Ireland 1601 Base Silver Shilling
Offered is a very scarce Irish ‘base silver’ (.250AR) 1/-, issued under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, KM#9.2, CC#IELSH-015. Both Seaby and Lobel make a point of making painfully clear how crudely these pieces were struck (having been churned out in haste on ‘rocker’ presses), and how prone to corrosion they are owing to the volatile billon mix in which they were produced. Indeed, the issue actually circulated along side Elizabeth’s ‘good silver’ issue (.916AR) as a much needed supplement to pay a large number of troops brought into Ireland to crush local rebellions
This example, although by no means a stunning coin, is actually quite good for the issue, with much of the inscriptions, and the central design coming up quite well. Mint mark ‘star’ just visible under magnification. There are very little signs of corrosion, and even some original remaining lustre - this piece is much better in hand. In all, a fascinating piece of Anglo-Irish numismatic history.
This example ex. Baldwin’s 53, Lot 1282 (2020) - from a collection claimed to have been formed around the turn of the last century.
Offered is a very scarce Irish ‘base silver’ (.250AR) 1/-, issued under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, KM#9.2, CC#IELSH-015. Both Seaby and Lobel make a point of making painfully clear how crudely these pieces were struck (having been churned out in haste on ‘rocker’ presses), and how prone to corrosion they are owing to the volatile billon mix in which they were produced. Indeed, the issue actually circulated along side Elizabeth’s ‘good silver’ issue (.916AR) as a much needed supplement to pay a large number of troops brought into Ireland to crush local rebellions
This example, although by no means a stunning coin, is actually quite good for the issue, with much of the inscriptions, and the central design coming up quite well. Mint mark ‘star’ just visible under magnification. There are very little signs of corrosion, and even some original remaining lustre - this piece is much better in hand. In all, a fascinating piece of Anglo-Irish numismatic history.
This example ex. Baldwin’s 53, Lot 1282 (2020) - from a collection claimed to have been formed around the turn of the last century.
Offered is a very scarce Irish ‘base silver’ (.250AR) 1/-, issued under the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, KM#9.2, CC#IELSH-015. Both Seaby and Lobel make a point of making painfully clear how crudely these pieces were struck (having been churned out in haste on ‘rocker’ presses), and how prone to corrosion they are owing to the volatile billon mix in which they were produced. Indeed, the issue actually circulated along side Elizabeth’s ‘good silver’ issue (.916AR) as a much needed supplement to pay a large number of troops brought into Ireland to crush local rebellions
This example, although by no means a stunning coin, is actually quite good for the issue, with much of the inscriptions, and the central design coming up quite well. Mint mark ‘star’ just visible under magnification. There are very little signs of corrosion, and even some original remaining lustre - this piece is much better in hand. In all, a fascinating piece of Anglo-Irish numismatic history.
This example ex. Baldwin’s 53, Lot 1282 (2020) - from a collection claimed to have been formed around the turn of the last century.