Ireland 1690 crown

from the Stack's Bowers 2017 NYINC sale, lot 6798

This specimen was lot 6798 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2017), where it sold for $376. The catalog description^[1] noted, "IRELAND. Gun Money Crown, 1690. James II (1685-91). PCGS AU-58 Secure Holder. "Gun money" coinage. Overstruck on an earlier 1/2 crown of the same series. Nice milk chocolate periphery with a vibrant raspberry central portion." After James II was deposed as king of Great Britain in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, he fled to France. He landed in Ireland in early 1689 to raise the flag of revolt on behalf of the Catholic population. Lacking bullion to strike conventional coinage, church bells and worn out cannon were melted down to make a series of token coinage in sixpence, shilling, half crown and crown denominations. This coinage is unusual in that it is dated by month and year (tho not the crown shown here). It was to be redeemed in silver after the revolt was successful but James was defeated and forced to return to France while the Irish suffered devastation and land confiscations. William III allowed the coinage to continue to circulate as pennies, half pennies and farthings.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: brass.

Catalog reference: S-6578; KM-103.1.

Source:

• Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
• Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of Scotland, Ireland and the Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Man & Lundy), Pre-Decimal Issues, 2nd edition, London: Spink & Son, 2003.
• ^[1]Ponterio, Richard, The January 2017 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Richard Stuart Collection, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2016.

Link to:

• 1690 half penny, struck in silver
• 1690 half penny, pewter with brass plug
• Ireland 1690 Apr 1/2 crown
• Ireland 1690 May 1/2 crown
• Limerick 1691 1/2 penny
• Coins and currency dated 1690
• return to coins of Ireland