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Session Six - Tuesday, January 27, 2015 5:00 pm
C
HARLES
I G
OLD
U
NITE
3430
Great Britain. Unite, ND
. S.2692. Charles I, 1625-1649.
Mint mark crown. Made 1648-1649. Obverse, 5th (smaller)
bust of king with unjewelled crown CAROLVS D: G: MAG:
FR: ET: HI: REX. Reverse, crowned shield of arms, C and R
to right and left. FLORENT CONCORDIA REGNA (Through
concord the kingdoms flourish). Practically mint state, and
struck on a round flan with a good strong portrait. Lots of
original mint luster, giving great eye appeal. Normally a
badly made gold coin produced during a chaotic period in
English history, this specimen is better struck than most.
PCGS graded AU-55.
WINGS APPROVED
.
*This coin was made only months before the end of King
Charles'reign. Charles's defeat at the Battle of Naseby in
June 1645 ended all hopes of victory for the royalists in the
English Civil War. In May 1646 the king surrendered at
Newark to the Scots who handed him over to Parliament in
January 1647. In June the army seized him and carried him
off to Hampton Court. While the army leaders strove to find
a settlement, Charles secretly intrigued for a Scottish inva-
sion. In November he escaped, but was recaptured and
held at Carisbrooke Castle, a Scottish invasion followed in
1648 but was shattered by Cromwell at Preston. In January
1649 the House of Commons set up a high court of justice
which tried Charles and condemned him to death, He was
beheaded on 30th January 1649 before the Banqueting
House, Whitehall, London.
Estimated Value ........................................ $5,500 - 6,000
O
LIVER
C
ROMWELL
1656 P
ATTERN
B
ROAD
3431
Great Britain. Pattern Broad, 1656
. W&R-39; S.3225.
Oliver Cromwell. Obverse laureate head of Cromwell left.
Reverse, crowned shield of the protectorate. Grained edge.
A superb mint state specimen with light golden toning
around the lettering and sharp detail. Great overall eye
appeal. Cromwellian coinage is very rare in high grade and
has become increasingly difficult to obtain.
NGC graded
MS-62(In our opinion conservatively graded).
WINGS APPROVED
.
Cromwell's portrait coins are often described as patterns,
but it is quite likely that they were intended, eventually, to
circulate. Authority was given for manufacture in 1656 but
the first full production came in 1657, followed by a later
wave of coinage before the September of 1658, when
Cromwell died. Cromwell had become king in all but name-
indeed his last parliament had offered him the crown. He
had refused the offer because he feared the army's republi-
canism, but he was nevertheless pleased to see his portrait
used so conspicuously on the national coinage.
Estimated Value .................................... $60,000 - 70,000
Enlargement
