Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 56 17 Mar 2021
View prices realized
► Sale information
Find similar lots
British coins and tokens, George III, 'Northumberland' shilling, 1763, laur. and dr. bust r., rev. crowned cruciform shields (S.3742), certified and graded by NGC as About Uncirculated 53
When Thomas Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, arrived in Dublin to take up the post of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1763, he handed out £100 of these shillings (some 2000 coins) while parading through the streets; this secured his popularity with the people, and gave the coin its name. This anecdote has given rise to some confusion, with some assuming that the coins were produced solely for Percy to distribute. In reality, although the issue of shillings in 1763 was small – only £5,000's worth, equating to 100,000 coins – it was not quite as small as that assumption would suggest.
When Thomas Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, arrived in Dublin to take up the post of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in 1763, he handed out £100 of these shillings (some 2000 coins) while parading through the streets; this secured his popularity with the people, and gave the coin its name. This anecdote has given rise to some confusion, with some assuming that the coins were produced solely for Percy to distribute. In reality, although the issue of shillings in 1763 was small – only £5,000's worth, equating to 100,000 coins – it was not quite as small as that assumption would suggest.