In Baldwins coming sale at the end of the month there is an exquisite and very rare Half Unite (Ten Shillings) of Charles I dated 1643 and struck at Oxford. It is ‘slabbed’ by NGC and although given the grade of only Almost Uncirculated 58 it is the second-best example that they have ever handled! (although comparing it with the 58+, this example is more strongly struck on a larger flan and has considerably more eye appeal!). It is expected to hammer at around £20,000.
In 1642, after the Royalist defeat at Edgehill, Charles gave up London and retreated to the Royalist stronghold of Western England, setting up Oxford seat of government. The king lived at Christ Church, making this his court and the queen at Merton College. Losing the Royal Mint in London he had nowhere to strike coins - which was so important for paying his troops and more so in securing their loyalty! A mint was set up in New Inn Hall, recently vacated by Puritan students (which is now the site of St. Peter’s College) and was overseen by Thomas Bushell and Sir William Pankhurst, former Wardens of the Shrewsbury and Tower Mints. Much silver and a small amount of gold was received from the Oxford colleges and elsewhere in late 1642, with Charles offering 8% interest on these so-called ‘loans’. Twelve Colleges complied, with amounts ranging from 41 lb. from Balliol to 296 lb. from Magdalen. This makeshift mint was a hugely successful enterprise and managed to cover Charles’s need of coinage for his war effort. However, it would appear that the issue of gold coins ceased with the great fire of Oxford as reported in a local newspaper of 6th October 1644.
This coin, struck in 1643, shows a beautiful, crowned bust of Charles with long flowing hair, wearing a lace collar in true ‘Cavalier’ style and mark of denomination behind. The reverse displays Charles’s declaration that he made at Wellington in Shropshire a year earlier – to uphold the Protestant religion, the laws of England and the freedom of Parliament. The Latin legend around the edge is from Psalm 68, “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered”.
A great deal of silver coins was issued from this mint – but very few gold, owing to the fact that it was mostly silver that Charles was donated. Also, these ‘Declaration’ Half Unites (Ten Shillings) are much rarer than the Full Unite (Twenty Shillings) and this is an opportunity to buy one of the best specimens in existence of a very rare coin - and a coin with an Oxford connection!
