Heritage World Coin Auctions
ANA Signature Sale 3075 15 Aug 2019
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Great Britain
Charles I (1627-1649) Pound 1642 XF40 NGC, Oxford mint, Plume mm, S-2940, N-2398, Brooker-860. Shrewsbury horseman trampling arms including cannon. An iconic offering, the largest English silver coin ever produced, and a direct link to the British civil war of the 1640s.
Prior to this war, Charles's coinage was almost uniformly poorly struck, irregular-flanned, and as crude as the contemporary Spanish 'pieces of eight'. However, as hostilities began to arise and numerous cities and towns began to declare their loyalty for either Royalists or Parliament, both sides proceeded to mint their own coins so as not to lose grasp of circulating currency and thus risk a breakdown of order. Indeed, coinage underpinned civilization to such an extent that even besieged castles and strongholds resorted to creating their own coins from salvaged plate silver. Parliament's coins were largely similar to the pre-existing regal issue, crudely struck and irregular. Charles, meanwhile, decided that coins were a perfect means of spreading his message and demonstrating his value – and thus he went on to produce exceptionally fine, large-sized pieces of gold and silver bearing his 'Wellington Declaration', stating to his people and Parliament that despite all appearances he upheld "the Protestant religion, the laws of England and the Liberty of Parliament".
This Pound represents the largest silver denomination Charles produced to distribute his declaration. The incredible size of these silver types often leads to a marked softness of strike; the present specimen is no exception. Nonetheless, it retains an impressive degree of detail and very little subsequent wear. Additionally, due to their post-war curio value, many Pounds saw harsh cleaning or tooling to keep them shiny, neither of which has impacted this present offering. The reverse exhibits a light surface crack through the date (common for these large planchets), but this is a very minor detraction to otherwise sleek surfaces toned to an appealing gunmetal gray. Rare in any condition, a celebrated type worthy of a top tier collection of British hammered silver.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/great-britain/great-britain-charles-i-1627-1649-pound-1642-xf40-ngc-/a/3075-32200.s?type=CoinArchives3075
HID02906262019
© 2019 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 7000-9000 USD
Charles I (1627-1649) Pound 1642 XF40 NGC, Oxford mint, Plume mm, S-2940, N-2398, Brooker-860. Shrewsbury horseman trampling arms including cannon. An iconic offering, the largest English silver coin ever produced, and a direct link to the British civil war of the 1640s.
Prior to this war, Charles's coinage was almost uniformly poorly struck, irregular-flanned, and as crude as the contemporary Spanish 'pieces of eight'. However, as hostilities began to arise and numerous cities and towns began to declare their loyalty for either Royalists or Parliament, both sides proceeded to mint their own coins so as not to lose grasp of circulating currency and thus risk a breakdown of order. Indeed, coinage underpinned civilization to such an extent that even besieged castles and strongholds resorted to creating their own coins from salvaged plate silver. Parliament's coins were largely similar to the pre-existing regal issue, crudely struck and irregular. Charles, meanwhile, decided that coins were a perfect means of spreading his message and demonstrating his value – and thus he went on to produce exceptionally fine, large-sized pieces of gold and silver bearing his 'Wellington Declaration', stating to his people and Parliament that despite all appearances he upheld "the Protestant religion, the laws of England and the Liberty of Parliament".
This Pound represents the largest silver denomination Charles produced to distribute his declaration. The incredible size of these silver types often leads to a marked softness of strike; the present specimen is no exception. Nonetheless, it retains an impressive degree of detail and very little subsequent wear. Additionally, due to their post-war curio value, many Pounds saw harsh cleaning or tooling to keep them shiny, neither of which has impacted this present offering. The reverse exhibits a light surface crack through the date (common for these large planchets), but this is a very minor detraction to otherwise sleek surfaces toned to an appealing gunmetal gray. Rare in any condition, a celebrated type worthy of a top tier collection of British hammered silver.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/great-britain/great-britain-charles-i-1627-1649-pound-1642-xf40-ngc-/a/3075-32200.s?type=CoinArchives3075
HID02906262019
© 2019 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 7000-9000 USD