Charles I (1625-1649), Exeter mint, Halfcrown, ‘1642’, mm. Truro rose, carolvs d g mag br fr et hi rex, king on horseback left, galloping over arms, holding baton in right hand, rev. christo avspice regno, garnished oval shield, date below, 14.68g/11h (Liddell & Rayner, BNJ 1960-61, p.157, no. 13, this coin; Besly L22; Bull 663/22; SCBI Brooker 1013, same dies; N 2534; S 3071). Very fine and very rare £20,000-£26,000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Sanders Collection of Early Milled Coins.

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Collection

C. Clark Collection, Sotheby Auction, 22-23 January 1914, lot 133
V.J.E. Ryan Collection, Part II, Glendining Auction, 22-24 January 1952, lot 1181
W.D. Ferguson Collection
SCMB September 1960 (942), £95

Although these coins are dated 1642 and were at one time believed to have been struck at Truro, Besly (BNJ 1992) has demonstrated that they were in fact struck at Exeter, probably in 1644. The late Michael Sharp suggested that the date 1642 might refer to the raising of the king’s standard at Nottingham in 1642 at the beginning of the Civil War. These coins were also once believed to be machine-made, as argued by Liddell & Rayner (hence the inclusion of this specimen in the Sanders Collection), but this suggestion was refuted by Besly (p.119).