; Unit or Twenty-shilling-piece; Half-unit,
Double-crown, or Ten-shilling-piece. Briot’s Mint. Unit, Double-crown,
or Half Unit, Angel.
OBVERSE.--_Type._ Twenty-shilling and Ten-shilling-piece, king on
horseback with or without artillery, armour, arms, etc., under horse’s
feet. Crowns and Half-crowns, king in armour on horseback, but with
very many variations in detail. One description is as much as our
limits will allow. The Oxford Crown, the rarest in the series, has
the king on horseback, in armour, to the left, crowned, double-arched
crown, drawn sword in his right hand, a sash round his neck, coming
under his left arm, the ends flying behind; the horse not caparisoned,
having only a saddle cloth. On the field of the coin, beneath the
horse, is a view of the city of Oxford, with the word OXON above
it. This coin is beautifully executed. Shilling, Half-shilling,
Quarter-shilling, Groat, Half-groat, and Penny, sinister bust profile,
in robes, crowned, hair long and flowing, beard long. Some Groats and
Half-groats have a rose crowned as also have Pennies. Halfpenny, a
rose, no legend, or a rose crowned between C. R. The variations in
the coins, consequent on the number of mints set up--London, Exeter,
Aberystwith, Oxford, Bristol, Chester, Worcester, Weymouth, York,
and other places--is very great; the differences being more or less
important both as to mint marks and other features.
_Legend._ C. CAR. or CAROLVS. D. G. MAGNA BRITAN. FRAN. ET HIBER. REX,
variously abbreviated. Oxford Crown, CAROLVS. D. G. MAG. BRIT. FRAN.
ET. HIBER. REX.
REVERSE.--_Type._ Generally the royal shield. The Oxford Crown and
some other coins have no device, except an ornament to divide the
legends; and the Prince of Wales’ feathers three times repeated, or
single, above. On some, the shield (which is as James I.’s) is oval,
and mantled, sometimes crowned; others have shields, the quarterings
terminating in a cross moline, etc. The smaller coins have sometimes a
rose crowned, sceptres, or sceptre and trident in saltire, etc., or the
declaration EXVRGAT, etc., in lines across. One Half-groat has two Cs
interlinked, crowned.
_Legend._ Oxford Crown, EXVRGAT DEVS DISSIPENTVR INIMICI. In the field
of the coin, in two parallel lines, is RELIG. PROT. LEG. ANG. LIBER.
PARL., beneath which is 1644, OXON, and above v. for value. A branch of
leaves and flowers between the words of the first. Others have CHRISTO
AVSPICE REGNO. Others IVSTITIA THRONVM FIRMAT, or TVEATVR VNITA DEVS.
The groat has RELIG., etc., within a scroll on the field, EXURGAT, etc.
_Rarity._ For the most part common. The Oxford crown is of the most
extreme rarity, and most of the Oxford mintages are rare, as are those
of Aberystwith and other places.
_Gold._ Three-pound-piece, crowned profile bust to the waist, with or
without sword and olive branch; feathers behind the head; reverse,
declaration in three lines. Unit or Broad-piece, bust profile, crowned,
much varied on some with drawn sword and olive branch; behind the
head XX for value. Reverse: On field, RELIG., etc., on a ribband.
Double-crown and Crown, bust profile crowned. Reverse. Shield crowned,
CVLTORES. SVI. DEVS. PROTEGIT. Angel same type as its predecessors.
_Copper._--Halfpence and Farthings, David playing the harp, looking
upward; above, a crown, FLOREAT REX. Reverse: Halfpenny, St. Patrick in
full robes, mitered, with crosier, etc., holding to figures around him
the shamrock leaf; behind him the arms of Dublin. Farthing, St. Patrick
as before, stretching his hand over reptiles; behind him a cathedral;
legend, QVIESCAT PLEBS. Other Halfpence, Farthings and Half-farthings
have on obverse two sceptres in saltire, behind, a crown, or C. R.
crowned. Reverse: Some, the royal rose crowned; others, the Irish harp
crowned; and others, again, the Scotch thistle; others, a small pellet
of brass inserted in the centre of the rose. _Legend._ Obverse: CAR.
CARO. or CAROLVS.--D. G. MAG. BRIT. Reverse: On some, the Scotch motto,
NEMO., etc.; others, continuation of titles.
OBSIDIONAL or SIEGE PIECES. These rude coins, if coins they can be
called, were struck by the king, and those favourable to his cause, to
supply that monarch with the necessary funds for carrying on his wars.
They are extremely interesting, as showing the various inconveniences
and shifts the king was subject to. The nobility and gentry, his
partisans, were applied to for the use of all their plate, as were also
wardens and fellows of the different colleges in the universities of
Oxford, etc., the mayors and corporations, of cities and towns, etc.
The plate thus collected was chopped up, for the greatest part, in
unmeaning shapes, and struck or engraved with different devices, and
the value. The Scarborough Half-crown is a piece of thin plate doubled,
the corners turned over to hold together. On one side is engraven in
a very rude manner the castle, with the value in numerals; and on the
other, OBS. SCARBOROUGH, 1645. The Newark Shilling, which is one of the
commonest, is lozenge shaped. Obverse, crown between C. R.; beneath,
XII. Reverse, OBS. NEWARK, 1646. Pontefract, sometimes an octagonal,
and sometimes a round piece. Obverse, C. R. under a crown; DVM SPIRO
SPERO. Reverse, Pontefract Castle, with name or letters. Other places
where these were struck were Colchester, Carlisle, Dublin, Cork, etc.
At Colchester a gold siege piece of the value of 10s. was struck. A
history of the coinage in this reign alone would fill a folio volume.