COMMONWEALTH. 1649-1660. Pattern Milled AR Halfcrown (33mm, 15.11 g, 6h). Dies by Simon. Blondeau’s mint, Drury House, London. Dated 1651 and year 3 of the Commonwealth. NGC graded MS 63 ‘Top Pop’.

Triton XXVI
Lot: 1263. Estimated: $ 15 000

British, Silver

Sold For $ 15 000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

Go to Live

COMMONWEALTH. 1649-1660. Pattern Milled AR Halfcrown (33mm, 15.11 g, 6h). Dies by Simon. Blondeau’s mint, Drury House, London. Dated 1651 and year 3 of the Commonwealth. · (sun) · THE · COMMONWEALTH · OF · ENGLAND, coat-of-arms within wreath of palm frond and olive branch / · GOD · WITH · VS · 1651, two coats-of-arms; II · VI above. Edge: IN · THE · THIRD · YEAR · OF · FREEDOME · BY · GODS · BLESSING · RESTORED · 1651. Bull 62; ESC 443; North 2731. Richly toned with considerable underlying golden-orange brilliance. In NGC encapsulation 2822098-001, graded MS 63 ‘Top Pop’.

Ex Tisbury (Part I, Spink 248, 25 September 2017), lot 810, purchased from Baldwin’s, June 1986.

Commissioned by the Commonwealth to improve upon English coinage, Pierre Blondeau arrived from France in 1649 and, with the help of engraver Thomas Simon, immediately began to produce patterns that would focus upon his primary concern: the marking of the edges of coins with either lettering or reeding –an important deterrent to the practice of clipping. This series of patterns was struck for 1651, and presents the first encounter of a lettered edge within English coinage. Opposition to Blondeau increased at the mint, however, and he returned to France in 1656. The Frenchman would ultimately be called back to England in 1662 to oversee the modernization of English coinage and the full implementation of edge marking in 1663.

The final winners of all Triton XXVI lots will be determined at the live public sale that will be held on 10-11 January 2023.

Triton XXVI – Session Four – Lots 991-1315 will be held Wednesday afternoon, 11 January 2023 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.

Winning bids are subject to a 22.5% buyer's fee for bids placed on this website and 25% for all others.

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