Great Britain 1654 shilling
This specimen was lot 73753 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2023), where it sold for $360. The catalog description[1] noted, "GREAT BRITAIN. Commonwealth. Shilling, 1654. London Mint; mm: Sun. Oliver Cromwell (as Lord Protector). PCGS F-15. Despite some time in circulation, the present example retains good details and handsome appeal." By 1650, king Charles was dead and his son fled into exile but Cromwell was unable to bring unity to England. The gold coins of his rule (unite, double crown and crown) are all rare. The silver coinage is generally more available but often badly made. This type is listed with the sun mint mark for 1649-57 and with the anchor mint mark for 1658-60. Portrait shillings also exist.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.02 g, 0.925 fine silver.
Catalog reference: S-3217; KM-390.1; N-2724.
- Lobel, Richard, Mark Davidson, Allan Hailstone and Eleni Calligas, Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins, 1066 to Date, London: Coincraft, 1995.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Rayner, P. Alan, and Maurice Bull, English Silver Coinage from 1649, 6th Ed., London: Spink & Son, 2015.
- Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, November 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction - Ancient & World Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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