Description: IRELAND JAMES II 1690 GUNMONEY CROWN - OVERSTRUCK ON LARGE SIZE GUNMONEY HALFCROWN. KING ON HORSEBACK l., REV. FOUR CROWNED SHIELDS IN THE FORM OF A CROSS, CROWN AT CENTRE, DATE IN ANGLES FINE WITH EVIDENCE OF UNDERLYING COIN SHOWING ON THE REVERSE 33MM IN DIAMETER PLEASE VIEW ALL PHOTOS FOR CONDITION DESCRIPTION AND MARKINGS. THIS COIN IS TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF A GUN MONEY CROWN (OR 5 SHILLING PIECE) ISSUED ABOUT MAY - JULY 1690 IN DUBLIN AND POSSIBLY UNTIL AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER 1690 IN LIMERICK . UNLIKE OTHER 'GUNMONEY' DENOMINATIONS THE CROWN WAS NOT DATED BY MONTH. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF VARIETIES OF GUNMONEY CROWNS WITH VARIATIONS IN THE DIVISION OF THE REVERSE LEGEND AND A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT 'HORSEMEN' ON THE OBVERSE. TWO PIECES ONE WITH THE SWORD POINTING TO THE 'E' OF REX AND ANOTHER WITH A 'CHUBBY' HORSEMAN ARE ACTIVELY COLLECTED AS SCARCE VARIETIES. GUNMONEY CROWN PROOFS OR TRIALS OCCUR IN A VARIETY OF METALS INCLUDING GOLD, SILVER AND TIN. THE PROOFS ARE ALL RARE . THE DESIGN OF THE GUNMONEY CROWN IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE DESIGN USED IN THE EARLIER (APRIL 1690) WHITE METAL ISSUE. HOWEVER THE EARLIER ISSUE IS MADE FROM MUCH BETTER QUALITY DIES AND OFTEN HAS TWO COPPER OR BRASS PLUGS IN THE FLAN. THESE PIECES ALSO OCCUR IN PRECIOUS METAL PROOFS AND ARE ALL RARE. GUN MONEY WAS AN ISSUE OF COINS MADE BY THE FORCES OFJAMES ii DURING THEWILLIAMITE WAR IN IRELANDBETWEEN 1689 AND 1691. THEY WERE MINTED INBASE METAL(COPPER, BRASS OR PEWTER), AND WERE DESIGNED TO BE REDEEMED FOR SILVER COINS FOLLOWING A VICTORY BY JAMES II AND CONSEQUENTLY BORE THE DATE IN MONTHS TO ALLOW A GRADUAL REPLACEMENT. AS JAMES LOST THE WAR, THAT REPLACEMENT NEVER TOOK PLACE, ALTHOUGH THE COINS WERE ALLOWED TO CIRCULATE AT MUCH REDUCED VALUES BEFORE THE COPPER COINAGE WAS RESUMED. THEY WERE MOSTLY WITHDRAWN FROM CIRCULATION IN THE EARLY 18th CENTURY. THE NAME "GUN MONEY" STEMS FROM THE IDEA THAT THEY WERE MINTED FROM MELTED DOWN GUNS. HOWEVER, MANY OTHER BRASS OBJECTS, SUCH AS CHURCH BELLS, WERE ALSO USED. THERE WERE TWO ISSUES. THE FIRST "LARGE" ISSUE CONSISTED OF SIXPENCES,SHILLINGS AND HALF CROWNS (2 SHILLINGS). THE SECOND, "SMALL" ISSUE CONSISTED OF SHILLINGS, HALFCROWNS AND CROWNS (5 SHILLINGS). SOME OF THE SECOND ISSUE WERE OVERSTRUCK ON LARGE ISSUE PIECES, WITH SHILLINGS STRUCK OVER SIXPENCES, HALF CROWNS ON SHILLINGS AND CROWNS ON HALF CROWNS. THE MOST NOTABLE FEATURE OF THE COINS IS THE DATE, BECAUSE THE MONTH OF STRIKING WAS ALSO INCLUDED. THIS WAS SO THAT AFTER THE WAR (IN THE EVENT OF JAMES' VICTORY), SOLDIERS WOULD BE ABLE TO CLAIM INTEREST ON THEIR WAGES, WHICH HAD BEEN WITHHELD FROM PROPER PAYMENT FOR SO LONG. SPECIMEN STRIKINGS WERE PRODUCED IN SILVER AND GOLD FOR MOST MONTHS, AND THESE TEND TO BE EXTREMELY RARE
Price: 199 GBP
Location: Harwich
End Time: 2025-01-15T22:23:41.000Z
Shipping Cost: 9.9 GBP
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Year of Issue: 1690