CHARLES II. (1660 to 1685.)
Denominations.—Silver. First issue, Half-crown, Shilling, Sixpence, Half-groat, Penny. Second, same. Third, Half-crown, Shilling, Sixpence, Fourpence or Groat, Threepence, Half-groat, Penny. Fourth, Crown, Half-crown, Shilling, Sixpence. Gold. Broad or Twenty-shilling-piece, Half-broad or Ten-shilling-piece, Quarter-broad or Five-shilling-piece. Five-Guinea-piece, Two-guinea-piece, Guinea, Half-guinea. Copper. Halfpenny and Farthing. Tin. Farthing.
Obverse.—Type. Sinister laureated bust profile, crowned, loose drapery, hair long and flowing.
Legend. CAROLVS. II. D.G. (or DEI. GRA. or GRATIA). MAG. BRI. FRA. ET HIB. REX, or otherwise abbreviated. Reverse.—Type. The first three issues of coins bore a plain shield of arms, quarterly, 1 and 4 France and England quarterly, 2 Scotland, 3 Ireland, over a cross fleury. Those of the fourth and last issue bear four shields, with the bottoms joined, forming a cross; the shields being England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, each crowned; in the centre, within a star, St. George’s cross. Between the shields, in the four compartments, are two Cs interlinked. One Shilling has one shield of France and England, quarterly, two shields of Scotland, and one of Ireland, not crowned; between the shields are the interlinked Cs crowned. The Fourpence has a monogram of four Cs interlinked, in form of a cross, crowned; and in the compartments are severally a rose, a thistle, a fleur-de-lis, and a harp. The Threepence has three Cs interlinked; the Twopence two Cs interlinked; and the Penny a single C, all crowned; these denote the value; others have numerals crowned.
Legend. MAG. BR. FRA. ET HIB. REX., or otherwise abbreviated, and date. CHRISTO AVSPICE REGNO.
Edge. DECVS ET TVTAMEN ANNO XV or VICESIMO, or other year of reign.
Gold. Same type, sceptres between shields. Obverse: Bust, laureated and draped, with long hair. Reverse: First issue, arms, etc., as on silver; later issue, Five-guinea, Guinea, etc., four shields arranged as a cross, and each crowned; in the centre four Cs interlinked, from which issue four sceptres, terminating respectively in orb and cross, thistle, fleur-de-lis, and harp. Legend on reverses, FLORENT CONCORDIA REGNA, or titles. Edge, DECVS ET TVTAMEN, and year of reign as on the silver.
Copper. Halfpence and Farthings, sinister bust profile, laureated, in armour. English, CAROLVS A CAROLO. Scotch, CAR. II. D. G. SCO. AN. FR. ET HIB. R. Irish, CAROLVS II DEI GRATIA. Reverse, English, figure of Britannia, which now first appears; Irish, a harp crowned, date on field; Scotch, a thistle crowned. English, BRITANNIA, date in exergue; Irish, MAG. BR. FRA. ET. HIB. REX.; Scotch, NEMO ME IMPVNE LACESSET. and date; all common. Farthing with Britannia particularly so.
Tin or Pewter. Halfpence and Farthings, some with a plug of copper in the centre. On the edge, NVMMORVM FAMVLVS and date.
Siege pieces of Charles II., CAROLVS SECVNDVS, or CAROL. II. D.G. MAG. B. F. ET H. REX.; and on the reverse, C. R. under a crown; DVM SPIRO SPERO, or POST MORTEM PATRIS PRO FILIO were struck at Pontefract.
I may here mention a most splendid specimen of the die-sinker’s art, produced by Simon, the celebrated die-sinker, as a trial piece against an artist who was employed by Charles. The obverse has a bust of the king of most exquisite workmanship, and round the edge of the coin, in place of DECVS., etc., was this simple petition in two lines: “THOMAS. SIMON. most humbly prays your MAJESTY to compare this, his tryal piece, with the Dutch, and, if more truly drawn, and embossed, more gracefully ordered, and more accurately engraven, to relieve him.” At Trattle’s sale, in 1832, a very fine specimen sold for £225. It is said that only twenty copies were struck with the petition on the edge, and a few others with a different edge, REDDITE QVAE CAESARES CAESARI & POST; and one is recorded to be known bearing, RENDER TO CÆSAR THE THINGS WHICH ARE CÆSAR’S.
