Very Rare Gold Oxford Mint Half Unite of King Charles I

Charles I (1625-49), gold Half-Unite or Double-Crown of Ten Shillings, dated 1643, Oxford Mint, crowned bust of King in lace collar left extending to bottom of coin, value X in field behind, beaded and linear circle around, legend and outer linear and beaded border surrounding, CAROLVS. D: G: M: BR: FR: ET. HI: REX., rev. abbreviated Declaration inscription in three wavy lines at centre, RELIG. PROT. / LEG. ANGL. / .LIBER. PAR., date below, three Oxford plumes above, legend commences upper left within beaded and toothed border surrounding, initial mark pellet, .EXVRGAT DEVS. DISSIPENTVR. INIMICI., weight 4.54g (Beresford-Jones dies III/5; Brooker 858; Schneider 332; N.2395; S.2742). Attractively toned, a little double struck with a little weakness in striking on the high points, good very fine and very rare.

Such coins as the gold Double Crown or Half-Unite were produced at a time of duress, when the King had moved his Capital from London after the Battle of Edgehill, to the Royalist Universities of the City of Oxford, where he made a state entrance on 29th October 1642. The Mint was set up to work at New Inn Hall from the 3rd January 1642/3. These Ten Shilling gold coins were struck for only three consecutive dates, 1642, 1643, and 1644, with a few variations in obverse and reverse dies, which were most fully defined by R Duncan Beresford-Jones in his article “The Oxford Mint 1642-46 Unites and Half-Unites” in volume 28 of the British Numismatic Journal dated 1955. They are much rarer than the companion Twenty Shilling piece.

Provenance:
Purchased from A. H. Baldwin and Sons Ltd, Autumn 2007.