Newark 1646 1/2 crown
This specimen was lot 25010 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $3,840. The catalog description[1] noted,
"The Single Finest Certified of this Classic Newark Besieged Issue by PCGS, GREAT BRITAIN. First Civil War. Newark Besieged. 1/2 Crown, 1646. Charles I. PCGS AU-53. Siege: 26 November 1645 - 8 May 1646. Irregular lozenge flan with a jeweled crown flanked by C-R, denomination below XXX; Reverse: Inscription in three lines; Legend: OBS:/NEWARK/1646. This charming and very attractive survivor exhibits boldly struck central designs with signs of wear primarily on the high points displaying lovely rich old cabinet patina with an iridescent sheen. This wholly original looking example is pleasing to the eye and is vastly superior than normally encountered.
A relic from this turbulent civil war period that ultimately saw the royalist forces concede tightly held Newark on May 6, 1646, the day after King Charles I had fled the fortress in secret to surrender himself personally to the besieging Scots."
The besieged royalists also issued silver sixpence, ninepence and shillings. Altho these appear fairly regularly in auctions, high demand brings high prices.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 15.05 g, 0.925 fine silver. This specimen is 15.07 g, 36.5 mm x 33.3 mm.
Catalog reference: KM-371; S-3140A; N-2638; Korchnak-448; Mailliet-pl. LXXXIII #1; MO-4.9.4.1.
- 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 England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
- 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.
- Rayner, P. Alan, and Maurice Bull, English Silver Coinage from 1649, 6th Ed., London: Spink & Son, 2015.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
Link to:
- Newark 1646 6 pence siege issue
- Newark 1646 9 pence siege issue
- Newark 1645 shilling siege coinage
- Newark 1645 1/2 crown siege coinage
- 1646 groat, Lundy mint
- 1646-B sixpence, Bridgnorth-on-Severn mint
- Newark 1646 shilling siege coinage
- 1646 shilling, Oxford mint
- 1646 half crown, Bridgnorth-on-Severn mint
- 1646 half crown, Oxford mint
- (1646) half crown, Hartlebury Castle mint
- Coins and currency dated 1646