LOT 3425

England. Stuart, Charles I AR Halfcrown. 1625-1649.

'Garter' mint, possibly Hereford; i.m: small lis. Dated 1645. Third horseman. Design possibly by Rude the Coyner. ⚜ CAROLVS • D : G : MAG : BRIT : FRA : ET HI : REX •, King wearing cloak flying from shoulder on horseback to left; holding sword upright with his right hand; grassy ground below / CHRISTO AVSPICE. REGNO, oval shield within Garter inscribed HONI • SOIT • QUI MAL • Y • PENSE, with lion to left and unicorn to right breaking legend; crown above dividing crowned C R, date below. KM 329.5; JGB 1180 (same dies); North 2359 (formerly attributed to Coombe Martin); SCBC 2915 (this coin). Very Fine. Excessively rare. Pleasant pale gilt toning. The Finest Example Known.(14.86gr, 35mm, 3h.).

From S. R. Naish, UK, collection.
Ex Seaby's Coin & Medal Bulletin, November 1945, no. N207.
From H. M. Lingford collection, UK, acquired en bloc by Baldwin, 1951.
(The Lingford ticket states that this coin is also from the R D Wills collection, lot 528 etc., but the Wills' piece is a different coin).
From Gordon Stanley Hopkins collection.
Ex Baldwin's Auctions Ltd, Auction 30, 7 May 2002, lot 272.
From Colin Adams collection, UK.
Ex Spink, Auction 5033, 1 December 2005, lot 163.
Ex Bonhams, New York, 12 December 2012, no.1019 (hammer $40,800.00).
Ex Simon Willis Coins, Market Harborough, UK, 2015-2020 (hammer £28,750.00), dealer's ticket included.

See Hammond, Brett, 'Was This Rare Coin Another Civil War Siege Souvenir?'

In 1645, Hereford was besieged by a Scottish Covenanter army, allied with the Parliamentarians. The siege lasted a month, but was abandoned by the Covenanters due to the approach of Royalist reinforcements. However, in December of that year, Colonel John Birch led a surprise attack on the city, taking it over for the Parliamentarians.

From Spink's note: 'The striking design of this remarkable coin has no parallel in the provincial coinage, indeed the use of lion and unicorn supporters is previously unknown on the English coinage. Lion and dragon supporters are found, but only on some gold sovereigns and half-sovereigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI.
It was first noticed in print by Ashmole, in his Institution of the Garter (1672, p.207), and he adds the comment, from contemporary knowledge, that they were 'stamped in the West of England'. Despite the slightly base appearance, these coins were evidently produced by a regular mint and it has been suggested that this may have been Hereford, SCBI 33, p.xlv. On 16 September 1645 the arms of Hereford were augmented and furnished with supporters and the motto Invictae fidelitatis praemium in reference to the heroic siege. Hereford was finally taken by Parliamentary forces on 18 December 1645.'

A metal analyzer test indicates a silver fineness of approximately 90%, only marginally less fine than sterling. The coin also contains 1.6% gold which could well be explained by the inclusion of silver-gilt items used in forming flans for coining.