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Struck A.D.333 - 336. CONSTANS as Caesar. AE3 of HeracleaObverse: CONSTANS IVN NOB C. Laureate and cuirassed bust of Constans facing right.
Reverse: GLORIA EXERCITVS. Two soldiers standing either side of two standards; in exergue, SMHB✱.
Weight: 2.7gms
RIC VII : 139
EXTREMELY RARE*AlexFeb 01, 2019
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LINK TO COINEDWARD II OF ENGLAND
Edward II was born on 25 April 1284, the fourth son of Edward I of England and when Edward I died in July 1307 Edward II became king because his three elder brothers were already dead. Edward II was the first English prince to hold the title prince of Wales, which was bestowed on him by his father in 1301.
Unfortunately Edward II had few of the qualities that made a successful medieval king. He surrounded himself with favourites, the best known being Piers Gaveston who he recalled from exile, Edward I having banished him to France due to his bad influence on his son. Furthermore, Edward II gave Gaveston the earldom of Cornwall, a title which had previously only been conferred on royalty.
Opposition to the king and his favourite began almost immediately, and in 1311 the nobles issued the 'Ordinances', in an attempt to limit royal control of finance and appointments. Gaveston was twice exiled at the demand of the barons, only for him to return to England shortly afterwards. However, in 1312, he was captured by the barons and executed.
In 1314, Edward invaded Scotland where he was decisively defeated by Robert the Bruce at Bannockburn. So bad was this for Edward's rule that by the following year parts of England had fallen into anarchy and power was in the hands of the barons headed by Edward's cousin Thomas of Lancaster, who had virtually made himself the real ruler of England.
By 1318, Edward and Lancaster had been partly reconciled, but the king now had two new favourites, Hugh le Despenser and his son. When Edward supported the two Despensers' ambitions in Wales the barons banished both father and son. This prompted Edward to fight back and he defeated Lancaster at Boroughbridge in March 1322, Lancaster was executed him and the Despensers were called back to Edward's court.
But now, Edward's wife, Isabella of France, emerged as a focus of opposition. In 1325, she was sent on a diplomatic mission to France where she met and became the mistress of Roger Mortimer, an exiled opponent of Edward. In September 1326, Isabella and Mortimer invaded England. There was virtually no resistance and the Despensers were captured and executed. Defeated, Edward was made to renounce the throne in favour of his son Edward who was crowned Edward III in January 1327.
Edward II was imprisoned at Berkeley Castle and later murdered there.*AlexJan 18, 2019
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CARDINAL WOLSEY
When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509 he appointed Thomas Wolsey to the post of Almoner, a position that gave him a seat on the Privy Council and an opportunity for establishing a personal rapport with the King to such an extent that by 1514 Wolsey had become the controlling figure in virtually all matters of state. In 1515, he was awarded the title Archbishop of York and this, followed by his appointment that same year as Cardinal by Pope Leo X, gave him precedence over all other English clerics. His ecclesiastical power advanced even further in 1523 when the Bishop of Durham, a post with wide political powers, was added to his titles.
After Wolsey attained the position of Lord Chancellor, the King's chief adviser, he had achieved more power than any other Crown servant in English history and during his fourteen years of chancellorship Wolsey, who was often alluded to as an alter rex (other king), used his power to neutralise the influence of anyone who might threaten his position..
In spite of having made many enemies, Cardinal Wolsey retained Henry VIII's confidence until, in 1527, the King decided to seek an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. Henry asked Wolsey to negotiate the annulment with the Pope and in 1528 the Pope decided to allow two papal legates, Wolsey himself and Cardinal Campeggio, to decide the outcome in England. Wolsey was confident of the outcome, but Campeggio took a long time to arrive, and then he delayed proceedings so much, that the case had to be suspended and the Pope decided that the official decision should therefore be made in Rome and not in England.
After his failure to negotiate the annulment, Wolsey fell out of favour with Henry and in 1529 he was stripped of his government office and property, including the magnificent Palace of Hampton Court, which Henry took as his own main London residence.
Wolsey was however permitted to retain the title of Archbishop of York and so he travelled to Yorkshire, for the first time in his career, to carry out those duties.
Now that he was no longer protected by Henry, Wolsey's enemies, including it is rumoured, Ann Boleyn, conspired against him and Henry had him arrested and recalled to London to answer to charges of treason, one of those being that with 'pompous and preposterous mind, he had enterprised to join and imprint the Cardinal's hat under the King's arms on the King's coin of groats made in the city of York'. But Wolsey, now in great distress, fell ill on the journey back to the capital and at Leicester, on 29 November 1530, aged about 57, he died from natural causes before he could be beheaded.*AlexJan 18, 2019
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MEDIEVAL, SCOTLAND, ALEXANDER III (1249 - 1286), AR Penny minted at Roxburgh, ScotlandObverse: + ALEXANDER DEI GRA . Crowned head of Alexander III facing left within circle of pellets; sceptre topped with fleur-de-lis before. Cross potent in legend.
Reverse: REX SCOTORVM +. Long cross pattée dividing legend into quarters, with three pierced mullets of six points and one mullet of seven points in quarters of inner circle. The total of 25 points is indicative of the mint of Roxburgh.
Class Mb with unbarred “A”, wider portrait and cross potent mintmark in legend.
Roxburgh only accounts for some 9% of Alexander's second coinage so issues from this mint are quite rare.
Diameter: 18mm | Weight: 1.0gm | Die Axis: 3
SPINK: 5054*AlexJan 18, 2019
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MEDIEVAL, SCOTLAND, JAMES IV (1488 - 1513), Billon Plack (Groat) minted at Edinburgh, ScotlandObverse: + IACOBVS ★ 4 : DEI ★ GRACIA ★ REX ★ SCOTTO. Crowned shield bearing lion rampant within a tressure of four arcs, crown on each side of the shield and fleur-de-lis in all the spandrels. Star stops and old English lettering in legend.
Reverse: + VILLA ★ DE EDINBVRG. Floriate cross fourchée with a saltire in the centre. Crown in each quarter of the cross. Star stops and old English lettering in legend.
Type IV issue. Scarce
Diameter: 25mm | Weight: 2.4gm | Die Axis: 3
SPINK: 5352*AlexJan 18, 2019
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HENRY VI
Henry VI was King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English throne at the age of nine months when his father died.
This was during the period of the long-running Hundred Years' War (1337 - 1453) and Henry is the only English monarch to also have been crowned King of France (as Henri II), in 1431. During his early reign several people were ruling for him and by the time Henry was declared fit to rule in 1437 he found his realm in a difficult position, faced with setbacks in France and divisions among the nobility at home. Henry is described as timid, shy, passive, well intentioned, and averse to warfare and violence; he was also at times mentally unstable. Partially in the hope of achieving peace, Henry married the ambitious and strong-willed Margaret of Anjou in 1445. The peace policy failed and the war recommenced with France taking the upper hand such that by 1453 Calais was Henry's only remaining territory on the continent.
With Henry effectively unfit to rule, Queen Margaret took advantage of the situation to make herself an effective power behind the throne. Starting around 1453 Henry began suffering a series of mental breakdowns and tensions mounted between Margaret and Richard of York, not only over control of the incapacitated king's government, but over the question of succession to the throne. Civil war broke out in 1459, leading to a long period of dynastic conflict, now known as the Wars of the Roses. Henry was deposed on 29th March 1461 after a crushing defeat at the Battle of Towton by Richard of York's son, who took the throne as Edward IV. Margaret continuing to resist Edward, but Henry was captured by Edward's forces in 1465 and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Queen Margaret, who was first exiled in Scotland and then in France, was still determined to win back the throne on behalf of her husband and son. So, when Edward IV fell out with two of his main supporters, Richard Neville the Earl of Warwick and George the Duke of Clarence, Margaret formed a secret alliance with them backed by Louis XI of France. Warwick returned with an army to England, forced Edward IV into exile, and restored Henry VI to the throne on 30th October 1470, though Henry's position was nominal as Warwick and Clarence effectively ruled in his name.
But Henry's return to the throne lasted less than six months. Warwick overreached himself by declaring war on Burgundy, whose ruler responded by giving Edward IV the assistance he needed to win back his throne by force. Edward retook power in 1471, killing Warwick at the Battle of Barnet and Henry's only son at the Battle of Tewkesbury. Henry was again imprisoned in the Tower where, during the night of 21st May he died, possibly killed on Edward's orders.*AlexJan 17, 2019
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HENRY VII
Henry VII was the King of England from 22 August 1485 until his death in 1509. He was the first monarch of the House of Tudor.
Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was a descendant of the Lancastrian branch of the House of Plantagenet. Henry's father, Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, a half-brother of Henry VI of England, died three months before his son Henry was born. During Henry's early years, his uncle Henry VI fought against Edward IV, a member of the Yorkist Plantagenet branch. After Edward re-took the throne in 1471, Henry Tudor spent 14 years in exile in Brittany. Henry attained the throne when his forces, supported by France and Scotland, defeated Edward IV's brother Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses. He cemented his claim to the throne by marrying Elizabeth of York, daughter of King Edward IV. Henry VII was the last king of England to win his throne on the field of battle.
Henry was successful in restoring power and stability to the English monarchy following the civil war and he is credited with a number of administrative, economic and diplomatic initiatives. His support of England's wool industry had long-lasting benefit to the whole English economy. He paid very close attention to detail, and instead of spending lavishly he concentrated on raising new revenues. Henry's new taxes stabilised the government's finances but, after his death, a commission found there had been widespread abuses in the tax collection process.
Henry VII reigned for nearly 24 years. He died of tuberculosis at Richmond Palace on 21 April 1509 and was buried in the chapel he commissioned in Westminster Abbey next to his wife, Elizabeth. His mother survived him, but she died two months later on 29 June 1509.
Henry VII was succeeded by his second son, Henry VIII.*AlexJan 17, 2019
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JAMES IV OF SCOTLAND
James IV was the King of Scotland from June 1488 until his death in battle at the age of 40 on the 9th September, 1513.
James IV's mother, Margaret of Denmark, was more popular than his father, James III, and though somewhat estranged from her husband she raised their sons at Stirling Castle until she died in 1486. Two years later, a rebellion broke out, where the rebels set up the 15-year-old Prince James as their nominal leader. The rebels fought James III at the Battle of Sauchieburn where, on 11th June 1488, the king was killed. Prince James assumed the throne as James IV and was crowned at Scone on 24th of June. However he continued to bear an intense guilt for the indirect role which he had played in the death of his father.
James maintained Scotland's traditional good relations with France, and this occasionally created diplomatic problems with England, but James recognised nonetheless that peace between Scotland and England was in the interest of both countries, and established good diplomatic relations with England as well. First he ratified the Treaty of Ayton in 1497, then, in 1502 James signed the Treaty of Perpetual Peace with Henry VII which was sealed by his marriage to Henry's daughter Margaret Tudor the next year. Anglo-Scottish relations generally remained stable until the death of Henry VII in 1509.
James saw the importance of building a fleet that could provide Scotland with a strong maritime presence, he founded two new dockyards and acquired a total of 38 ships for the Royal Scots Navy. These including the "Great Michael" which, built at great expense, was launched in 1511 and was at that time the largest ship in the world.
When war broke out between England and France, James found himself in a difficult position as an ally by treaty to both countries. But relations with England had worsened since the accession of Henry VIII, and when Henry invaded France, James reacted by declaring war on England.
James sent the Scottish navy, including the "Great Michael", to join the ships of Louis XII of France and, hoping to take advantage of Henry's absence at the siege of Thérouanne, he himself led an invading army southward into Northumberland. However, on 9th September 1513 at the disastrous Battle of Flodden James IV was killed, he was the last monarch in Great Britain to be killed in battle. His death, along with many of his nobles including his son the archbishop of St Andrews, was one of the worst military defeats in Scotland's history and the loss of such a large portion of the political community was a major blow to the realm. James IV's corpse was identified after the battle and taken to Berwick, where it was embalmed and placed in a lead coffin before being transported to London. Catherine of Aragon, wife of Henry VIII, sent the dead king's slashed, blood-stained surcoat to Henry, who was fighting in France, with the recommendation that he use it as a war banner.
James IV's son, James V, was crowned three weeks after the disaster at Flodden, but he was not yet two years old, and his minority was to be fraught with political upheaval.*AlexJan 15, 2019
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EDWARD IV
Edward IV was King of England from March 1461 to October 1470, and again from April 1471 until his sudden death in 1483. He was the first Yorkist King of England. The first half of his rule was marred by the violence associated with the Wars of the Roses, but he overcame the Lancastrian challenge to the throne at Tewkesbury in 1471 and there were no further rebellions in England during the rest of his reign.
In 1475, Edward declared war on France, landing at Calais in June. However, his ally Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, failed to provide any significant military assistance leading Edward to undertake negotiations with the French, with whom he came to terms under the Treaty of Picquigny. France provided him with an immediate payment of 75,000 crowns and a yearly pension of 50,000 crowns, thus allowing him to "recoup his finances". Edward also backed an attempt by Alexander Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany and brother of King James III of Scotland, to take the Scottish throne in 1482. Edward's younger brother, the Duke of Gloucester (and future King Richard III) led an invasion of Scotland that resulted in the capture of Edinburgh and the Scottish king himself. Alexander Stewart, however, reneged on his agreement with Edward. The Duke of Gloucester then withdrew from his position in Edinburgh, though he did retain Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Edward became subject to an increasing number of ailments when his health began to fail and he fell fatally ill at Easter in 1483. He survived long enough though to add some codicils to his will, the most important being to name his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester as Protector after his death. He died on 9th April 1483 and was buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. He was succeeded first by his twelve-year-old son Edward V of England, who was never crowned, and then by his brother who reigned as Richard III.
It is not known what actually caused Edward's death. Pneumonia, typhoid and poison have all been conjectured, but some have attributed his death to an unhealthy lifestyle because he had become stout and inactive in the years before his death.*AlexJan 15, 2019
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Struck A.D.273 - 274. TETRICUS II as CAESAR. AE ANTONINIANUS of CologneObverse: C P E TETRICVS CAES. Radiate and draped bust of Tetricus Caesar facing right.
Reverse: PIETAS AVGG. Sacrificial implements, i.e. aspergum, patera, urceus etc.
Diameter: 16mm | Weight: 2.4gms | Die Axis: 6
RIC V ii : 255
C. Pius Esuvius Tetricus was the son of Tetricus I and was given the rank of Caesar when his father was made Augustus. After the surrender and abdication of Tetricus I he relinquished the title of Caesar and spent the rest of his life as a private citizen.*AlexJan 09, 2019
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Struck A.D.274 - 275. SEVERINA, Wife of Aurelian. AE Antoninianus of RomeObverse: SEVERINA AVG. Diademed and draped bust of Severina resting on crescent facing right.
Reverse: CONCORDIA AVGG. Severina standing facing right clasping hands with Aurelian standing facing left; in exergue,  XXIR.
RIC V i : 3
This coin was struck to celebrate Salonina's promotion to Augusta in A.D.274. Her subsequent fate is unknown.*AlexJan 09, 2019
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Struck A.D.273 - 275. SEVERINA, Wife of Aurelian. AE Antoninianus of AntiochObverse: SEVERINA AVG. Diademed and draped bust of Severina resting on crescent facing right.
Reverse: CONCORDIAE MILITVM. Concordia standing facing, head left, holding two standards; in lower left field, V; in exergue, XXI.
Diameter: 22mm | Weight: 3.8gms | Die Axis: 6
RIC V i : 20*AlexJan 09, 2019
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Struck A.D.271 - 274. TETRICUS I. AE ANTONINIANUS of TreveriObverse: IMP TETRICVS P F AVG. Radiate bust of Tetricus facing right.
Reverse: HILARITAS AVGG. Hilaritas standing facing left, holding long palm in right hand and cornucopiae in left.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 2.2gms | Die Axis: 5
RIC V ii : 80
C. Pius Esuvius Tetricus was governor of Aquitania when Victorinus was murdered. He was elevated to Augustus due to the influence of Victoria, Victorinus' mother. The Gallo-Roman Empire was in decline and when Aurelian invaded Gaul in A.D.273, Tetricus surrendered to him. He was not only spared by Aurelian, but spent the rest of his life in Rome having been given a position in the government of Italy.*AlexJan 09, 2019
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Struck A.D.270 - 275. AURELIAN. Silvered AE ANTONINIANUS of SisciaObverse: IMP AVRELIANVS AVG. Radiate and cuirassed bust of Aurelian facing right.
Reverse: IOVI CONSER. Jupiter standing facing left, presenting globe to Aurelian standing facing right; in exergue, ✱ S.
Diameter: 22mm | Weight: 3.2gms | Die Axis: 6
RIC V i : 225*AlexJan 08, 2019
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Struck A.D.268. CLAUDIUS II GOTHICUS. AE Antoninianus of SisciaObverse: IMP CLAVDIVS AVG. Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Claudius II facing right.
Reverse: LIBERITAS AVG. Liberitas standing facing left, holding cap of liberty (pileus) in right hand and cornucopiae in left; in right field, S.
Diameter: 20mm | Weight: 2.5gms | Die Axis: 12
RIC V i : 184*AlexJan 08, 2019
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Struck A.D.267. GALLIENUS. AE ANTONINIANUS of AntiochObverse: GALLIENVS AVG. Radiate and cuirassed bust of Gallienus facing right.
Reverse: LVNA LVCIF. Diana as Luna advancing right holding long torch in both hands; in exergue, PXV.
(PXV = Tribunician year = A.D.267)
Diameter: 21mm | Weight: 3.3gms | Die Axis: 6
RIC V i : 609
SCARCE*AlexJan 08, 2019
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Struck A.D.270 - 275. AURELIAN. AE Denarius of RomeObverse: IMP AVRELIANVS AVG. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Aurelian facing right.
Reverse: VICTORIA AVG. Victory advancing left, laurel-wreath in her outstretched right hand, palm in her left, captive at her feet. In exergue, R.
Diameter: 18mm | Weight: 2.0gms | Die Axis: 12
RIC V i 72
SCARCE*AlexJan 08, 2019
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Struck A.D.267 - 268. GALLIENUS. AE ANTONINIANUS of RomeObverse: GALLIENVS AVG. Radiate head of Gallienus facing right.
Reverse: APOLLINI CONS AVG. Centaur walking right, drawing bow.
RIC V i : 163*AlexJan 08, 2019
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Struck A.D.260 - 268. POSTUMUS. AR ANTONINIANUS of LugdunumObverse: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG. Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Postumus facing right.
Reverse: MONETA AVG. Moneta standing facing left, holding scales in her right hand and cornucopiae in her left.
Diameter: 22mm | Weight: 3.6gms | Die Axis: 5
RIC V : 75 | RSC : 199*AlexJan 07, 2019
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Struck A.D.260 - 268. POSTUMUS. AE ANTONINIANUS of Treveri (Issue 6)Obverse: IMP C POSTVMVS P F AVG. Radiate and cuirassed bust of Postumus facing right.
Reverse: ORIENS AVG. Sol advancing left, raising right hand and holding whip in left; in left field, P.
Diameter: 21mm | Weight: 2.9gms | Die Axis: 6
RSC : 213a*AlexJan 07, 2019
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Struck A.D.158 - 159. ANTONINUS PIUS. AR Denarius of RomeObverse: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XXII. Laureate head of Antoninus Pius facing right.
Reverse: TEMPLVM DIV AVG REST. Octastyle temple with standing statues of Victory before the two outer columns and seated figures of Divus Augustus and Diva Livia within; in exergue, COS IIII.
RIC III : 290a | C: 804 | BMC: 939
Rough surfaces
The Temple of Divus Augustus was originally built to commemorate the deified first emperor, Augustus. It was built between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, behind the Basilica Julia, on the site of the house that Augustus had lived in before he entered public life.
The temple's construction took place during the 1st century AD, having been vowed by the Roman Senate shortly after the death of Augustus in A.D.14. It was not, however, finally completed until after the death of Tiberius in A.D.37 and was dedicated by Tiberius' successor, Caligula at the end of August that year.
During the reign of Domitian the temple was destroyed by fire but it was rebuilt and rededicated in A.D.89-90 as a memorial to four deified emperors, including Vespasian and Titus. It also incorporated a shrine to Domitian's favourite deity, Minerva.
The temple was restored again by Antonius Pius, who was possibly motivated by a desire to be publicly associated with the first emperor. The exact date of the restoration is not known, but the restored temple is shown on coins of A.D.158 onwards, like the one above.
The temple is depicted as an octostyle design with Corinthian capitals and two statues - presumably of Augustus and Livia - in the cella. The pediment displayed a relief featuring Augustus and was topped by a quadriga. Two figures stood on the eaves of the roof, that on the left representing Romulus and the one on the right depicting Aeneas leading his family out of Troy, alluding to Rome's mythical origins. The steps of the temple were flanked by two statues of Victory.
The last known reference to the temple was in A.D.248, at some point after that it was completely destroyed and its stones were presumably quarried for later buildings. Today it's remains are no longer visible and the area in which it sat has never been excavated.*AlexJan 07, 2019
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Struck A.D.115 - 117 under Trajan. DIVUS TRAJAN PATER. AR Denarius of RomeObverse: IMP TRAIANVS AVG GER DAC P M TR P COS VI P P. Laureate and draped bust of Trajan facing right.
Reverse: DIVVS PATER TRAIAN. Trajan's father seated facing left, holding patera and sceptre.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 2.8gms | Die Axis: 6
RIC II : 252 | VM : 17 | RCV II : 3323
SCARCE*AlexJan 07, 2019
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Struck A.D.270 - 271, probably under Aurelian. DIVUS CLAUDIUS II. Commemorative AE Antoninianus of RomeObverse: DIVO CLAVDIO. Radiate head of Claudius II facing right.
Reverse: CONSECRATIO. Eagle standing facing left, head turned right.
Diameter: 21mm | Weight: 3.0gms | Die Axis: 12
RIC V i : 266*AlexJan 07, 2019
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ANTONINUS PIUS. AR (Billon) Tetradrachm struck AD 144 - 145 at AlexandriaObverse: ANTωNINOC CEB EVCCEB. Laureate head of Antoninus Pius facing right.
Reverse: No legend. Serapis seated on throne facing left, holding sceptre in left hand and stretching right hand out over Kerberos at his feet. In field, L - H (= regnal year 8 = A.D.144-145).
Diameter: 24mm | Weight: 12.54gms
Milne : 1792 | Dattari: 2366*AlexJan 02, 2019
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2019THIS YEAR'S WINNERS
CLICK ON A COIN FOR ITS DETAILS
 
 
 
 
 
 
*AlexDec 27, 2018
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1413 - 1422, Henry V, Billon Niquet (Double Tournois) struck in 1421 at Rouen, FranceObverse: + H REX ANGL HERES FRANC. Crowned lion passant facing left, fleur-de-lis above. Pellet mintmark below first letter of legend = Rouen mint.
Reverse: + SIT NOME DNI BENEDICTV. Cross pattée with lis in angles and lombardic 'h' in centre. Pellet mintmark below first letter of legend.
Diameter: 24mm | Weight: 1.9gms | Die Axis: 9h
SPINK: 8162 | Elias: 260 (Scarce)
This Anglo-Gallic coin, colloquially called a "leopard" after its obverse design, bears the titles of Henry V as king of England and heir to the French kingdom.
CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW FOR INFO ON HENRY V
 *AlexDec 14, 2018
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1471 - 1483, EDWARD IV (Second Reign), AR Groat, Struck 1477 - 1480 at London, EnglandObverse: EDWARD DEI GRA REX ANGL (Z FRANC +). Crowned bust of Edward IV facing within tressure of arches, trefoils on cusps, all within beaded circle. Small crosses in spaces between words in legend. Mintmark, off-flan, pierced cross.
Reverse: POSVI DEVM ADIVTORE MEVM +/ CIVITAS LONDON. Long cross dividing two concentric legends separated by two beaded circles into quarters, trefoil in each quarter of inner circle. Mintmark, pierced cross, small crosses between words in outer legend.
Diameter: 25mm | Weight: 2.7gms | Die Axis: 11h
SPINK: 2096 var. (DEI rather than DI in obverse legend)
Edward IV was King of England from March 1461 to October 1470, and again from April 1471 until his sudden death in 1483. He was the first Yorkist King of England. The first half of his rule was marred by the violence associated with the Wars of the Roses, but he overcame the Lancastrian challenge to the throne at Tewkesbury in 1471 and there were no further rebellions in England during the rest of his reign.
In 1475, Edward declared war on France, landing at Calais in June. However, his ally Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, failed to provide any significant military assistance leading Edward to undertake negotiations with the French, with whom he came to terms under the Treaty of Picquigny. France provided him with an immediate payment of 75,000 crowns and a yearly pension of 50,000 crowns, thus allowing him to "recoup his finances". Edward also backed an attempt by Alexander Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany and brother of King James III of Scotland, to take the Scottish throne in 1482. Edward's younger brother, the Duke of Gloucester (and future King Richard III) led an invasion of Scotland that resulted in the capture of Edinburgh and the Scottish king himself. Alexander Stewart, however, reneged on his agreement with Edward. The Duke of Gloucester then withdrew from his position in Edinburgh, though he did retain Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Edward became subject to an increasing number of ailments when his health began to fail and he fell fatally ill at Easter in 1483. He survived long enough though to add some codicils to his will, the most important being to name his brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester as Protector after his death. He died on 9th April 1483 and was buried in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. He was succeeded first by his twelve-year-old son Edward V of England, who was never crowned, and then by his brother who reigned as Richard III.
It is not known what actually caused Edward's death. Pneumonia, typhoid and poison have all been conjectured, but some have attributed his death to an unhealthy lifestyle because he had become stout and inactive in the years before his death.
*AlexDec 10, 2018
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1558 - 1603, ELIZABETH I, AR Sixpence struck in 1594 at London, EnglandObverse: ELIZAB•D•G•ANG•FR•ET•HIB•REGI• Crowned bust of Elizabeth I of England facing left. Tudor rose behind bust and mintmark (woolpack) in legend above.
Reverse: POSVI DEV:ADIVTOREM:MEV: Square topped shield, bearing the arms of England and France, quartered by long cross fourchee; 1594 above; mintmark (woolpack) in legend above.
Diameter: 26mm | Weight: 2.5gms | Die Axis: 2h
SPINK: 2578A
CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE IT
 *AlexDec 02, 2018
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1249 - 1286, Alexander III, AR Penny, Struck 1280 - 1286 at Roxburgh, ScotlandObverse: + ALEXANDER DEI GRA . Crowned head of Alexander III facing left within circle of pellets; sceptre topped with fleur-de-lis before. Cross potent in legend.
Reverse: REX SCOTORVM +. Long cross pattée dividing legend into quarters, with three pierced mullets of six points and one mullet of seven points in quarters of inner circle. The total of 25 points is indicative of the mint of Roxburgh.
Class Mb with unbarred "A", wider portrait and cross potent mintmark in legend.
Roxburgh only accounts for some 9% of Alexander's second coinage so issues from this mint are quite rare.
Diameter: 18mm | Weight: 1.0gm | Die Axis: 3h
SPINK: 5054
Alexander III's reign saw the introduction of the round halfpenny and farthing to Scottish medieval coinage.
Following the English recoinage of Edward I in 1279, Alexander introduced his second coinage which began in 1280 and ended when he died in 1286. This coin was therefore struck between those dates.
Alexander III was born at Roxburgh, he came to the throne when he was just 7 years old following the death of his father, Alexander II.
At the age of ten, in 1251, Alexander married Margaret, daughter of Henry III of England. Henry seized the opportunity to demand from his son-in-law homage from the Scottish kingdom. Alexander did not comply but In 1255, after a meeting between the English and Scottish kings at Kelso, he was compelled to consent to the creation of a regency representative of both monarchs.
The early years of Alexander III's reign were dominated by a power struggle between the two factions, but when he reached the age of 21 he was able to rule in his own right. His first action was to claim control of the Western Isles which were then under the domination of Norway. The Norwegian King Haakon rejected the claim, and in 1263, responded with a formidable invasion force which sailed around the west coast of Scotland and halted off the Isle of Arran. Alexander craftily delayed negotiations until the autumn storms began which resulted in the Norwegian ships being greatly damaged. Haakon, losing patience, attacked the Scots at Largs, but the battle proved indecisive and his position became hopeless. The Norwegians set sail for home but Haakon died en route, on Orkney, towards the end of the year. In 1266, at the Treaty of Perth, Norway formally ceded the Western Isles and the Isle of Man to Scotland in return for a monetary payment.
Alexander, when only 44 years old, met his end on the night of 19th March 1286. After entertaining guests at Edinburgh Castle he decided that night that he would return home to his wife near Kinghorn. His aides advised against it because there was a storm and the party would have to travel in darkness for many miles along a treacherous coastal path. Alexander was determined to travel anyway and ignored his advisors. It is not clear what happened, but it seems he got separated from the rest of his group and his horse lost its footing in the dark. The following day Alexander's body, and that of his horse, was found on the shore at the foot of the cliffs, the King's neck was broken. In 1886, a monument to him was erected in Kinghorn, on the side of the cliffs, at the approximate location of Alexander's death.
Alexander had no heirs, which ultimately led to a war with England that lasted almost thirty years.
*AlexDec 01, 2018
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1649 - 1660, THE COMMONWEALTH OF ENGLAND, AR Half-groat, Struck 1651 - 1653 at London, EnglandObverse: No legend. Shield bearing the Cross of Saint George between palm branch to left and laurel branch to right.
Reverse: • II • above two conjoined shields side by side, that on the left bearing the Cross of Saint George, that on the right bearing the Harp of Ireland.
Diameter: 17mm | Weight: 0.9gms | Die Axis: 11h
SPINK: 3221
This particular coin denomination is undated, but it has been suggested that the coin above can probably be attributed to the first coinage period (1651 - 1653) on stylistic grounds.
CLICK ON IMAGES BELOW TO ENLARGE AND FOR INFO ON COMMONWEALTH COINAGE
  *AlexNov 23, 2018
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1154 - 1189, HENRY II, AR 'Tealby' Penny, Struck 1158 - 1163 at Canterbury, EnglandObverse: HENRI • REX • A -. Crowned facing bust of Henry II, his head turned slightly to the left, holding sceptre tipped with a cross potent in his right hand. Crown has three vertical uprights each topped by a fleur-de-lis.
Reverse: + ROGIER : ON : CANT surrounding short cross potent within beaded circle, small cross potents in each quarter. Moneyer: Rogier, cognate with the modern English name of Roger. Mintmark: Cross potent.
Class A bust
Diameter: 20mm | Weight: 1.3gms | Die Axis: 4h
Flan chipped and cracked, legends largely illegible
SPINK: 1337
The attribution to mint and moneyer is not 100% certain, but is the best fit I have been able to make from the remaining visible letters in the inscription
For the first few years of Henry II's reign the coins of King Stephen continued to be produced, but in 1158, a new 'cross and crosslet' coinage was introduced in England. While this coinage was acceptable in terms of weight and silver quality, it is notorious for its ugly appearance, bad craftsmanship and careless execution. It is a fact that this coinage is among the worst struck of any issue of English regal coinage. The cross and crosslet type coinage of King Henry II is more often called 'Tealby' because of the enormous hoard of these coins which was found in late 1807 at Bayons Manor farm near Tealby in Lincolnshire. This hoard, which originally amounted to over 5,700 pieces, was first reported in the Stamford Mercury of the 6th November 1807, but unfortunately the majority of the coins, more than 5,000 of them, were sent to be melted down at the Tower of London and only some 600 pieces were saved for national and important private collections.
Henry II became King of England in 1154 and reigned until his death in 1189. He was the first king of the House of Plantagenet. Henry became Count of Anjou and Maine upon the death of his father, Count Geoffrey V, in 1151, his marriage in 1152 to Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose marriage to Louis VII had recently been annulled, made him Duke of Aquitaine. He became Count of Nantes by treaty in 1185.
By the age of 14, Henry became actively involved in the efforts of his mother Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England, to claim the English throne, then occupied by Stephen of Blois. Stephen agreed to a peace treaty after Henry's military expedition to England in 1153, and Henry inherited the kingdom on Stephen's death a year later. Henry was an energetic and sometimes ruthless ruler, driven by a desire to restore the lands and privileges of his grandfather Henry I. During the early years of his reign Henry re-established hegemony over Wales and gained full control over his lands in Anjou, Maine and Touraine. Henry's desire to reform the relationship with the Church led to conflict with his former friend Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. This culminated in the murder of Becket by the high altar in his own church in 1170. This horrified Christians and, although Beckett was apparently disliked by the monks in life, in death he became a martyr, was canonised, and a religious cult grew up around his sainthood.
Henry II soon came into conflict with Louis VII, and the two rulers fought what has been termed a "cold war" over several decades. Henry expanded his empire at Louis's expense, taking Brittany and pushing east into central France and south into Toulouse, but despite numerous conferences and treaties, no lasting peace agreement was reached.
Henry and Eleanor had eight children—three daughters and five sons. As the sons grew up, tensions over the future inheritance of the kingdom began to emerge, encouraged by Louis and his son King Philip II. In 1173 Henry's heir apparent, "Young Henry", rebelled in protest; he was joined by his brothers Richard (later king) and Geoffrey and by their mother, Eleanor. France, Scotland, Brittany, Flanders, and Boulogne all allied themselves with the rebels. This “Great Revolt” was only defeated by Henry's vigorous military action and talented local commanders. Young Henry and Geoffrey revolted again in 1183, resulting in Young Henry's death. Henry II's invasion of Ireland provided lands for his youngest son John, but Henry struggled to find ways to satisfy all his sons' desires for land and immediate power. By 1189, Young Henry and Geoffrey were dead, and Philip successfully played on Richard's fears that Henry II would make John king, which led to a final rebellion. Henry II was decisively defeated by Philip and Richard and, suffering from a bleeding ulcer, he retreated to Chinon Castle in Anjou. Henry died soon afterwards and was succeeded by his son Richard I (the lionheart).
Many of the changes Henry II introduced during his long reign had long-term consequences, his legal changes are generally considered to have laid the basis for the English Common Law, while his intervention in Brittany, Wales, and Scotland shaped the development of their societies and governmental systems.
*AlexNov 13, 2018
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1189 - 1199, RICHARD I (the lionheart), AR Denier minted at Melle, Poitou, FranceObverse: +RICARDVS REX. Cross pattée within braided inner circle, all within braided outer circle.
Reverse: PIC / TAVIE / NSIS in three lines within braided circle.
Diameter: 20mm | Weight: 1.0gms | Die Axis: 2h
SPINK: 8008 | Elias: 8
Poitou was an Anglo-Gallic province in what is now west-central France and its capital city was Poitiers, the mint at this time was however located at Melle. Melle was an active centre of minting during the early Middle Ages due to the important silver mines located under and around the city. This is the only coin issue struck during the reign of Richard I to bear his own name and titles as King of England.
Richard I was King of England from 1189 until his death on 6th April 1199. He also ruleNormandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, as well as being overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period. He was the third of five sons of Kind several territories outwith England, and was styled as Duke of g Henry II of England and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was known as Richard the Lionheart (Richard Cœur de Lion) because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior when, at the age of 16 and commanding his own army, he had put down rebellions against his father in Poitou.
Richard was a commander during the Third Crusade, and led the campaign after the departure of Philip II of France. However, although he scored several notable victories against the Muslims led by Saladin, he failed to retake Jerusalem from them.
Although Richard was born in England and spent his childhood there before becoming king, he lived most of his adult life in the Duchy of Aquitaine. Following his accession, his life was mostly spent on Crusade, in captivity, or actively defending his lands in France. Rather than regarding England as a responsibility requiring his presence as ruler, he appears to have used it merely as a source of revenue to support his armies. Nevertheless, he was seen as a pious hero by his subjects and he remains one of the few kings of England who is remembered by his epithet rather than by his regnal number, and even today he is still an iconic figure in both England and France.*AlexNov 10, 2018
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ROMAN EMPIRE PROVINCIAL, NUMERIAN as Augustus. Billon Tetradrachm of Alexandria. Struck A.D.284Obverse: A K M A NOVMEPIANOC CEB. Laureate, draped and cuirassed bust of Numerian facing right.
Reverse: ETOYC Γ (= regnal year 3 = A.D.284). Eirene standing facing left, raising her right hand and holding transverse sceptre in her left.
Curtis : 1947 | Emmett : 4020 | Milne : 4735 | Dattari : 5609 | Geissen : 3198 | BMC : 2466.
Weight : 8.03gms. Diameter : 19.7mm.
Purchased from FORVM*AlexOct 31, 2018
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1199 - 1216, John, AR Short cross penny, Struck 1205 - 1216 at Winchester, EnglandObverse: HENRICVS REX around central circle enclosing a crowned, draped and bearded facing bust of the king holding a sceptre tipped with a cross pommee in his right hand, bust extending to edge of flan.
Reverse: +ANDREV•ON•WI around voided short cross within circle, crosslets in each quarter. Moneyer: Andrev, cognate with the modern English name of Andrew.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 1.2gms | Die Axis: 4h
Class 5b
SPINK: 1351
The class four type short cross pennies of Henry II continued to be struck during the early years of John's reign, but in 1205 a recoinage was begun and new short cross pennies of better style replaced the older issues. Sixteen mints were initially employed for this recoinage but they were reduced to ten later on. All John's coins continued to bear his father's (Henry II) title of henricvs rex.
John was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. The baronial revolt at the end of John's reign led to the sealing of the first Magna Carta, a document sometimes considered an early step in the evolution of the constitution of the United Kingdom.
John, the youngest of the five sons of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, was not expected to inherit significant lands which resulted in him being given the nickname John Lackland. However, after the failed rebellion of his elder brothers between 1173 and 1174, John became Henry's favourite child. He was appointed Lord of Ireland in 1177 and given lands in England and on the continent. John's elder brothers William, Henry and Geoffrey died young and when Richard I became king in 1189, John was the potential heir to the throne. John unsuccessfully attempted a rebellion against Richard's administration whilst his brother was participating in the Third Crusade but despite this, after Richard died in 1199, John was proclaimed King of England.
Contemporary chroniclers were mostly critical of John's performance as king, and his reign has been the subject of much debate by historians from the 16th century onwards. These negative qualities have provided extensive material for fiction writers since the Victorian era, and even today John remains a recurring character within popular culture, primarily as a villain in films and stories regarding the Robin Hood legends.*AlexOct 30, 2018
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Roman Empire, CONSTANTIUS GALLUS CAESAR. AE2 Maiorina or Centenionalis of Antioch. Struck A.D.351 - 354Obverse: D N CONSTANTIVS NOB CAES. Bare-headed draped and cuirassed bust of Constantius Gallus facing right.
Reverse: FEL TEMP REPARATIO. Soldier advancing left, spearing fallen horseman, discarded shield on ground at feet; in left field, Γ : in exergue, ANH.
Weight 5.6gms
RIC VIII: 134 *AlexOct 25, 2018
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Roman Empire, CONSTANTIUS GALLUS CAESAR. AE Centenionalis of Siscia. Struck A.D.351Obverse: D N CONSTANTIVS IVN NOB C. Bare-headed, draped and cuirassed bust of Constantius Gallus facing right; behind bust, H.
Reverse: HOC SIGNO VICTOR ERIS. Constantius Gallus standing facing left, holding labarum in his right hand and spear in his left, being crowned by Victory standing behind him. In left field, III; in exergue, ASIS•.
RIC VIII : 308
RARE*AlexOct 25, 2018
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Roman Empire, CONSTANTINE I, Posthumous Commemorative AE4 of Antioch. Struck A.D.347 - 348 under Constantius IIObverse: DV CONSTANTINVS PT AVGG. Veiled head of Constantine facing right.
Reverse: Constantine I, veiled and togate, standing facing right; across field, VN - MR; in exergue, SMANE.
RIC VIII : 112*AlexOct 25, 2018
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ROMAN EMPIRE, CONSTANTINE I as CAESAR. Large AE Follis of Carthage. Struck A.D.307Obverse: CONSTANTINVS NOB CAES. Laureate head of Constantine facing right.
Reverse: CONSERVATO-RES KART SVAE. Hexastyle temple within which is Carthage standing facing left holding fruits in both hands. In exergue, PKΔ.
Diameter: 25.15mm | Weight: 6.4gms
RIC VI : 61*AlexOct 17, 2018
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Roman Empire, Constantine I as Augustus. AE3 of Constantinople. Struck A.D.327 - 328Obverse: CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG. Diademed head of Constantine facing right.
Reverse: GLORIA ROMANORVM. Roma seated on shield facing left, holding Victory in her right hand and spear in her left; in left field, A; in exergue, CONS.
RIC VII : 23.
VERY RARE*AlexOct 17, 2018
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Roman Empire, CONSTANTINE I as Augustus. AE3 of Constantinople. Struck A.D.327 - 328Obverse: CONSTANTINVS MAX AVG. Diademed head of Constantine facing right.
Reverse: GLORIA EXERCITVS. Constantine standing facing, head right, holding spear in right hand and leaning on shield; in left field, S; in exergue, CONS.
RIC VII : 22
VERY RARE*AlexOct 17, 2018
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1547 - 1553, EDWARD VI, AR Shilling, Struck 1551 - 1553 at London, EnglandObverse: EDWARD:VI:D:G:AGL:FRA:Z:HIB(:R)EX•Y: Crowned facing bust of Edward VI head turned slightly to left. Tudor rose to left of bust and XII to right; mintmark Y, in legend after REX above.
Reverse: POSV(I) DEV:ADIVTORE:MEVM:Y. Square topped shield, bearing the arms of England and France, quartered by long cross fourchee; mintmark Y, in legend after MEVM.
Diameter: 33mm | Weight: 5.8gms | Die Axis: 2h | Holed
SPINK: 2482
In 1551 Edward VI issued a new fine silver coinage, his previous silver issues having been very debased. The sixpence denomination was first introduced at this time. It was similar to the new shilling above in having a facing portrait of the king with a tudor rose to the left, but the denomination value to the right of the King's portrait was VI on the sixpence instead of the XII seen on the shilling.
 *AlexOct 16, 2018
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ROMAN EMPIRE, CONSTANS, AE2 of ANTIOCH. Struck A.D.348 - 350Obverse: D N CONSTANS P F AVG. Pearl diademed, draped and cuirassed bust of Constans holding globe facing left.
Reverse: FEL TEMP REPARATIO. Soldier advancing right, dragging small barbarian from hut beneath tree; in exergue, ANΔ.
RIC VIII : 126*AlexOct 15, 2018
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ROMAN EMPIRE, CLAUDIUS II GOTHICUS. Commemorative AE Antoninianus of Cyzicus. Struck A.D.270 - 271, probably under AurelianObverse: DIVO CLAVDIO. Radiate head of Claudius II Gothicus facing right, three pellets below.
Reverse: CONSACRATIO. Ustrinum or pyre of three storeys, arch in lowest storey, uppermost storey flanked by two statues, flames (or perhaps an eagle) rising from summit.
Diameter: 21mm | Weight: 2.9gms | Die Axis: 6
RIC V : 267
RARE*AlexOct 15, 2018
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ROMAN EMPIRE, City Commemorative, POP ROMANUS, AE4 of Constantinople. Struck A.D.341 - 346 under Constantius IIObverse: POP ROMANVS. Laureate and draped bust of the Genius of the Roman people facing left, cornucopiae over left shoulder.
Reverse: No legend. Star with CONSB below, all within wreath.
RIC VIII : 22*AlexOct 15, 2018
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Roman Empire, CARINUS as Caesar. AE Antoninianus of Rome. Struck A.D.282 - 283Obverse: M AVR CARINVS NOB CAES. Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Carinus facing right.
Reverse: PIETAS AVGG. Sacrificial/pontifical implements; in exergue, KAZ.
Diameter: 22mm | Weight: 3.3gms | Die Axis: 12
RIC V ii : 156*AlexOct 15, 2018
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Roman Empire, AURELIAN. Silvered AE Antoninianus of Mediolanum. Struck A.D.272 - 273Obverse: IMP AVRELIANVS AVG. Radiate, draped and cuirassed bust of Aurelian facing right.
Reverse: RESTITVT ORIENTIS. Female figure standing facing right presenting wreath to Aurelian who is standing facing left and holding sceptre; in exergue, S.
RIC V i : 140.
Struck after the defeat of Vabalathus and Queen Zenobia this coin commemorates the re-absorption of the Palmyran territories into the Roman Empire.*AlexOct 15, 2018
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Roman Empire, AURELIAN. Silvered Antoninianus of Mediolanum or Ticinum. Struck A.D.271 - 275Obverse: AVRELIANVS AVG. Radiate and cuirassed bust of Aurelian facing right.
Reverse: ORIENS AVG. Sol standing facing left, right hand raised, left hand holding globe; at foot left, seated captive facing left; in exergue, S.
RIC V i : 135. (Post Reform Issue) *AlexOct 15, 2018
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ROMAN EMPIRE, ANTONINUS PIUS. Commemorative AR Denarius of Rome. Struck A.D.161 under Marcus AureliusObverse: DIVVS ANTONINVS. Bare headed and draped bust of Antoninus Pius facing right.
Reverse: CONSECRATIO. Eagle standing facing right, head left, on garlanded altar.
RIC III : 431*AlexOct 15, 2018
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Roman Empire, ANTONINUS PIUS. Commemorative AR Denarius of Rome. Struck A.D.161 - 164 under Marcus AureliusObverse: DIVVS ANTONIN'S. Bare head of Antoninus Pius facing right.
Reverse: DIVO PIO. Seated statue of Antoninus Pius holding branch and sceptre, facing left.
Diameter: 18mm | Weight: 3.2gms | Die Axis: 6
RIC III : 442 | VM : 137/1 | Sear : 5194
*AlexOct 14, 2018
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Roman Empire, ANTONINUS PIUS. Commemorative AR Denarius of Rome. Struck A.D.161 - 164 under Marcus Aurelius.Obverse: DIVVS ANTONINVS. Bare head of Antoninus Pius facing right.
Reverse: DIVO PIO. Altar-enclosure, with double panelled door and horns visible above.
Diameter: 18mm | Weight: 3.1gms | Die Axis: 12
RIC III : 441 | VM : 137/3 | Sear : 5196 *AlexOct 14, 2018
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Medieval, England, Henry III (1216 - 1272), AR Penny struck 1248 - 1250 at LondonObverse: HENRICVS REX : III. Crowned bust of Henry III facing within circle of pellets. Mintmark: Six pointed star.
Reverse: NICOLE ON LVND. Voided long cross dividing legend into quarters, trefoil in each quarter of inner circle. Moneyer, Nicholas.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 1.3gms | Die Axis: 6
SPINK: 1363*AlexOct 14, 2018
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Medieval, England, EDWARD I (1272 - 1307), AR Penny minted at London in 1279.Obverse: EDW REX ANG DNS HYB. Crowned bust of Edward I facing within circle of pellets.
Reverse: CIVITAS LONDON. Long cross dividing legend into quarters, trefoil in each quarter of inner circle.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 1.3gms | Die Axis: 11
SPINK: 1382
Undated Penny, type 1c. Edward I began a major recoinage in 1279 which consisted not only of pennies and new round half-pennies and farthings, but also introduced a new denomination, a fourpenny piece called the "Groat".
*AlexOct 07, 2018
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Struck A.D.276 - 282. PROBUS Silvered AE ANTONINIANUS of RomeObverse: IMP C M AVR PROBVS AVG. Radiate and cuirassed bust of Probus facing right.
Reverse: CONSERVAT AVG. Sol walking left, right hand raised, left hand holding whip; in exergue, XXIB.
Diameter: 22mm | Weight: 4.0gms | Die Axis: 12
RIC Vii : 673
Re-attributed to the first emission of Rome by Pink*AlexOct 03, 2018
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1839 VICTORIA AR GROAT (FOURPENCE)Obverse: VICTORIA D:G: BRITANNIAR: REGINA F:D: Young head of Queen Victoria facing left.
Reverse: FOUR PENCE. Britannia seated facing right, her right hand resting on shield, her left holding a trident; 1839 in exergue.
Diameter 16mm.
SPINK: 3913
This "young head" portrait of Queen Victoria was designed by William Wyon (1795 - 1851).
There are slight visible indications that this coin was possibly struck from clashed dies.*AlexOct 03, 2018
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1836 WILLIAM IV AR GROAT (FOURPENCE)Obverse: GULIELMUS IIII D:G: BRITANNIAR: REX F:D: Bare head of William IV facing right.
Reverse: FOUR PENCE. Britannia seated facing right, her right hand resting on shield, her left holding a trident; 1836 in exergue.
Diameter 16mm
SPINK: 3837
The portrait of William IV used on his coinage was designed by William Wyon (1795 - 1851).*AlexOct 03, 2018
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1901 VICTORIA BRONZE "OLD HEAD" PENNYObverse: VICTORIA.DEI.GRA.BRITT.REGINA.FID.DEF.IND.IMP. Veiled bust of Queen Victoria facing left.
Reverse: ONE PENNY. Britannia seated facing right, right hand resting on shield, left hand holding trident. 1901 in exergue.
SPINK: 3961
Victoria's "veiled head" portrait was designed by Thomas Brock (1847 - 1922), this is marked by a small "T.B." below the Queen's bust.*AlexOct 01, 2018
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1901 VICTORIA BRONZE "OLD HEAD" HALFPENNYObverse: VICTORIA.DEI.GRA.BRITT.REGINA.FID.DEF.IND.IMP. Veiled bust of Queen Victoria facing left.
Reverse: HALF PENNY. Britannia seated facing right, right hand resting on shield, left hand holding trident. 1901 in exergue.
Diameter 25mm
SPINK: 3962
Victoria's "veiled head" portrait was designed by Thomas Brock (1847 - 1922), this is marked by a small "T.B." below the Queen's bust.*AlexOct 01, 2018
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1896 VICTORIA BRONZE "OLD HEAD" FARTHINGObverse: VICTORIA.DEI.GRA.BRITT.REGINA.FID.DEF.IND.IMP. Veiled bust of Queen Victoria facing left.
Reverse: FARTHING. Britannia seated facing right, right hand resting on shield, left hand holding trident. 1896 in exergue.
SPINK: 3963
Victoria's "veiled head" portrait was designed by Thomas Brock (1847 - 1922), this is marked by a small "T.B." below the Queen's bust.*AlexOct 01, 2018
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1216 - 1272, Henry III, AR Penny, Struck 1248 - 1250 at London, England (Long Cross Issue)Obverse: HENRICVS REX : III. Crowned bust of Henry III facing within circle of pellets. Mintmark: Six pointed star.
Reverse: NICOLE ON LVND. Voided long cross dividing legend into quarters, trefoil in each quarter of inner circle. Moneyer: Nicole, cognate with the modern English name of Nicholas. The surname Nicole originates in the Netherlands where it was notable for its various branches, and associated status or influence. The modern given name Nicole is a French feminine derivative of the masculine given name Nicolas.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 1.3gms | Die Axis: 6h
SPINK: 1363
HENRY III OF ENGLAND
The First Barons' War (1215 - 1217) was a civil war in England in which a group of rebellious barons led by Robert Fitzwalter and supported by a French army under the future Louis VIII of France, waged war against King John of England. The war resulted from King John's refusal to accept and abide by the Magna Carta, which he had been forced to put his seal to on 15th June 1215, as well as from Louis' own ambitions regarding the English throne.
It was in the middle of this war that King John died leaving his son, the nine year old Henry III (who had been moved to safety at Corfe Castle in Dorset along with his mother, Queen Isabella) as his heir.
On his deathbed John appointed a council of thirteen executors to help Henry reclaim the kingdom, requesting that his son be placed into the guardianship of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. The loyalists decided to crown Henry immediately to reinforce his claim to the throne. William knighted the boy, and Cardinal Guala Bicchieri, the papal legate to England, then oversaw his coronation at Gloucester Cathedral on 28th October 1216. In the absence of the archbishops of either Canterbury or York, Henry was anointed by the bishops of Worcester and Exeter, and crowned by Peter des Roches, bishop of Winchester. During the civil war the royal crown had been lost, so instead, the ceremony used a simple gold corolla belonging to Queen Isabella. In 1217, Henry's forces, led by William Marshal, finally defeated the rebels at the battles of Lincoln and Sandwich.
Henry's early rule was dominated first by Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent and Justiciar of England and Ireland, then by Peter des Roches, and they re-established royal authority after the war. In 1225 Henry promised to abide by the final and definitative version of the Magna Carta, freely authenticated by the great seal of Henry III himself, which protected the rights of the major barons and placed a limit on royal power. It is the clauses of this, the 1225 Magna Carta signed by Henry III, not the King John Magna Carta of 1215, which are on the Statute Books of the United Kingdom today.*AlexSep 24, 2018
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1876 "H" VICTORIA BRONZE "BUN HEAD" PENNYObv: VICTORIA D:G: BRITT:REG:FID:DEF: "Bun head" bust of Queen Victoria with elderly features facing left.
Rev: ONE PENNY. Britannia seated facing right, her right hand resting on shield, her left holding a trident; in left background, a lighthouse and in right background, a ship; 1876, small H below, in exergue.
SPINK: 3955
Victoria's "bun head" portrait was designed by Leonard Charles Wyon (1826 - 1891), he was the eldest son of William Wyon, who had previously designed the "young head" portrait of the Queen. The letters L C WYON are incuse amongst the ornamentation of the Queen's dress.
On 1st April 1850 the auction was announced of equipment from the defunct Soho Mint, created by Matthew Boulton around 1788. At the auction, on 29th April, Ralph Heaton II bought Boulton's four steam-powered screw presses and six planchet presses for making blanks from strip metal. These were installed at Heaton's Bath Street works, and his Birmingham Mint began to strike trade tokens for use in Australia. In 1851 copper planchets were made for the Royal Mint to make into pennies, halfpennies, farthings, half-farthings and quarter-farthings.
In 1853 the Royal Mint was overwhelmed with producing silver and gold coins and so Ralph Heaton and Sons won their first contract to strike finished coins for Britain, these coins had no mintmark to identify them as from Birmingham.
In 1860 the firm bought a 1-acre plot on Icknield Street and constructed a three storey red brick factory. Completed in 1862 and employing 300 staff, it was at this time the largest private mint in the world.
From 1874 the Birmingham Mint began striking bronze pennies, halfpennies and farthings for the Royal Mint. This time though, the Birmingham Mint issues are distinguished by an H (for Heaton) mintmark below the date on the reverse. Victorian British coins bearing the H mintmark were produced in 1874, 1875, 1876, 1881 and 1882.*AlexSep 09, 2018
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1876 "H" VICTORIA BRONZE "BUN HEAD" HALFPENNYObv: VICTORIA D:G: BRITT:REG:FID:DEF: "Bun head" bust of Queen Victoria with elderly features facing left.
Rev: HALF PENNY. Britannia seated facing right, her right hand resting on shield, her left holding a trident; in left background, a lighthouse and in right background, a ship; 1876, small H below, in exergue.
SPINK: 3957
Victoria's "bun head" portrait was designed by Leonard Charles Wyon (1826 - 1891), he was the eldest son of William Wyon, who had previously designed the "young head" portrait of the Queen. The letters L C WYON are incuse amongst the ornamentation of the Queen's dress.
On 1st April 1850 the auction was announced of equipment from the defunct Soho Mint, created by Matthew Boulton around 1788. At the auction, on 29th April, Ralph Heaton II bought Boulton's four steam-powered screw presses and six planchet presses for making blanks from strip metal. These were installed at Heaton's Bath Street works, and his Birmingham Mint began to strike trade tokens for use in Australia. In 1851 copper planchets were made for the Royal Mint to make into pennies, halfpennies, farthings, half-farthings and quarter-farthings.
In 1853 the Royal Mint was overwhelmed with producing silver and gold coins and so Ralph Heaton and Sons won their first contract to strike finished coins for Britain, these coins had no mintmark to identify them as from Birmingham.
In 1860 the firm bought a 1-acre plot on Icknield Street and constructed a three storey red brick factory. Completed in 1862 and employing 300 staff, it was at this time the largest private mint in the world.
From 1874 the Birmingham Mint began striking bronze pennies, halfpennies and farthings for the Royal Mint. This time though, the Birmingham Mint issues are distinguished by an H (for Heaton) mintmark below the date on the reverse. Victorian British coins bearing the H mintmark were produced in 1874, 1875, 1876, 1881 and 1882.*AlexSep 09, 2018
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1854 VICTORIA COPPER "YOUNG HEAD" HALFPENNYObverse: VICTORIA DEI GRATIA 1854. Young head of Queen Victoria facing left.
Reverse: BRITANNIAR: REG: FID: DEF: Britannia seated facing right, right arm resting on shield, left arm holding trident. Shamrock, Rose and Thistle (indicative of Ireland, England and Scotland respectively) in exergue.
Diameter 28mm
SPINK: 3949
Victoria's "young head" portrait was designed by William Wyon (1795 - 1851), this is marked by a small incuse "WW" at the base of the Queen's neck on this coin. *AlexSep 09, 2018
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1822 GEORGE IV AE FARTHINGObverse: GEORGIUS IIII DEI GRATIA. Laureate and draped bust of George IV facing left.
Reverse: BRITANNIAR: REX FID: DEF: Britannia seated facing right, her right hand holding olive branch and resting on shield, her left holding trident; at her feet, a lion. In exergue, 1822.
Diameter 22mm | UNC with lustre
SPINK: 3822
The first copper coinage of George IV consisted of farthings only, they were the work of Benedetto Pistrucci (1783 - 1855). This first series of coinage, of which the farthings formed a part, was distasteful to the king because they represented his face as puffed and bloated, his neck undoubtedly thick, and his hair harsh and wiry. The upshot was that Pistrucci was replaced as Master of the Mint by William Wyon and in 1825 the whole series of George IV's coinage was completely redesigned.*AlexSep 05, 2018
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1826 GEORGE IV AE HALFPENNYObverse: GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA • 1826 •. Laureate head of George IV facing left.
Reverse: BRITANNIAR: REX FID: DEF: Britannia seated facing right, right hand resting on shield, left holding trident. Shamrock, Rose and Thistle (indicative of Ireland, England and Scotland respectively) in exergue.
Diameter 28mm | Weight 9.32gms
SPINK: 3824
This portrait of George IV, used on his later coinage, was designed by William Wyon (1795 - 1851).
With the issues of George IV, Britannia now appears on pennies, halfpennies and farthings facing right instead of left, she would remain that way until 1967. She also acquires a helmet, recalling Roma and, before that, Athena.*AlexSep 05, 2018
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1831 William IV AE PENNYObverse: GULIELMUS IIII DEI GRATIA 1831. Bare head of William IV facing right.
Reverse: BRITANNIAR: REX FID: DEF: Britannia seated facing right, right hand resting on shield, left holding trident. Shamrock, Rose and Thistle (indicative of Ireland, England and Scotland respectively) in exergue.
Diameter 34mm
SPINK: 3845
William IV's portrait was designed by William Wyon (1795 - 1851), this is sometimes marked by a small incuse "WW" at the base of the King's neck. This coin, however, is one of those that do not bear Wyon's initials.*AlexSep 04, 2018
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1831 William IV AE HALFPENNYObverse: GULIELMUS IIII DEI GRATIA 1831. Bare head of William IV facing right.
Reverse: BRITANNIAR: REX FID: DEF: Britannia seated facing right, right hand resting on shield, left holding trident. Shamrock, Rose and Thistle (indicative of Ireland, England and Scotland respectively) in exergue.
Diameter 28mm
SPINK: 3847
William IV's portrait was designed by William Wyon (1795 - 1851), this is marked by a small incuse "WW" at the base of the King's neck.*AlexSep 04, 2018
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1835 William IV AE FARTHINGObverse: GULIELMUS IIII DEI GRATIA 1835. Bare head of William IV facing right.
Reverse: BRITANNIAR: REX FID: DEF: Britannia seated facing right, right hand resting on shield, left holding trident. Shamrock, Rose and Thistle (indicative of Ireland, England and Scotland respectively) in exergue.
Diameter 22mm
SPINK: 3848
William IV's portrait was designed by William Wyon (1795 - 1851), this is marked by a small incuse "WW" at the base of the King's neck.*AlexSep 04, 2018
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Struck A.D.307. CONSTANTINE I as CAESAR. Large AE Follis of TreveriObverse: FL VAL CONSTANTINVS NOB C. Laureate and cuirassed bust of Constantine I facing right.
Reverse: PRINCIPI IVVENTVTIS. Constantine I, clad in military dress, standing facing left holding a standard in each hand. Across field, S - A; in exergue, PTR.
RIC VI : 734
The boots shown worn by Constantine on this coin are not the usual army boots but a special type of boot called a mulleus (pl. mullei), it was a kind of fur boot where a catlike animal's scalp was attached to the upper front of the boot leg and the animal's paws hung down from both sides. These type of mullei were shown worn by deities like Mars, Virtus, Honos, Roma, and sometimes emperors. Iconographically they were connected to gods and heroes.
Goette, in his " Ikonographische Studien zu Römischem Schuhwerk", has shown that the mulleus appears from the time of Augustus to the period of the Tetrarchy on Roman artwork.
It is notable that these types of mullei are often depicted being worn by cuirassed statues in a war-like connection. It is therefore possible, even probable, that the boots were made from lion's skin, which would match the symbol of royal power and strength with the godlike power of their wearer. - credit Jochen
This coin was struck in A.D.307 to commemorate Constantine's proclamation as Caesar.*AlexSep 02, 2018
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1888 VICTORIA AR GROAT (FOURPENCE)Obverse: VICTORIA D:G: BRITANNIAR: REGINA F:D: Jubilee bust of Queen Victoria facing left.
Reverse: FOUR PENCE. Britannia seated facing right, her right hand resting on shield, her left holding a trident; 1888 in exergue.
Diameter 16mm
SPINK: 3930
This "Jubilee head" portrait of Queen Victoria was designed by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm (1834 – 1890), this is marked by the initials “J.E.B." below the Queen's bust. *AlexAug 28, 2018
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1676 Charles II AR "Pattern Farthing"Obverse: CAROLVS•A•CAROLO•. Laureate and cuirassed bust of Charles II with long hair facing left, 1676 below.
Reverse: QVATVOR•MARIA VINDICO•. Britannia seated facing left, holding laurel branch and spear; BRITANNIA in exergue. No pellet between MARIA and VINDICO.
Diameter: 26mm | Weight: 5.9gms | Die Axis: 12h
Peck : 492
PATTERN OR MEDALET - RARE
This periwigged portrait of Charles II was designed by Jan (John) Roettier (1631 - 1700).
The legend, "Quatuor Maria Vindico," means "I claim the four seas," which Peck explains was "intended to give prominence to the king's pride and interest in the navy." The reason this legend never appeared on circulating coinage was probably because the legend was thought to be too provocative to the King of France.
It was Montagu who called this a Roettier pattern farthing of Charles II which, until the discovery in 1903 of 89 specimens in the cabinet of the Marquis of Ailsbury, had hitherto been considered the rarest of the "pattern farthings" of this type.
Peck, however, rejected Montagu's idea that these were patterns and wrote that it was much more likely that they were official medalets. In support of this view it should be noted that not only was this issue struck on a broader flan than usual, it was produced some four years after the issue of regular farthings had begun. It is perhaps also significant that this issue is unknown in copper and that it's die orientation is 12h (medallic orientation), against the 6h orientation which is the norm for the regular farthing coinage of the period. Incidentally, the silver value of this "farthing" would have been equivalent to one shilling and sixpence, that is 72 times the face value of a farthing at the time.*AlexAug 28, 2018
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1804 GEORGE III AR BANK OF ENGLAND DOLLAR Obverse: GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX. Laureate and draped bust of George III facing right.
Reverse: BANK OF ENGLAND 1804. Britannia, seated left, holding a branch and spear, her left arm resting on a shield which in turn rests on a cornucopia, a beehive is in the background to the left; all within a garter inscribed FIVE SHILLINGS DOLLAR. The garter is surmounted by a castellated "crown" of five circular stone turrets.
Spink 3768; Obverse die A, Reverse die 2
Diameter: 41mm | Weight: 26.7gms | Die Axis: 11
SPINK: 3768
This portrait of George III was designed by Conrad Heinrich Kuchler (c.1740 - 1810), this is marked by C. H. K. in raised letters on the truncation at the king's shoulder. The reverse, which was also designed by Kuchler has the raised initial K in the triangular space between the shield, cornucopia, and Britannia's dress. Kuchler moved to Birmingham in 1795 and designed many of the coins and medals which were struck at Matthew Boulton's SOHO mint.
On this coin there are enough traces of the host coin discernible on the reverse, near the edge between 'BANK' and 'OF', and on the obverse below the bust to make an accurate identification of the undertype possible. It was overstruck on a Spanish Colonial 8 Reales minted at Potosi in Bolivia which bore the date 1806.
Note on George III Bank of England Silver Dollars
Although George III reigned for sixty years from 1760 to 1820, the only crowns issued were in the last three years of his reign, apart from these Bank of England dollars issued as an emergency measure.
There had been a persistent shortage of silver coins throughout most of George's reign, and the Bank of England attempted to alleviate this by counter-marking Spanish colonial 8-Reale pieces (the "pieces of eight" of pirate legend) with a punch bearing the head of George III. When this counter-mark was enthusiastically counterfeited, the bank resorted to counter-stamping the entire coin. Most survivors were struck on Mexican or Peruvian 8-Reale pieces, though a few have been found to be struck on issues from Spain proper. Although these Bank of England dollars are all dated 1804, they were issued every year until 1811, and occasionally the dates of Spanish 8 Reales minted after 1804 can be discerned on them. In 1811, to take account of the increase in the value of silver, the Bank of England dollar coins were revalued at 5s6d and they stayed at this value until they were withdrawn from circulation in 1817, by which time a massive silver re-coinage was being undertaken.*AlexAug 27, 2018
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Louis XV (1715 - 1774), Gilt AE (Brass) Jeton struck c.1726 - 1741Obverse: LUD•XV•D•G•FR•ET•N•REX. Laureate, draped and cuirassed juvenile bust of Louis XV facing left.
Reverse: VIS ANIMI CUM CORPORE CRESCIT. Apollo standing facing, head right, right hand on hip, bow in left hand, his right foot trampling the dragon that he has just defeated. Die flaw obscuring Apollo's face and in the left field of the reverse. Exergue, blank.
Dimensions: 23.78mm | Weight: 4.8gms | Die Axis: 6
Ref. Feuardent: 13230
Struck at Nuremburg, Germany.
Die engraver: Although it is known that Michael Leykauff (Leichkauff or Leikauf)
was mint-master at Nuremburg from 1724 until he retired in 1768 the actual engraver of this jeton (which dates from around 1726 to 1741) is uncertain.
This jeton was issued while Louis was still young. Louis reigned from the age of 5 under the regency of his uncle Philippe, son of Louis XIV's younger brother, also Philippe. The regency ran from 1715 until 1723, the year Louis attained his majority and which was also the year of Philippe's death.
The reverse inscription, which translates as “The strength of the mind grows with the body” is an almost exact quote from Lucretius' work “On the nature of things” which was popular in France at this time. *AlexJul 25, 2018
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Louis XIV (1643 – 1715), AE Jeton struck c.1650Obverse: LVD•XIIII•D•G•FR•ET•NAV•REX. Laureate and draped youthful bust of Louis XIV facing right.
Reverse: IVSTIS•SPES•PACIS•IN ARMIS. Pax, helmeted, seated on a pile of arms, holding an olive branch in her outstretched right hand and a narrow cornucopia in her left.
Dimensions: 27.94mm | Weight: 6.8gms | Die Axis: 12
Ref. Feuardent: 12482 var.
Struck at unverified mint, probably Monnaie de Louvre, Paris, France
Die engraver: Jean Varin
Jean Varin (6 February 1604 Liège – 26 August 1672 Paris) was a French sculptor and engraver who made important innovations in the process of minting coins. He moved to Paris in 1625 or 1626 where, after demonstrating his talent as an engraver, he obtained the support of Cardinal Richelieu and in 1629 he was assigned as a “Conducteur de la Monnaie du Moulin”. In 1647 he was appointed head of the French mint, and became “engraver of the king's seal” and a member of the Academy of painting and sculpture. Varin brought back the use of the screw press in the mint, initially using it to produce a gold coin, the Louis d'or, which featured his youthful portrait of the King which is similar to that on this jeton.
This jeton, likely struck between 1650 and 1653, commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Münster between France and the Holy Roman Empire on 15 May 1648 which ended the Thirty Years War. France, to the detriment of the Holy Roman Empire, retained control of the bishoprics of Metz, Toul and Verdun near Lorraine as well as receiving the city of Pignerol near the Spanish Duchy of Milan and the cities of the Décapole in Alsace, excluding Strasbourg.
*AlexJul 25, 2018
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Struck A.D.283 - 284 under Carinus and Numerian. DIVUS CARUS. Commemorative AE Tetradrachm of AlexandriaObverse: ΘEW KAPW CEB. Laureate head of Carus facing right.
Reverse: AΦIEPOCIC. Eagle standing facing on rod, head right, wings open.
Diameter: 19mm | Weight: 7.96gms | Die Axis: 12
GICV : 4776
This coin is an undated posthumous type bearing the legend AΦIEPOCIC, one of the most interesting features of the Alexandrian coinage of Marcus Aurelius Carus.
Carus died in mysterious circumstances during his Persian campaign against the Sassanids, it was claimed that during a violent dust storm he had been killed by a stroke of lightning. Carus was succeeded by his eldest son Carinus, who had been left in Rome and Numerian, Carinus' younger brother, who had accompanied Carus on the Persian campaign and had been proclaimed emperor by the troops when Carus was killed.*AlexJul 25, 2018
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1999 ELIZABETH II DECIMAL CuNi FIFTY PENCEObverse: ELIZABETH.II.D.G.REG.F.D.1999. Head of Elizabeth II wearing tiara facing right.
Reverse: FIFTY PENCE. Britannia seated facing right, left hand holding laurel branch, right holding trident and resting on shield; recumbent lion behind at her feet; 50 in exergue.
Proof issue struck from polished dies with frosted highlights.
Diameter 27.3mm | Weight 8.0gms
SPINK: 4610 PROOF
This portrait was designed by the sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, it appeared on all UK and Commonwealth coinage from 1998 until it was superseded by a new portrait in 2015. The tiara which the Queen is shown wearing on this coin was given to her as a wedding present by her grandmother, Queen Mary.
This decimal 50 pence was the last British coin to depict the traditional Britannia which had featured on British coinage for more than 300 years, having begun on a farthing under Charles II in 1672. Britannia made her last appearance in 2008 after Gordon Brown personally approved changing the design as one of his last acts as Chancellor of the Exchequer.*AlexJul 19, 2018
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Roman Empire, MAXIMIANUS. Commemorative Follis of Ostia. Struck A.D.310 - 312 under MaxentiusObverse: IMP MAXENTIVS DIVO MAXIMIANO PATRI. Veiled head of Maximianus facing right.
Reverse: AETERNA MEMORIA. Temple with domed roof surmounted by eagle, right door ajar; in exergue, MOSTS.
Weight: 5.2gms
RIC VI : 26
RARE
The temple depicted on the reverse of this coin is in all probability the Temple of Divus Romulus begun by Maxentius around A.D.311 but left unfinished on his death in A.D.312.*AlexJul 19, 2018
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Struck A.D.310 - 312 under Maxentius. DIVUS MAXIMIANUS. Commemorative Follis of OstiaObverse: IMP MAXENTIVS DIVO MAXIMIANO PATRI. Veiled head of Maximianus facing right.
Reverse: AETERNA MEMORIA. Shrine or temple with domed roof surmounted by eagle, right door ajar; in exergue, MOSTS.
Diameter: 24mm | Weight: 5.2gms | Die Axis: 12
RIC VI : 26
RARE
The temple depicted on the reverse of this coin is in all probability the Temple of Divus Romulus begun by Maxentius around A.D.311 but left unfinished on his death in A.D.312. The original bronze doors of the Temple of Divus Romulus still survive and are pictured below. They are set between two porphyry columns that support a reused marble architrave and open into a rotunda fifty Roman feet in diameter covered by a cupola which is accessible from the rear through the Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano. The temple was converted into a vestibule for the church early in the 6th century.
 *AlexJul 19, 2018
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1997 ELIZABETH II DECIMAL CuNi SMALL FIFTY PENCEObverse: ELIZABETH II D.G.REG.F.D.1997. Diademed bust of Elizabeth II facing right.
Reverse: FIFTY PENCE. Britannia seated facing right, left hand holding laurel branch, right holding trident and resting on shield; recumbent lion behind at her feet; 50 in exergue.
Proof issue struck from polished dies with frosted highlights.
Diameter 27.3mm | Weight 8.0gms
SPINK: 4351 PROOF (Small module)
This "Third Portrait" of Elizabeth II was Raphael Maklouf's first coin design and it was used on the coinage from 1985 to 1997 inclusive. Raphael Maklouf was born in Jerusalem in 1937 and came to the United Kingdom after the Second World War. The Royal diadem which the Queen is shown wearing on this coin is the one she wears on her way to and from the State Opening of Parliament.*AlexJul 18, 2018
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1989 ELIZABETH II DECIMAL CuNi LARGE FIFTY PENCEObverse: ELIZABETH II D.G.REG.F.D.1989. Diademed bust of Elizabeth II facing right.
Reverse: FIFTY PENCE. Britannia seated facing right, left hand holding laurel branch, right holding trident and resting on shield; recumbent lion behind at her feet; 50 in exergue.
Proof issue struck from polished dies with frosted highlights.
Diameter 30mm | Weight 13.5gms
SPINK: 4351 PROOF (Large module)
This "Third Portrait" of Elizabeth II was Raphael Maklouf's first coin design and it was used on the coinage from 1985 to 1997 inclusive. Raphael Maklouf was born in Jerusalem in 1937 and came to the United Kingdom after the Second World War. The Royal diadem which the Queen is shown wearing on this coin is the one she wears on her way to and from the State Opening of Parliament.*AlexJul 18, 2018
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1935 GEORGE V "Small head" AE PENNYObverse: GEORGIVS V DEI GRA:BRITT:OMN:REX FID:DEF:IND:IMP: . Bare head of George V facing left.
Reverse: ONE PENNY. Britannia seated facing right, right hand resting on shield, left hand holding trident; 1935 in exergue.
SPINK: 4055
George V's portrait was designed by Bertram Mackennal (1863 - 1931), this is marked by a small "BM" on the King's neck.*AlexJul 17, 2018
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1976 ELIZABETH II DECIMAL CuNi FIFTY PENCEObverse: ELIZABETH.II D.G.REG.F.D.1976. Draped bust of Elizabeth II, wearing tiara, facing right.
Reverse: NEW PENCE. Britannia seated facing right, left hand holding laurel branch, right holding trident and resting on shield; recumbent lion behind at her feet; 50 in exergue.
Proof issue struck from polished dies.
Diameter 30mm | Weight 13.5gms
SPINK: 4223 PROOF
This portrait of Elizabeth II was designed by Arnold Machin (1911 - 1999), although his design was approved in June 1964 it was not used for United Kingdom coinage until 1968, after which his portrait of Elizabeth II was used on all British decimal coins until 1984. The tiara which the Queen is shown wearing on this coin had been given to her as a wedding present from her grandmother, Queen Mary.*AlexJul 17, 2018
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1970 ELIZABETH II AE PENNYObverse: + ELIZABETH.II.DEI.GRATIA.REGINA.F:D:. Laureate bust of Elizabeth II facing right.
Reverse: ONE PENNY. Britannia seated facing right, right hand resting on shield, left hand holding trident, lighthouse in background to left; 1970 in exergue.
SPINK: 4157 PROOF
Elizabeth II's "young head" portrait was designed by Mary Gillick (1881 - 1965), this is marked by a small "MG" below the Queen's bust.
This coin, dated 1970, is a proof issue struck from polished dies, no pennies were issued for general circulation after 1967.*AlexJul 17, 2018
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1967 ELIZABETH II AE PENNYObverse: + ELIZABETH.II.DEI.GRATIA.REGINA.F:D:. Laureate bust of Elizabeth II facing right.
Reverse: ONE PENNY. Britannia seated facing right, right hand resting on shield, left hand holding trident, lighthouse in background to left; 1967 in exergue.
SPINK: 4157
Elizabeth II's "young head" portrait was designed by Mary Gillick (1881 - 1965), this is marked by a small "MG" below the Queen's bust.
This was the last year of issue of the "Britannia" penny (other than a proof version dated 1970) prior to the introduction of decimal coinage in Britain in 1971. It was struck in enormous numbers to satisfy the large, mainly speculative, demand for the coin.*AlexJul 17, 2018
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1953 ELIZABETH II AE PENNYObverse: + ELIZABETH.II.DEI.GRA:BRITT:OMN:REGINA F:D:. Laureate bust of Elizabeth II facing right.
Reverse: ONE PENNY. Britannia seated facing right, right hand resting on shield, left hand holding trident, lighthouse in background to left; 1953 in exergue.
SPINK: 4154
Elizabeth II's "young head" portrait was designed by Mary Gillick (1881 - 1965), this is marked by a small "MG" below the bust.
Demand for pennies was low on the accession of Queen Elizabeth II, so the only pennies issued were in the coin sets made in time for the Coronation. These sets were often broken up, so 1953 pennies could occasionally be found in change. The next year (1954) all the other denominations were re-designed with a revised inscription which omitted BRITT.OMN, but no more pennies were struck for circulation until 1961.*AlexJul 17, 2018
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ROMAN EMPIRE, ANTONINUS PIUS. AR DENARIUS of Rome. Struck A.D.140 - 143Obverse: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P COS III. Laureate head of Antoninus Pius facing right.
Reverse: GENIO SENATVS. Genius of the Senate standing facing left, holding branch and sceptre.
RIC III : 69 *AlexJul 15, 2018
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ROMAN EMPIRE PROVINCIAL, NERO. AR (Billon) Tetradrachm of Alexandria. Struck A.D. 66 - 67Obverse: NERΩ KΛAY KAIΣ ΣEB ΓER AY. Radiate bust of Nero facing left, wearing aegis; before LIΓ = regnal year 13 = A.D.66-67.
Reverse: ΘEOΣ ΣEBAΣTOΣ. Radiate head of Augustus facing right.
Diameter: 24mm | Weight: 12.5gms | Die Axis: 12
GICV : 636 | Emmett : 113*AlexJul 15, 2018
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