This month’s additions to my collection is a small handfull of British copper coinage, and a single silver coin from the reign of Charles II.
Much of the earlier coins are severely worn, with the most prominent of the copper coins seeing less wear dating from 1901. Much of the coins are copper pennies with various monarchs represented. The earliest date is from the reign of George II, and although one of the coins exhibits a somewhat clear view of his bust on the obverse, much of the reverse showing Britannia is severely worn making it very difficult to date.
The small group of three coins in the bottome centre of the pictures however are the most interesting. Shown here is an Irish half-penny, the exact same design as the penny shown in my collection update of last month. It unfortunately shows the same amount of wear as it’s counterpart, although the bust of George III is more defined.
The silver coin is from the reign of Charles II, and I got it as part of this group in a bulk purchase. It hasn’t weathered the years well, as it is slightly bent, with a hole punched through it. It dates from 1679, 19 years after the restoration of the monarchy in the UK. Charles’ father, Charles I was executed (and the only English monarch to have been so) by parliament after losing the Civil War to forces led by Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell ruled the country in the role as Lord Protector until his death. This is the only time when England has not been a monarchy, but a Commonwealth.
When Cromwell died in 1659, his son Richard was not well liked by the newly formed army, and was seen in general as a man incapable of continuing his father’s policies. After a small coup enacted by the army, a new parliament was installed. After much deliberation and politicking, Charles II issued the Declaration of Breda which acknowledged his acceptance of the conditions proposed to him on accepting the English crown. The monarchy was restored in May 1660, and Charles II was crowned in April of the following year.
Finally, the only other coin of note is the modern 2p coin. It is significant because it dates from 1971, the year that the UK decimalised it’s currency, ending the old system of pounds, shillings, and pence. A system which is often ascribed to being the longest running monetary system globally, dating back to the Roman occupation of the British Isles. This 2p coin however, is also of note, as instead of showing the later inscription of the value in letters above the number on the reverse, it instead uses the phrase ‘New Pence’. A feature on the coin until 1982. Also of note, there was a mistake in the minting of 2p coins in 1983, and some bearing the old legend of New Pence has become somewhat rare. So remember to check your change, you may have a nice night out in the form of a copper coin!
Numismatic Exploits 