Charles I halfcrown

This large hammered silver coin was unearthed by Glyn Peak. It’s a Charles I halfcrown but Glyn wasn’t sure if it was listed as number 2773 or 2774 in the Standard Catalogue.

This halfcrown was struck at the mint in the Tower of London and the mint mark (a crown) dates it to 1635-36. A huge number of halfcrowns were struck during the 1630s and even more during the 1640s. As could be expected, most are fairly common but there are some rarities.

S. 2773 and S. 2774 are very similar but the latter has a plume over the shield on the reverse and the former doesn’t. This halfcrown is weak in the crucial area but the bands at the base of a plume can be seen. Another crucial factor is the position of the mint mark, which is at the top of the obverse on S. 2773 but moved to the left on S. 2774 to leave room for the plume.

Valuation

The legend on both sides is reasonably clear but the coin is very weak in the centre of the obverse. The reverse isn’t as weak and this side would grade Fair. If this halfcrown was S. 2773 I’d have said £25-30 but as it is the much rarer S. 2774 I’d say £80-100.

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