Baldwin & Sons
Auction 96 24 September 2015
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BRITISH COINS, Civil War Siege Coinage, Charles I, Obsidional Coinage, Carlisle besieged, Silver Three Shillings, 1645, C.R crowned with pierced rosette either side, value .III.s below, within linear circle, cross on top of crown breaks circle, border of dots surrounding, six pellet jewels on crown band and on upper arches, two pellets in within crown arches, rev legend in two lines, OBS CARL pellet in O, short line above L, this first line breaks surrounding linear circle at both ends, date below, pellet either side, pierced rosette below, border of dots surrounding all, 15.29g (Brooker 1218-9; Nelson 2, fig.5; N 2634; S 3136). Slight flan crack and raised die flaw on the reverse as usual, a couple of nicks and weak at centre, almost very fine for issue, the known survivors number in single figures with the two line reverse type being the rarest, an extremely rare siege piece.
ex Bridgewater House Collection, Sotheby, 15 June 1972, lot 301
According to Nelson, Carlisle was defended by Royalist forces under the command of Sir Thomas Glemham from October 1644 until 25 June 1645 when surrendered to Davis Leslie (later Lord Newark) commander of the invading Scottish force. The City was never assaulted and the surrender was brought about partly due to lack of food and the hopelessness of relief. The defeat of the Royalist forces at Naseby on 14 June 1645 had made further resistance seem all the more in vain. After negotiation the c.700 defenders were allowed to march out of the City with all honours of war on 25 June 1645.
One of the citizens within the City named Tullie left a detailed account of developments from around Christmas 1644 when all corn was stored, no doubt for rationing. A "good while after" an order was published to bring in plate to be coined which the citizens did. From these donations two denominations were struck, the Three Shillings and the Shilling, the former in much smaller quantity no doubt. The coinage was struck from some 1162 ounces of silver plate, though about 86 ounces was lost in melting and refining, leaving some 1076 ounces from which to strike the actual coins at six shillings an ounce. This resulted in £323 worth of coins, the majority of which would have been shillings and Nelson suggests a ratio of 1000 Three Shilling pieces to 3460 shillings which sounds viable, though this cataloguer feels the ratio may have been more like 500 Three Shillings to 4960 Shillings, as a need for smaller change for 700 individual soldiers to spend with the populus being defended would make much more sense. From another contemporary source we learn the coins were issued from 30 May 1645 which gave an issue and circulation period of only up to one month
The Shilling is very rare today and the Three Shilling even more so. It is worth noting here that the recently sold Slaney Collection (May 2015) contained an example of the more common three line reverse Three Shillings in better condition classed "good very fine" that achieved £47,000 hammer.
Estimate: £25,000-30,000
ex Bridgewater House Collection, Sotheby, 15 June 1972, lot 301
According to Nelson, Carlisle was defended by Royalist forces under the command of Sir Thomas Glemham from October 1644 until 25 June 1645 when surrendered to Davis Leslie (later Lord Newark) commander of the invading Scottish force. The City was never assaulted and the surrender was brought about partly due to lack of food and the hopelessness of relief. The defeat of the Royalist forces at Naseby on 14 June 1645 had made further resistance seem all the more in vain. After negotiation the c.700 defenders were allowed to march out of the City with all honours of war on 25 June 1645.
One of the citizens within the City named Tullie left a detailed account of developments from around Christmas 1644 when all corn was stored, no doubt for rationing. A "good while after" an order was published to bring in plate to be coined which the citizens did. From these donations two denominations were struck, the Three Shillings and the Shilling, the former in much smaller quantity no doubt. The coinage was struck from some 1162 ounces of silver plate, though about 86 ounces was lost in melting and refining, leaving some 1076 ounces from which to strike the actual coins at six shillings an ounce. This resulted in £323 worth of coins, the majority of which would have been shillings and Nelson suggests a ratio of 1000 Three Shilling pieces to 3460 shillings which sounds viable, though this cataloguer feels the ratio may have been more like 500 Three Shillings to 4960 Shillings, as a need for smaller change for 700 individual soldiers to spend with the populus being defended would make much more sense. From another contemporary source we learn the coins were issued from 30 May 1645 which gave an issue and circulation period of only up to one month
The Shilling is very rare today and the Three Shilling even more so. It is worth noting here that the recently sold Slaney Collection (May 2015) contained an example of the more common three line reverse Three Shillings in better condition classed "good very fine" that achieved £47,000 hammer.
Estimate: £25,000-30,000