Reverse..—Type. Crown, etc., royal arms, quarterly, 1 and 4, France and England quarterly; 2, Scotland; 3, Ireland. The shield of the Crown and Half-crown mantled, the others plain; Twopence, on some the same arms, on others a thistle, crowned. The Penny, with I. R. has a portcullis crowned; the others, a thistle; others have the arms. Halfpenny, cross moline with three pellets in each quarter; or a thistle.
Legend. Crown, Shilling, etc., EXVRGAT DEVS. DISSIPENTVR INIMICI; or QUÆ DEVS CONIVNXIT NEMO SEPARET. Half-groat, Penny, TVETVR VNITA DEVS. Penny same as Half-groat; other pennies and halfpennies without legend. Rarity. All common, except Half-crown.
Gold. Thirty-shilling, Unit, and other pieces, king enthroned, in full regalia, his feet upon a portcullis, the field diapered; or half-length or shorter portrait of king in armour, crowned, sceptre in right and orb in left hand: reverse, shield of arms. Rose-rial, king enthroned as before; reverse, a large double rose with shield of arms. Spur-rial, king in armour, standing in a ship with sword and shield; or, the Scottish lion, sejant, crowned, holding a sceptre in his right paw and supporting with his left a shield of the royal arms; reverse, within a tressure a Spur-rowel, or star of 16 points centred with a rose, four points terminated with lions, and four with fleurs-de-lis. Angel, etc., usual type. Thistle crown, a double rose on its stem, crowned, between the initials I. R.; reverse, a thistle crowned in like manner. Some of the legends or reverses are EXVRGAT DEVS DISSIPENTVR INIMICI; TVEATVR VNITA DEVS; FACIAM EOS IN GENTEM VNAM; HENRICVS ROSAS, REGNA IACOBVS; A DNO. FACTVM EST ISTVD ET EST MIRAB. IN OCVLIS NRIS; A DNO. FACTVM EST ISTVD, etc.
Copper. Farthing, crown and two sceptres in saltire, IACO. D. G. BRIT. Reverse, Irish harp, crowned, FRA. ET. HIB. REX. For Scotland a brass Twopence, called “Hardhead” was struck: obverse three thistles on one stem, IACOBVS D. G. MAG BRIT; reverse, lion rampant, FRAN and HIB REX.
CHARLES I. (1625 to 1649).
Denominations.—Silver. Twenty-shilling-piece or Pound, Ten-shilling-piece or Half-pound, Crown, Half-crown, Shilling, Sixpence, Groat, Threepence, Half-groat, Penny, and Halfpenny.
Gold. Tower Mint. Unit, Broad, or Twenty-shilling-piece; Double-crown or Half-broad or Ten-shilling-piece; crown, Britain-crown, or Five-shilling-piece, Angel. Oxford Mint, Treble-Unit, or Three-Pound-piece; Unit or Twenty-shilling-piece; Half-unit, Double-crown, or Ten-shilling-piece. Briot’s Mint. Unit, Double-crown, or Half Unit, Angel.
Obverse.—Type. Twenty-shilling and Ten-shilling-piece, king on horseback with or without artillery, armour, arms, etc., under horse’s feet. Crowns and Half-crowns, king in armour on horseback, but with very many variations in detail. One description is as much as our limits will allow. The Oxford Crown, the rarest in the series, has the king on horseback, in armour, to the left, crowned, double-arched crown, drawn sword in his right hand, a sash round his neck, coming under his left arm, the ends flying behind; the horse not caparisoned, having only a saddle cloth. On the field of the coin, beneath the horse, is a view of the city of Oxford, with the word OXON above it. This coin is beautifully executed. Shilling, Half-shilling, Quarter-shilling, Groat, Half-groat, and Penny, sinister bust profile, in robes, crowned, hair long and flowing, beard long. Some Groats and Half-groats have a rose crowned as also have Pennies. Halfpenny, a rose, no legend, or a rose crowned between C. R. The variations in the coins, consequent on the number of mints set up—London, Exeter, Aberystwith, Oxford, Bristol, Chester, Worcester, Weymouth, York, and other places—is very great; the differences being more or less important both as to mint marks and other features.
Legend. C. CAR. or CAROLVS. D. G. MAGNA BRITAN. FRAN. ET HIBER. REX, variously abbreviated. Oxford Crown, CAROLVS. D. G. MAG. BRIT. FRAN. ET. HIBER. REX.
Reverse.—Type. Generally the royal shield. The Oxford Crown and some other coins have no device, except an ornament to divide the legends; and the Prince of Wales’ feathers three times repeated, or single, above. On some, the shield (which is as James I.’s) is oval, and mantled, sometimes crowned; others have shields, the quarterings terminating in a cross moline, etc. The smaller coins have sometimes a rose crowned, sceptres, or sceptre and trident in saltire, etc., or the declaration EXVRGAT, etc., in lines across. One Half-groat has two Cs interlinked, crowned.