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Nicholas Briot’s First Milled Gold Issue Double Crown of Charles I
Charles I (1625-1649), gold Double crown or Half-unite of Ten Shillings. Nicholas Briot’s first milled
coinage (1631-32), crowned draped bust left with jeweled crown, value .X. behind, all within inner beaded
circle, initial mark daisy with B to left, pellet stops in Latin legend and outer toothed border surrounding,
CAROLVS. D:G. MAG. BRITAN. FRAN. ET. HIB. REX, Rev. inverted die axis, crowned garnished
quartered shield, crowned C and lozenge to left, crowned R and lozenge to right, inner beaded circle
surrounding, lozenge stops in Latin legend and outer toothed border surrounding, initial mark .B. to left
of crown, CVLTORES. SVI. DEVS. PROTEGIT, weight 4.57g (Schneider 279; Brooker 710; N 2295; S
2720; Fr 254; KM 169). Slight adjustment marks on King’s face and hair, more adjustment visible as par-
allel striations on reverse shield, light red tone, in PCGS holder graded AU 53, Pop 2; tied for the finest
examples graded at both services.
$20,000
Ex Alderman H. Hird, Glendining, 30 May 1961, lot 90. Bought Spink, July 1997.
Ex Spink Coin Auction 206, 2nd December 2010, lot 944.
PCGS certification 34312651. Nicholas Briot the Engraver general to the mints of France, introduced his mechanized mill press
to the Tower Mint in 1631, and produced at the 22 carat standard two small issues of gold coins in 1631 and 1638, concurrent
with the regular hammered issues. The milled issues were engraved to a very fine quality by Briot, like the coin offered here.
Briot had gained the King’s favor in 1626 after having moved to England in 1625, the King wanting to improve the artistic merit
of the nation’s coinage, which led to Briot’s official appointment as mint engraver in 1634.