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Auction: 25007 - … British and World Coins and Medals featuring The Oriole Collection of Gold and Silver English Coins
Lot: 289

Charles I (1625-1649), Civil War Issues, Royalist Devon, Commemorative Halfcrown, '1642' [struck July 1644], Exeter, under Sir Richard Vyvyan, to Commemorate the Raising of the Royal Standard at Nottingham, 22 August 1642, (m.m.) CAROLVS • D • G • MAG • BR • FR • ET • HI • REX, King on spirited horse, holding Marshal's baton, galloping over arms which include a pistol, rev. (m.m.) • CHRISTO • AVSPICE • REGNO • scroll garnished oval shield with lion's paws at sides, 1642 in cartouche below, [Spink XRF: 91.8% Ag; 7.03% Cu; 0.447% Au], 14.443g [222.89grns], 5h, m.m. rose (Lockett 1; Liddell and Rayner, 'Truro/Exeter Half-Crowns', BNJ XXX [1960/61], p. 157, no. 4 this coin [9 Recorded]; Brooker 1013-1013A same dies; Besly L22; M Roberts (2014), no. 5 this coin [14 Listed, 1 Duplicate]; Bull 663/22 (61-35); North 2534; S.3071), evenly struck on a full if slightly irregular flan, with a pleasing light tone, strictly good fine, nevertheless a celebrated numismatic rarity of which only thirteen specimens survive - ten in private hands of which four (Lingford; Murdoch-Farquhar; Rashleigh-Carter-Motcomb and Platt-Hall-Magnus) are gilt, plugged, 'metal flawed' or clipped respectively; highly presentable and pleasing thus, especially for this typically prohibitively expensive type

Provenance

Colin Adams, Spink 177, 1 December 2005, lot 220


T W J D Dupree, Spink Numismatic Circular, October 1989, no. 5408


K V Graham, Glendining, 12 June 1963, lot 248


Glendining, 17 March 1961, lot 461 - "fine and very rare" - £50.0.0 [Spink]



This celebrated Halfcrown is known to have been struck at Exeter during the year 1644 (BNJ 1992, p.118). This piece - Besly dies L22 - is struck from the original die pairing. It bears the mintmark 'Truro' rose on both sides and slightly predates a second issue, struck from a second reverse die with the mintmark 'Exeter' rose - Besly L25 - [cf. Slaney, Part I, Spink 163, lot 60].



The reasoning for the 1642 date in the cartouche is likely to refer to the raising of the King's standard at Nottingham on 22 August 1642 at the onset of hostilities; with a reason for the striking of this "exceptional" issue coinciding with the personal visit of the King to Exeter in July 1644.



The Royalist Army would capture the city of Exeter on 4 September 1643 under the command of Prince Maurice, nephew of Charles I. Sir Richard Vyvyan who had operated the Truro Mint from the end of 1642 was quickly ordered to move the Royalist Mint to Exeter and by the end of September, plate was already received at the new location. Exeter was active for approximately two and a half years, until the City's surrender in April 1646.




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Estimate
£9,000 to £12,000

Starting price
£9000