English Coinage of the Stuarts Post-Commonwealth

[Deeman]

Sixpence

The sixpence was 21mm diameter. Struck 1686-88.

The obverse depicts a laureate and draped bust of the king left with a circumscription, divided by the head, of 'James II, by the Grace of God'. The reverse depicts the crowned cruciform arrangement of the Arms of England, Scotland, France and Ireland around the star of the Garter, date flanking crown above English shield, with a circumscription, divided by crowns and continuing the king's titles, translating to 'Great Britain, France and Ireland, King'.




1686 dated silver sixpence.
Obverse inscription is IACOBVS II / DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG / BR FRA / ET HIB / REX, pellet stops, early shields (indented).




1688 dated silver sixpence.
Obverse inscription is IACOBVS II / DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG / BR FRA / ET HIB / REX, pellet stops, late shields (pointed).

[Deeman]

Small silver issues

The denominations of fourpence, threepence, twopence and penny were struck for currency as well as for Maundy money. Fourpence 19-20mm dia; threepence 17mm dia; twopence 14mm dia; penny 12mm dia. Threepences and pennies struck 1685-88, fourpences and twopences struck 1686-88.

The obverse depicts a laureate bust of the king left with a circumscription, divided by the head, of 'James II, by the Grace of God'. The reverse depicts a crowned mark of value in Roman numerals, date divided by the crown, with a circumscription continuing the king's titles, translating to 'Great Britain, France and Ireland, King'.



1686 dated Maundy and currency set.
Obverse inscription is IACOBVS II / DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG / BR FRA / ET HIB / REX, pellet stops.

[Deeman]

Tin Coinage 1684-87

James II started the production of a tin halfpenny in 1685 and continued production through 1687. During his reign the warrant to mint tin coins was renewed by Duncombe, Hoare and Neale on 11 Mar 1686. Both tin halfpenny and farthings were coined with a central copper plug and edge lettering as anti-counterfeiting measures. They are dated on the edge along with an inscription which translates to 'Servant of the coinage'. The lettered edge was applied before striking. The king's profile faces opposite to the gold and silver issues.


Halfpenny

The tin halfpenny was 28-29mm diameter and struck in 1685-87.

The obverse depicts a short-haired laureate and draped bust facing right with a circumscription, divided by the head, of 'James the Second'. The reverse depicts Britannia facing left seated on a globe with ornamented shield behind, clothed in clinging drapery, right hand extended out holding an olive branch, left hand holding spear, left leg extended, circumscribed by BRITANNIA divided by the design, plain exergue.



1685-87 edge-dated tin halfpenny.
Obverse inscription is IACOBVS / SECVNDVS.
Reverse inscription is BRITAN / NIA, pellet stop.
Edge inscription is NVMMORVM FAMVLVS [date].

[Deeman]

Farthing

The tin farthing was 23-24mm diameter and struck in 1684-87. The 1684 version was struck in error using a Charles II edge.

The obverse depicts a short-haired laureate, either cuirassed or draped bust facing right with a circumscription, divided by the head, of 'James the Second'. The reverse depicts Britannia facing left seated on a globe with ornamented shield behind, clothed in clinging drapery, right hand extended out holding an olive branch, left hand holding spear, right leg extended, circumscribed by BRITANNIA divided by the design, plain exergue.




1684-87 edge-dated tin farthing.
Obverse inscription is IACOBVS / SECVNDVS, cuirassed bust.
Reverse inscription is BRITAN / NIA, pellet stop.
Edge inscription is NVMMORVM FAMVLVS [date].




1687 edge-dated tin farthing.
Obverse inscription is IACOBVS / SECVNDVS, draped bust.
Reverse inscription is BRITAN / NIA, pellet stop.
Edge inscription is NVMMORVM FAMVLVS 1687.

[Deeman]

Gun Money Overstrike

James II, having been deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 by William of Orange, set about building an army in Catholic Ireland with the aim of invading England and regaining his throne by force. James was faced with many problems in Ireland with one of the most serious being the financial situation. A scheme of raising the value of circulating gold and silver had failed to relieve the necessities of the king. With little gold and silver available, James lacked the money to pay his army, so he ordered the minting of copper and brass coinage by proclamation of 18 Jun 1689, which saw the introduction of new 'gun money' sixpences. A further proclamation of 27 Jun announced the addition of halfcrowns and shillings. The coins were considered as tokens and bore the date in months to allow for an orderly redemption for silver should the Jacobite forces be victorious.

The obverse of gun money depicts the laureate bust of James facing left with the reverse depicting a crown and sceptres dividing the initials 'IR', value and date above the crown, month below crown.




Extremely rare overstrike of a Jan 1689 gun money sixpence almost obliterating a 1686 half-guinea.




Actual copper gun money sixpence dated Jan 1689.

[Deeman]

Brockage

The term brockage refers to a type of error coin in which one side of the coin has the normal design and the other side has a mirror image of the same design impressed upon it.



1686-88 Maundy set, obverse brockage. Twopence with an inverted 'V' for 'A' in IACOBVS.

[Deeman]

William III & Mary II

With James VII/II having fled to France in Dec 1688, William called a Convention Parliament in England, which on 22 Jan 1688/9 declared that by attempting to flee his country, James had abdicated the throne, leaving it vacant. Instead of the crown passing to James' young Catholic son, it was decided it should go to his Protestant daughter, Mary II, to rule jointly with her husband who would become William III (William II in Scotland).

Parliament passed the Bill of Rights in 1689 which prevented Catholics for succeeding to the throne ensuring that Mary's sister Anne would become the next queen and, after the autocratic rules of Charles II and his brother James II, limited the powers of monarchs so that they could neither pass laws nor levy taxes without parliamentary consent. The royal court was abolished, and the proper court was forbidden from imposing cruel punishments or excessive bail. Freedom of speech was to be upheld, and the sovereign was banned from having anything to do with elections or from maintaining an army. Finally, Parliament put an end to the monarchy's use of England's treasury as a personal piggy bank and tightened control over the sovereign's expenditure.

The Bill of Rights inspired the English colonists in the Thirteen Colonies that would later become part of the USA, to revolt against James II and his stance on colonial government. Revolts occurred in New York, Massachusetts and Maryland in 1689.

Whilst the Convention Parliament in England declared that James, as King of England, had abdicated the Government, the Scots found themselves facing a more difficult constitutional problem. As James had not been present in Scotland during the crisis and had not fled from Scottish territory in December, it would be highly dubious to claim that he had abdicated the Scottish throne. The 1689 Convention of Estates (comprising the three estates of bishops, barons and representatives of the Burghs) sat to determine the settlement of the Scottish throne, following the deposition of James VII in the 1688 Glorious Revolution. The throne was offered to Mary and to William who was granted regal power on the basis he held the throne de facto, by right of conquest. On 11 Apr 1689, the Convention ended James' reign and adopted the Articles of Grievances and Claim of Right Act, making Parliament the primary legislative power in Scotland. On 11 May 1689, William and Mary accepted the Scottish throne and the Convention became a full Parliament on 5 Jun.

The enthronement of William and Mary marked the birth of the Jacobite cause among those who claimed that James and his descendants were the rightful Kings of England, Scotland and Ireland. The first Jacobite uprising in Scotland, under the leadership of Viscount Dundee, began almost immediately, on 27 Jul 1689.

Jacobitism also had repercussions in Ireland, where James landed with a French army in Mar 1690, taking advantage of the fact that the Irish Parliament still considered him to be King. On 1 Jul 1690, James was defeated by forces under the command of William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne. William's victory ensured the Protestant faith kept its hold in Britain and his war with France, although costly and beneficial to his native Netherlands, did put a stop to Catholic Louis XIV's ambitions to expand his territory.

The joint regnal reign necessitated a new Coat of Arms. They impaled their arms onto the former Arms and, with the resultant added detail, it would have been very difficult to strike a clear representation on coinage, so a compromise solution placed an inescutcheon of the Lion of Orange-Nassau (the royal house to which William belonged) centrally on the shield. Following the death of Mary, no further amendment was required.

William and Mary's decision to relocate to Hampton Court from Whitehall didn't please members of the government, who felt they were inaccessible and official business would be difficult to get done. So, they also acquired the Earl of Nottingham's house in Kensington, then west of London, to transform it from a mansion into a palace.

Within weeks the architect Sir Christopher Wren was set to transform the house into a suitable royal residence. The new palace was furnished with a chapel, accommodation for courtiers, kitchens, stables, barracks, but above all, a series of state apartments where the king and queen could hold audiences and ceremonies of state.

[Deeman]

William & Mary Coinage

The coinage comprised gold five guineas, two guineas, guinea and half-guinea; silver crown, halfcrown, shilling, sixpence and Maundy style fourpence, threepence, twopence and penny; copper and tin halfpenny and farthing.

With William and Mary taking to the throne as a package deal, the designs that were struck onto coins had to change. Not wanting to stray from the old Greek and Roman coinage style, it was decided that they'd both be represented on their coins, with William's bust in front and Mary's behind, both of their profiles clearly displayed.
 
There was practically only one type of each gold and silver denomination with the exception of the halfcrown, the reverse of which has two types, the change taking place in 1691. The reverse types of the coins differ generally somewhat from those of the previous reigns, and a change took place, not only in the arrangement of the arms on the shield, France and England being quarterly, but also in the addition of the Lion of Orange-Nassau as an inescutcheon. This alteration in the position of the French and English arms did not occur till the latter part of 1689, as the first halfcrowns of that year have the English arms in the first quarter and the French in the fourth.

The weight and fineness of the gold and silver money were the same as the standards set in 1670. The five and two guinea coins of the new monarchs were highly decorated and guinea and half guinea coins slightly less so than the previous reign. The halfcrowns, on the other hand, became quite plain. Their silver crowns bore both of their initials, W and M, intertwined within the angles of the shields. The crown design was adopted for the halfcrown in 1691 and also used for the shillings and sixpences which appeared in 1692 and 1693 respectively.

The five guineas, guinea and half-guinea gold denominations exist with or without an elephant and castle, and elephant only, provenance marks. The two guineas coin exists with or without an elephant and castle mark.

The small silver Maundy style denominations have their value mark in Arabic numerals.

Under William and Mary, production of tin farthings continued with James II's reverse designs and continues with both draped and cuirassed bust types. At first, the halfpennies, as previously, carried the date on their edge only. The farthings now carried the date both on the edge and in the exergue and, from 1691, this was adopted for the halfpennies also.

After 1692, the production of tin halfpennies and farthings ceased because of public resentment. Tin coins easily corroded, probably because of impurities, and their low intrinsic value meant that they could be easily counterfeited. In 1694, copper farthings and halfpennies were once again produced. With the resumption of copper and the cessation of tin coinage, the edges reverted to plain instead of inscribed.

The tin and copper coins, unlike those of Charles II and James II, now had their portraits facing to the right, the same way as all the precious metal coins for the monarchs. This arrangement has since continued.

Format

William and Mary are presented in sections as follows:

Gold coinage 1689-94.
Silver coinage 1689-94.
Tin coinage 1689-92.
Copper coinage 1694.
Patterns.
Small silver brockage.

[Deeman]

Gold Coinage 1689-94

Five guineas

The five-guinea coin was 0.916 fine (22ct), 37mm diameter, current for £5, but all gold coins were treated as bullion and the intrinsic value changed according to the price of gold. Struck 1691-94.

The obverse depicts laureate and draped busts right with a circumscription of 'William and Mary, by the Grace of God'. The reverse depicts a crowned garnished square-topped shield of the Royal Arms (including an inescutcheon of the Lion of Orange-Nassau), scallop at sides, date divided by crown, with a circumscription, divided by the garniture, continuing the monarch's titles, translating to 'Great Britain, France and Ireland, King and Queen'.




1691 dated gold five guineas.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops, elephant and castle below.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB / REX ET REGINA, pellet stops.
Edge inscription is DECVS ET TVTAMEN (An Ornament and a Safeguard) then ANNO REGNI TERTIO (3rd regnal year).




1694 dated gold five guineas.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB / REX ET REGINA, pellet stops.
Edge inscription is DECVS ET TVTAMEN (An Ornament and a Safeguard) then ANNO REGNI SEXTO (6th regnal year).

[Deeman]

Two guineas

The two-guinea coin was 0.916 fine (22ct), 31-32mm diameter, current for £2. Struck 1691, 93 and 94.

The obverse depicts laureate busts right with a circumscription of 'William and Mary, by the Grace of God'. The reverse depicts a crowned garnished square-topped shield of the Royal Arms (including an inescutcheon of the Lion of Orange-Nassau), scallop at sides, date divided by crown, with a circumscription, divided by the garniture, continuing the monarch's titles, translating to 'Great Britain, France and Ireland, King and Queen'.




1693 dated gold two guineas.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB / REX ET REGINA, pellet stops.




1694/3 dated gold two guineas.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops, elephant and castle below.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB / REX ET REGINA, pellet stops.

[Deeman]

Guinea

The guinea coin was 0.916 fine (22ct), 25mm diameter, current for 20/-. Struck 1689-94.

The obverse depicts laureate conjoined busts right with a circumscription of 'William and Mary, by the Grace of God'. The reverse depicts a crowned of the Royal Arms (including an inescutcheon of the Lion of Orange-Nassau), date divided by crown, with a circumscription continuing the monarch's titles, translating to 'Great Britain, France and Ireland, King and Queen'.




1689 dated gold guinea.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops, elephant and castle below.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA, pellet stops.




1691 dated gold guinea.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA, pellet stops.




1692 dated gold guinea.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops, elephant below.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA, pellet stops.

[Deeman]

Half-guinea

The half-guinea coin was 0.916 fine (22ct), 20mm diameter, current for 10/-. Struck 1689-94.

The obverse depicts laureate conjoined busts right with a circumscription of 'William and Mary, by the Grace of God'. The reverse depicts a crowned of the Royal Arms (including an inescutcheon of the Lion of Orange-Nassau), date divided by crown, with a circumscription continuing the monarch's titles, translating to 'Great Britain, France and Ireland, King and Queen'.




1689 dated gold half-guinea, first busts.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA, pellet stops, first shield.




1692 dated gold half-guinea, second busts.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA, pellet stops, second shield.




1692 dated gold half-guinea, second busts.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops, elephant and castle below.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA, pellet stops, second shield.

There is also a 1692 half-guinea with an elephant only below the busts.

[Deeman]

Silver Coinage 1689-94

Crown

The crown was 39mm diameter, current for 5/-. Struck 1691-92.

The obverse depicts laureate and draped conjoined busts right with a circumscription of 'William and Mary, by the Grace of God'. The reverse depicts the crowned cruciform arrangement of the Arms of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, central Lion of Orange-Nassau surrounded by small billets and encased in a frame of four wavy cords, 'WM' monogram in angles, date as a separate numeral below each monogram, with a circumscription, divided by crowns and continuing the monarch's titles, translating to 'Great Britain, France and Ireland, King and Queen'.



1691 dated silver crown, conjoined busts.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR / FR ET HI / REX ET / REGINA, pellet stops, pointed shields.
Edge inscription is DECVS ET TVTAMEN (An Ornament and a Safeguard) then ANNO REGNI TERTIO (3rd regnal year).

[Deeman]

Halfcrown

The halfcrown was 33mm diameter, current for 2/6. Struck 1689-90 first busts and 1691-93 second busts.

The obverse depicts laureate and draped busts right with a circumscription of 'William and Mary, by the Grace of God'. The reverse for the first conjoined busts depicts either a crowned square-topped regal shield of country arms in individual quarters with an inescutcheon of the Lion of Orange-Nassau or a crowned square-topped shield of the Royal Arms, date divided by crown. The reverse for the second conjoined busts depicts the crowned cruciform arrangement of the Arms of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, central Lion of Orange-Nassau surrounded by small billets and encased in a frame of four wavy cords, 'WM' monogram in angles, date as a separate numeral below each monogram. All reverse designs have a circumscription continuing the monarch's titles, translating to 'Great Britain, France and Ireland, King and Queen'.

The crown on the first busts coins can have frosting or no frosting on the caul or interior, and the head band can be with or without pearls.




1689 dated silver halfcrown, first busts.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA, pellet stops, regal shield, no frosting, pearls.
Edge inscription is DECVS ET TVTAMEN (An Ornament and a Safeguard) then ANNO REGNI PRIMO (1st regnal year).




1689 dated silver halfcrown, first busts.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA, pellet stops, Royal Arms, caul only frosted, pearls.
Edge inscription is DECVS ET TVTAMEN (An Ornament and a Safeguard) then ANNO REGNI PRIMO (1st regnal year).




1693 dated silver halfcrown, second busts.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR / FR ET HI / REX ET / REGINA, pellet stops, pointed shields.
Edge inscription is DECVS ET TVTAMEN (An Ornament and a Safeguard) then ANNO REGNI QVINTO (5th regnal year).

[Deeman]

Shilling

The shilling was 25mm diameter. Struck 1692-93.

The obverse depicts laureate and draped conjoined busts right with a circumscription of 'William and Mary, by the Grace of God'. The reverse depicts the crowned cruciform arrangement of the Arms of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, central Lion of Orange-Nassau surrounded by small billets and encased in a frame of four wavy cords, 'WM' monogram in angles, date as a separate numeral below each monogram, with a circumscription, divided by crowns and continuing the monarch's titles, translating to 'Great Britain, France and Ireland, King and Queen'.



1692 dated silver shilling, conjoined busts.
Obverse inscription is GVLIELMVS ET MARIA DEI GRATIA, pellet stops.
Reverse inscription is MAG BR / FR ET HI / REX ET / REGINA, pellet stops, indented shields.