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Auction: 23051 - English Milled and Hammered Coins and Artefacts
Lot: 1140

Charles I (1625-1649), Civil War Issues, Siege of Royalist Newark, Shilling, 1646, struck in gilt-silver, high-arched crown with jewelled band, dividing C-R, rev. OBS: | NEWARK | 1646 in three lines, 5.75g, 1h, (Hird 257 same dies; Brooker 1225 same dies; North 2640; Spink 3143), residual gilding in recesses as originally struck from gilt-silver as sometimes encountered on 1646-dated specie, with a subtly crease through crown and expected flaws, only good fine/fine, but very rare thus

Provenance:

Fonquernie & Regnier (Coinery) Premier Auction, 29 July 2023, lot 17



To meet the urgent demands for money, a Mint had been set up at Newark. Royalist noblemen and gentlemen freely gave their flagons and drinking cups, and these were fashioned into lozenge-shaped coin — half-crowns, shillings, ninepences, and sixpences. Mrs. Markham says that "on some of them is still to be seen the pattern of the cup and salver from which they were hastily cut." This money is called "siege money" or "money of necessity." The coins bore on the obverse a Royal crown between C.R., and the value in Roman numerals ; and on the reverse " OBS. (obsidium siege), Newark," and the year 1645 or 1646, in which they were coined. They would doubtless all be struck in 1646, for the year did not alter its date until March 25th. The different varieties are described in the following paper, written by Dr. Philip Nelson, of Liverpool, and kindly placed at our service : —


Coins were issued here dated 1645 and 1646. Of the former year we find pieces of the values of thirty, twelve, and nine pence ; whilst of the latter year we have in addition sixpences. The general design of these coins is the same, the obverse having within a pearled border the letters C R on each side of a crown, and the value expressed beneath in Roman numerals ; whilst upon the reverse we find the legend OBS NEWARK, with the date beneath, in Arabic figures. All the coins issued from Newark are struck upon lozenge-shaped flans, which flans were apparently cut direct from the dishes, trenchers, and other varieties of silver plate, in the town, or obtained from Royalist adherents in the neighbouring country districts. We will now proceed to consider these coins at greater length, in order to determine, if possible, their probable chronological sequence. The first piece to appear would be the shilling, which bears upon the obverse a most curiously shaped crown, the jewelled band of which is straight across the front, whilst the reverse reads OBS : NEWARKE 1645. This coin is found with the obverse struck from two separate dies, viz. : —


(a) 9 dots in the left arch of the crown, 9 dots in the right arch ; C R and XII. being in thin letters. Weight, 94grains.

(b) 9 dots in the left arch, 8 dots in the right arch ; C R and XII. being in thick letters. Weight, 93 grains.


The occurrence of two distinct obverse dies for this coin, in my opinion, disproves the theory which has been advanced that these pieces are forgeries; more especially is this the case since we find shillings and ninepences, the obverses of which are admittedly genuine, combined with the self same reverse. The second coin to appear would doubtless be the shilling with the same reverse reading, NEWARKE, but with a new obverse, the crown on which has a high arch and richly jewelled band. It weighs 87 grains. No doubt about the same time the ninepences reading, NEWARKE, would be struck, which pieces occur struck from two different obverse dies, viz. : —


{a) 11 dots in the left arch, 11 dots in the right arch of the crown, which has a richly jewelled band. Weight, 69grains

(b) 11 dots in the left arch, 9 dots in the right arch of the crown, which has a simple jewelled band. Weight, 68 grains.



Following this would be issued the shilling which reads OBS NEWARK 1645, which reading now appears for the first time. The crown upon the obverse has 10 dots in the left arch, and 8 dots in the right arch of the crown, the jewelled band of which is of a very simple character. This piece weighs 92 grains. Upon one of the shillings of this date the R upon the obverse is engraved in a retrograde manner. Subsequently the ninepence (c) which reads OBS : NEWARK 1645 would appear. The obverse die of this coin is identical with that of the ninepence previously described, and has upon the crown 11 and 9 dots in the left and right arches respectively. This coin weight 64 grains. United with the same obverse die we find another reverse die in use, the same as we find upon the half-crown of this year, which is proved by the occurrence of a small dot beneath the 4 of the date, 1645. This ninepence (d) weighs 63 grains. The last denomination to be struck in 1645 was the half-crown, the obverse of which shows us a crown with a chequerlike arrangement of jewels on the band ; whilst the reverse is from the same die as the NEWARK ninepence (d) of the same date. This coin, which weight 221 grains, is of comparative rarity, which would point to the fact of its having been struck very late in 1645, probably in March.



In regard to the coins struck at Newark in 1646, it is evident that the three higher values would be issued simultaneously, and no doubt towards the end of the siege, probably in April, the sixpence would appear, which no doubt accounts for its greater rarity. In considering the date of these coins it is necessary to remember that the year began on March 25. The issues of 1646 are as follow : —



Half-crown. — Obv. From the same die as the half-crown of 1645. Rev. : From the same die as the shilling and ninepences of 1646, as is proved by the occurrence oi a flaw in the 6 of the date. Weight, 243 grains. Shillings. —
(a) Obv. : A crown with a simply jewelled band, having 10 dots in the left arch and 8 dots in the right arch. Rev. : OBS : NEWARK 1646 in somewhat thin letters. Weight, 86 grains.

Obv. : A crown with a richly jewelled band, having 10 dots in the left arch and 10 dots in the right arch. Rev. : OBS . NEWARK 1646 in thick letters, from the same die as the half-crown. Weight, 90 grains.



Ninepence. — (a) Obv. : From the same die as the ninepence (c) of 1645, having 11 dots in the left and 9 dots in the right arches respectively. Rev. . From the same die as the shilling and half-crown of 1646. Weight, 67 grains.

Obv. A crown having the band elaborately jewelled, 10 dots in the left arch and lo dots in the right arch. Rev. From the same die as the shilling and half-crown of 1646. Weight, 68 grains.


Sixpence. — Obv. An elaborate crown, C R on each side and VI. beneath. Rev. : OBS : NEWARK 1646. Weight, 46 grains. Not a few examples of the shilling, ninepence, and sixpence of 1646 are found gilt, and were doubtless struck upon flans cut from a service of gilt-plate. Some specimens of the shilling and ninepence of 1646 exist having the Royal arms upon the reverse, and it appears to me that the coins so marked formed part of some Regal service of plate, which was thus sacrificed in order to pay the expenses of the siege. Of the coins struck at Newark, two coins stand out in prominence as deserving a better acquaintance. Of these the first piece to claim our notice is a ninepence, in the collection of coins the property of the Corporation of Liverpool, and is of importance since upon the reverse we find beneath the .
A of NEWARK a leopard's head, the hall-mark of the period. The second piece is a shilling in the possession of Dr. Appleby, of Newark, which coin bears upon the reverse a capital M within a dotted indent, which appears to be a silversmith's private stamp, and indicates the source from whence the piece of plate originally come. There was in the Montagu Collection a specimen of a shilling bearing only an impression of the obverse die, and the reverse being plain ; the coin is, therefore, undated.



For further reading, see:

C C Oman, 'A Note on the Coining of the Royal Plate at Newark in the Year 1646', Numismatic Chronicle, Vol. 54 (1934), pp. 74-80

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Sold for
£1,800

Starting price
£450