Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 14 14 Jan 2018
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British Coins, Charles I, triple unite, Oxford mint, mm. plume/-, 1643, crowned bust l., holding sword and olive branch, plume behind, rev. Declaration on scroll between mark of value and date, three plumes above, wt. 26.70gms. (S.2725; N.2381), extremely fine on a broad flan, some alloy flecks on reverse, portrait exceptionally sharp, legends crisp and complete, rim beading bold on each side, some softness of strike on a few portions of the Declaration, surfaces pleasing with few abrasions, very rare and always in keen demand as the largest gold coin ever struck in England, and a classic of our Civil War
The ancient university town of Oxford served as headquarters for the fleeing King Charles during much of the Civil War, and the active temporary mint there was a principal source of revenue for the Royalist army from 1642 to 1646. While this coin is universally admired today, at the time of issue its reputedly powerful image of the king was interpreted more as the vision of a chased monarch fearful of losing both his throne and his life, as of course actually did finally occur. Charles's famous Declaration extolling the Protestant religion, the laws of his kingdom, and liberty granted to his subjects was made in a speech at Wellington in 1642, and it effectively set off the war. This, his largest coin, declares or promises to uphold those values but the coin itself was not seen by many subjects as its primary purpose was to purchase war materiel. Few of his wartime coins, certainly the largest ones carrying the highest purchasing power, survived long after conclusion of fighting. As Royalist forces had moved from one location to the next, pursued by Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan, parliamentary army, the coins tended to disappear almost as rapidly as they had been made, usually from plate, jewellery and older coins. Survival of a coin like this, essentially unblemished considering the ravages of its times, was really a matter of chance. Few of the total mintages from the three years of issue exist today, and all are prized as the ultimate expression in precious metal of the war which caused the traditional powers of kingship to change forever.
($45000-55000)
The ancient university town of Oxford served as headquarters for the fleeing King Charles during much of the Civil War, and the active temporary mint there was a principal source of revenue for the Royalist army from 1642 to 1646. While this coin is universally admired today, at the time of issue its reputedly powerful image of the king was interpreted more as the vision of a chased monarch fearful of losing both his throne and his life, as of course actually did finally occur. Charles's famous Declaration extolling the Protestant religion, the laws of his kingdom, and liberty granted to his subjects was made in a speech at Wellington in 1642, and it effectively set off the war. This, his largest coin, declares or promises to uphold those values but the coin itself was not seen by many subjects as its primary purpose was to purchase war materiel. Few of his wartime coins, certainly the largest ones carrying the highest purchasing power, survived long after conclusion of fighting. As Royalist forces had moved from one location to the next, pursued by Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan, parliamentary army, the coins tended to disappear almost as rapidly as they had been made, usually from plate, jewellery and older coins. Survival of a coin like this, essentially unblemished considering the ravages of its times, was really a matter of chance. Few of the total mintages from the three years of issue exist today, and all are prized as the ultimate expression in precious metal of the war which caused the traditional powers of kingship to change forever.
($45000-55000)