Spink
Auction 20004 24 Mar 2020
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Charles I (1625-49), Halfcrown, a contemporary forgery from false dies, struck in silvered base alloy, in style of type IV, York, 11.59g, 5h, m.m. lion, (m.m.) • carolvs • d • g • mag bri • fr • et • hib • rex, King on horseback left, sword upright, ebor below, rev. (m.m.) • christo • avspice • regno •:•, oval garnished shield (Bull F18; Brooker 1080 same dies; Besly, pl. 8, no. 7 same dies; cf. N.2312; cf. S.2866), about very fine, scarce.
provenance
C Adams, Spink 177, 1 December 2005, lot 154 (part)
H M Lingford, collection purchased en bloc by Baldwin, 1951 (with his ticket, stating:)
Purchased Baldwin, 1943
, , The metal of this coin is overtly debased. British Museum examples of this issue have previously been analysed at 55% and 44% silver fineness, and more intriguingly they also contain around 5% arsenic, a standard ingredient of counterfeiter's recipes of the time intended to whiten the alloy. Besly has categorically demonstrated that these pieces cannot be regular products of the York mint, but their presence in civil war hoards (BNJ 1991, p.131), evidently shows that as counterfeits, they are both immensely skilful and most importantly contemporary to official issues.
Estimate: £200 - £250
provenance
C Adams, Spink 177, 1 December 2005, lot 154 (part)
H M Lingford, collection purchased en bloc by Baldwin, 1951 (with his ticket, stating:)
Purchased Baldwin, 1943
, , The metal of this coin is overtly debased. British Museum examples of this issue have previously been analysed at 55% and 44% silver fineness, and more intriguingly they also contain around 5% arsenic, a standard ingredient of counterfeiter's recipes of the time intended to whiten the alloy. Besly has categorically demonstrated that these pieces cannot be regular products of the York mint, but their presence in civil war hoards (BNJ 1991, p.131), evidently shows that as counterfeits, they are both immensely skilful and most importantly contemporary to official issues.
Estimate: £200 - £250