Irish halfpenny of James II

As well as the native currency, lots of Scottish and Irish coins circulated in England. This included silver and during the 17th century a range of base metal coins. The latter are often worn through years of circulation and/or badly corroded due to being in the soil for hundreds of years.

In 25 years of detecting I’ve unearthed only a single Irish halfpenny, which dated from the reign of Charles II. It was in awful condition but recognisable as being Irish.

Picture here is an Irish halfpenny of James II, which is dated 1685 on the reverse and was found earlier this year by Michael Gallon. It’s in remarkably good condition for a coin that could have been lost in the late 17th century.

Valuation

The coin is a little weak on the high points but it displays no signs of corrosion and would grade about VF for the issue. In its present state of preservation a collector should be willing to pay around £120 in order to acquire it.

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