Tower under King

First bust left in coronation robes, high double arched crown/Square topped shield, crowned

mm. lis

S2685; 34mm, 8.92g

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A pleasing portrait piece.

Born the second son of James I Charles became heir upon the death of his elder brother Henry in AD 1612. After an unsuccessful attempt to marry him to the Infanta of Spain Charles married the Catholic Henrietta Maria of France in AD 1625. Charles strongly believed in the divine right of kings and upon his accension to the throne in AD 1625 it was not long before he quarrelled with Parliament which tried to curb his powers. This caused increasing unrest at his attempts to raise taxes without Parliamentary consent. There was uneasiness with his religious policies in part due to his marriage to a Catholic queen. He also quarrelled with the Scottish bishops and eventually both the Scottish and English Parliaments rebelled starting the Civil War.
Having been defeated by armies raised by Parliament Charles eventually fled from Oxford to the north where he was captured by the Scots who handed him over to the Long Parliament in London. Refusing to accept a Constitutional monarchy Charles escaped to the Isle of Wight. Charles attempted to reassert his control but was defeated by the Parliamentarians under Cromwell who had him brought back to London and tried. This time Charles was sentenced to death and was executed in Whitehall in January AD 1649. This instigated the Commonwealth when the country was ruled as a Republic until Charles II was restored as king in AD 1660.
The reign of Charles I is one of the most interesting numismatically. Not only were many provincial mints set up, particularly during the Civil War period, some outstanding machine- made coins were produced both in England and Scotland under Nicholas Briot.

The post Charles I AD 1625-1649 Gold Unite Group A appeared first on Silbury Coins.

5th bust right/Crowned shield

mm. tun

S2626; 22mm, 2.48g

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A pleasing example, well struck on a large flan, minor weakness to bust.

The son of Mary Queen of Scots, James acceded the Scottish throne as James VI when only 1 year old upon his mother’s abdication in AD 1567. He married Anne of Denmark and upon the death of the childless Elizabeth succeeded the English throne in AD 1603 being the nearest heir. Following the Gunpowder plot of AD 1605 James brought in severe sanctions against Catholics and also introduced the King James Bible. Scotland remained a separate kingdom and retained its own currency James established a currency of similar weight and fineness in both realms although a 12:1 ratio between Scottish and English denominations was maintained.

The reign saw a number of reforms in the English coinage most notably the introduction of the gold Unite, itself replaced in AD 1619 by the Laurel. Copper coins were also issued for the first time when a licence was issued to Lord Harrington to issue farthings.

The post James I AD 1603-1625 Gold Britain Crown 5th Bust appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Light Coinage

King in Ship holding sword and shield / Sun, fleurs in spandrels

E in waves, York mint.

S1963; 30mm, 3.73g

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This coin comes with previous handwritten labels.

Edward IV was born in Rouen and until the death of his father at the Battle of Wakefield in AD 1460 was known as the Earl of March. Taking up the Yorkist cause upon the death of his father Defeating the Lancastrians at Mortimers Cross and Towton he claimed the throne and was first crowned in AD 1461. He married Elizabeth Woodville in AD 1464. This led to a dispute with his chief adviser Richard Neville the Duke of Warwick. Eventually Warwick defected to the Lancastrians which resulted in Edward being deposed and Henry VI being reinstated. Edward fought back defeating Warwick at the Battle of Barnet and the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury in AD 1471. Warwick as well as Henry VI’s son Edward were killed and shortly afterwards Henry VI in the Tower. Edward reclaimed the throne.

Edward’s spending greatly exceeded his income and as a result the coinage was debased during his reign with the introduction of the Light coinage in AD 1464. Edward was keen on the arts and his count was described as being one of the most splendid in Europe. Edward died suddenly in AD 1483.

The post Edward IV AD 1461-1483 Gold Half Ryal 1st Reign York appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Light Coinage

King in Ship holding sword and shield / Sun, fleurs in spandrels

mm. crown

London

S1950; 35mm, 7.74g

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Good detail, some surface marks consistent with being a field find.

Edward IV was born in Rouen and until the death of his father at the Battle of Wakefield in AD 1460 was known as the Earl of March. Taking up the Yorkist cause upon the death of his father Defeating the Lancastrians at Mortimers Cross and Towton he claimed the throne and was first crowned in AD 1461. He married Elizabeth Woodville in AD 1464. This led to a dispute with his chief adviser Richard Neville the Duke of Warwick. Eventually Warwick defected to the Lancastrians which resulted in Edward being deposed and Henry VI being reinstated. Edward fought back defeating Warwick at the Battle of Barnet and the Lancastrians at the Battle of Tewkesbury in AD 1471. Warwick as well as Henry VI’s son Edward were killed and shortly afterwards Henry VI in the Tower. Edward reclaimed the throne.

Edward’s spending greatly exceeded his income and as a result the coinage was debased during his reign with the introduction of the Light coinage in AD 1464. Edward was keen on the arts and his count was described as being one of the most splendid in Europe. Edward died suddenly in AD 1483.

The post Edward IV AD 1461-1483 Gold Ryal / Rose Noble 1st Reign London appeared first on Silbury Coins.

King in Ship holding sword and shield, broken annulet on side of ship / Royal Cross in tressure

London

S1742; 32mm, 6.94g

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Weak on kings face, otherwise a pleasing coin in hand.

Henry V is perhaps England’s most famous warrior king and was immortalised by Shakespeare for his victory over the French at Agincourt. Henry as Duke of Monmouth was increasingly involved in the affairs of state as his father Henry IV became increasingly ill from about the middle of his reign. As a young man Henry V was injured by an arrow at the Battle of Shrewsbury and all his subsequent portraits show only the left side of his face.

Civil Wars in France gave Henry IV the chance to re ignite the Hundred Years war and 2 expeditions were launched against France in AD 1411/1412. In AD 1415 Henry led another expedition to France capturing Harfleur. Against advice he decided to march back to Calais. It was on St Crispin’s Day, 25th October that he came up against the much larger French army. Deciding on battle he succeeded in routing the French force and winning one of the most famous victories in England’s history.

Returning for a second campaign he stormed across northern France capturing Rouen in AD 1419 and eventually Paris. Peace was negotiated at the Treaty of Troyes in AD 1420 whereby Henry was recognised as King of France after the death of the French king Charles VI. Unfortunately Henry died suddenly in AD 1422 shortly before Charles VI and before he could be crowned in Paris.

The post Henry V AD 1413-1422 Gold Noble London Class C appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Treaty Period

King in Ship with sword and shield/ Royal Cross in tressure

London

S1506; 26mm, 3.89g

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A high grade example, well struck on a large flan and with little wear.

The coin comes with previous printed labels.

Son of Edward II Edward III is another great warrior king of The Middle Ages and is most famous for his campaigns in France and the great English victories at Sluys, Crecy and Poitiers at the start of the Hundred Years War. A campaign against the Scots at the start of his reign was unsuccessful however when Edward dismissed his chief minister, Roger Mortimer, he agreed a truce before taking up arms against France. The English won a naval victory at Sluys in AD 1340 which gave them control of the Channel. Landing an army in France Edward beat the French at Crecy capturing Calais. Ten years later his son Edward, The Black Prince, won an impressive victory at Poitiers thanks in part to the effectiveness of the English longbows. The Treaty of Bretigny in AD 1360 granted Edward additional territory in France although he also renounced his claim to the French throne. There was then a lull in the war and as Edward became older he became more lethargic leaving most of the campaigning to his sons
Edward’s reign saw the devastation of England’s population as well as those of most other European countries. Edward instigated various Legal reforms but is better known for his creation of various orders of chivalry which include the Order of the Garter. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales were also written towards the end of his reign.
The Groat was reintroduced during Edward’s reign together the first issue of gold coinage. Firstly the florin or leopard followed by the noble. In Ireland there was a small issue of silver halfpennies however there was a large issue of Anglo Gallic coins both in Edward’s name and also his son the Black Prince.

The post Edward III AD 1327-1377 Gold Half Noble Treaty Period London appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Shield in tressure/ Royal Cross in tressure

Cross over shield

S1674; 18mm, 1.84g

Field damage to the reverse, an affordable example of a Medieval gold coin.

Richard II was the son of the Black Prince and grandson of Edward III. The Black Prince died the year before his father and so Richard who was next in line succeeded to the throne, aged 10, upon the death of his grandfather in AD 1377. Until Richard came of age his uncle John of Gaunt became the effective Regent.

One of Richards first challenges was the Peasants Revolt of AD 1381. This was brought about by the high level of taxation and in particular a Poll Tax which was levied to help pay for the war with France. The Black Death thirty years earlier had decimated the population thereby leading to a severe shortage of serfs. One of the Peasants demands was that serfdom be abolished. When the revolt reached London John of Gaunt’s palace was burnt down and the Bishop of London was killed. Richard rode out to meet the leaders of the Revolt at Blackheath. Here the leader of the peasants, Wat Tyler, was pulled from his horse and killed. Richard showing presence of mind addressed the peasants directly telling them that he agreed to act upon their grievances. Although the revolt then petered out the charters to which Richard had agreed were not acted upon.

Richard was considerably less war like than his father and grandfather. Richard tried to stop the war with France. Although he failed in stopping the war there was effectively a truce. An expedition he led to Ireland was however successful in securing the support of the Irish nobles.

Richard tried to reduce the power of the aristocracy but this resulted in their revolt and the setting up of the Lords Appellant. Although Richard regained control when he took his revenge by killing or exiling the Lords who had revolted the son of John of Gaunt, Henry Bolingbroke returned with an army which landed in Wales. Rather than fight Richard agreed to abdicate and was then taken back to London as captive. Although Henry had agreed to spare Richard’s life when a plot was discovered to have Richard reinstated Henry had Richard moved to Pontefract Castle where he is believed to have been starved to death early in AD 1400.

Although Shakespeare describes Richard as being weak and vindictive he was in fact intelligent and a patron of the arts as well as of architecture. It was during Richards reign that Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales were written.

The post Richard II AD 1377-1399 Gold Quarter Noble appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Pre Treaty Period

Shield in tressure with cross in circle over/Royal Cross in tressure

Omits French titles

Calais

S1513; 18mm, 1.76g

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Son of Edward II, Edward III is another great warrior king of The Middle Ages and is most famous for his campaigns in France and the great English victories at Sluys, Crecy and Poitiers at the start of the Hundred Years War. A campaign against the Scots at the start of his reign was unsuccessful however when Edward dismissed his chief minister, Roger Mortimer, he agreed a truce before taking up arms against France. The English won a naval victory at Sluys in AD 1340 which gave them control of the Channel. Landing an army in France Edward beat the French at Crecy capturing Calais. Ten years later his son Edward, The Black Prince, won an impressive victory at Poitiers thanks in part to the effectiveness of the English longbows. The Treaty of Bretigny in AD 1360 granted Edward additional territory in France although he also renounced his claim to the French throne. There was then a lull in the war and as Edward became older he became more lethargic leaving most of the campaigning to his sons
Edward’s reign saw the devastation of England’s population as well as those of most other European countries. Edward instigated various Legal reforms but is better known for his creation of various orders of chivalry which include the Order of the Garter. Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales were also written towards the end of his reign.
The Groat was reintroduced during Edward’s reign together the first issue of gold coinage. Firstly the florin or leopard followed by the noble. In Ireland there was a small issue of silver halfpennies however there was a large issue of Anglo Gallic coins both in Edward’s name and also his son the Black Prince.

The post Edward III AD 1327-1377 Gold Quarter Noble Pre Treaty Calais appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Half length figures of Virgin Mary and angel Gabriel, AVE on scroll in between/Latin cross

mm. root, Le Mans

S1864; 27mm, 3.41g

A very well balanced example, even strike throughout with no weak areas, good detail to figures.

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Henry VI was the infant son of Henry V when he was crowned king in AD 1422. Later crowned king of France in Notre Dame, Paris in AD 1431 he later presided over the reconquest of all of his French empire with the exception of Calais by the time the Hundred Years war ended in AD 1453. A weak but pious and learned man he founded Eton College as well as Kings College, Cambridge and All Souls , Oxford. Married to a strong willed woman, Margaret of Anjou, he became increasingly unpopular. Eventually the Dukes of York and Somerset broke and away and the civil war which broke out in AD 1455 became known as the Wars of the Roses. Defeated Henry was deposed in AD1461 and succeeded by York’s son Edward IV. Later restored briefly in AD 1471 Henry was again deposed and this time killed.

The post Anglo Gallic Henry VI AD 1422-1461 Gold Salut D’or Le Mans appeared first on Silbury Coins.

1st coinage (Scarce)

King half length wearing Scottish crown and holding orb and sceptre/Crowned shield with Scottish arms in 1st and 4th quarter

An attractive example of this seldom seen issue, ex Fort collection and CNG Inc.

S5527, 37mm, 9.97g

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Born the second son of James I Charles became heir upon the death of his elder brother Henry in AD 1612. After an unsuccessful attempt to marry him to the Infanta of Spain Charles married the Catholic Henrietta Maria of France in AD 1625. Charles strongly believed in the divine right of kings and upon his accension to the throne in AD 1625 it was not long before he quarrelled with Parliament which tried to curb his powers. This caused increasing unrest at his attempts to raise taxes without Parliamentary consent. There was uneasiness with his religious policies in part due to his marriage to a Catholic queen. He also quarrelled with the Scottish bishops and eventually both the Scottish and English Parliaments rebelled starting the Civil War.
Having been defeated by armies raised by Parliament Charles eventually fled from Oxford to the north where he was captured by the Scots who handed him over to the Long Parliament in London. Refusing to accept a Constitutional monarchy Charles escaped to the Isle of Wight. Charles attempted to reassert his control but was defeated by the Parliamentarians under Cromwell who had him brought back to London and tried. This time Charles was sentenced to death and was executed in Whitehall in January AD 1649. This instigated the Commonwealth when the country was ruled as a Republic until Charles II was restored as king in AD 1660.
The reign of Charles I is one of the most interesting numismatically. Not only were many provincial mints set up, particularly during the Civil War period, some outstanding machine- made coins were produced both in England and Scotland under Nicholas Briot.

The post Scotland Charles I AD 1625-1649 Gold Unit / Sceptre piece appeared first on Silbury Coins.