William III sixpence

Leon Boulton said this coin was unearthed from a depth of 6 inches in a wet pasture field. It’s a William III sixpence and Leon said: “Name has A upside down.”

Firstly, this sixpence was struck in1697 during the Great Recoinage, when most of the old hammered silver were withdrawn from circulation and replaced by freshly made ‘milled’ coins. There is no letter under the bust on the obverse so this sixpence was made in London.

The coin has the first bust of William III on the obverse and has small crowns and the late harp on the reverse. Therefore, it is listed as number 3531 in the Standard Catalogue.

After blowing up the image of the obverse it appears to me to have the standard reading of GVLIELMVS III DEI GRA. Both of the Vs in the king’s name are normal rather than one or both being an inverted letter A. It does have an unusual aspect in III, which might have been struck over something else.  

Valuation

Leon said he had only washed the coin in water and then used a rubber on the surface. Unfortunately, in the images it does look to have been cleaned. The obverse would grade Fine+ but the reverse is better. In its present condition my price range would be £45-50.

Valuation Service

If you would like your coin identified or valued, please read about my valuation service and contact me