Newark 1645 shilling
This specimen was lot 40466 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Costa Mesa, CA, August 2021), where it sold for $4,320. The catalog description[1] noted, "GREAT BRITAIN. Newark (Besieged). Shilling, 1645. Charles I. PCGS AU-53 Gold Shield. An immensely pleasing survivor of this crude necessity issue exhibiting a bold strike with minor signs of handling consistent for the grade. Beautiful old cabinet patina offers good eye appeal displaying rich gray tone that is complemented by iridescent hues that pop out when tilted in the light. Far nicer than normally encountered for this issue, the present example is destined for a fine cabinet of a discerning collector." Charles' conflicts with Parliament erupted into open war in 1642. One of Parliament's first acts after Charles fled London was to seize the Tower Mint. In response, Charles opened branch mints to provide coin to pay his forces. Some of the mints were shortlived, as an army stopped for a few weeks to reequip but Oxford, Shrewsbury and Bristol operated for several years. In Newark, the besieged royalists also issued silver sixpence, ninepence and half crowns. Altho these appear fairly regularly in auctions, high demand brings high prices.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.02 g, 0.925 fine silver, this specimen 5.34 g.
Catalog reference: S-3142; North-2640.
- Korchnak, Lawrence C., Siege Coins of the World, 1453-1902, Lancaster, PA: Classical Numismatic Group, 2021.
- Lobel, Richard, Mark Davidson, Allan Hailstone and Eleni Calligas, Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins, 1066 to Date, London: Coincraft, 1995.
- Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The August 2021 ANA sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
Link to:
- 1644-OX shilling, Oxford mint
- (1644-45) shilling
- 1644-BR shilling, Bristol mint
- Newark 1645 9 pence siege coinage
- (1645-46) shilling, eye mintmark
- Newark 1645 1/2 crown
- 1645-BR half crown, Bristol mint
- (1645-46) half crown, sun mintmark
- (1645-46) silver crown, sun mintmark, Tower mint
- 1645 silver crown, Exeter mint
- (1645) unite, eye mintmark, Tower mint
- (1645-46) unite, sun mintmark, Tower mint
- Newark 1646 shilling
- Newark 1646 1/2 crown siege coinage
- Coins and currency dated 1645