In the first year of the English Civil war, on the 29th of October 1642, and after the battle of Edgehill, King Charles made a state entry into Oxford and it was here that he established his headquarters at Christ Church where he spent the next two years fighting the war. War is expensive of course and there was a need to strike coins, so a Mint was set up in Oxford at New Inn Hall, at the present site of St. Peter’s College.

It was overseen by Thomas Bushell and Sir William Pankhurst, former Wardens of the Shrewsbury and Tower Mints. Stocked with silver from Oxford and Cambridge colleges, and with converted foreign money, the Oxford mint was a hugely successful enterprise and managed to cover Charles’s needs for coinage in his war effort. The mint closed in 1646, when the city was besieged for a second time and taken for Parliament. During the strict Commonwealth period that followed, under the leadership of Lord Protectorate Oliver Cromwell, many references and artifacts related to Charles I and Royalty, including the coinage, were destroyed.

The majority of coins struck in Oxford during this period were silver, but there were also a small number of gold coins produced. The Royal Mint is proud to be able to offer you an original Charles I 1643 Oxford mint Half-Unite that has been independently slabbed and graded by NGC as AU55+ - equivalent to a UK Nearly Extremely Fine grade. This coin is currently the second finest graded by NGC and PCGS.

Obverse: Charles I (1625-49), gold Half Unite or Double Crown of Ten Shillings, 1643, Oxford mint, crowned bust of king left to edge of coin, mark of value X behind head, cross on crown breaks pellet and linear circles, Latin legend and outer pellet border surrounding, legend commences lower left, CAROLVS. D: G: M: BR: FR: ET. HI: REX.

Reverse: Latin legend on ruled scroll leading continuously into Latin Declaration in three lines, date below, three Oxford plumes above, EXVRGAT. DEVS. DISSIPENTVR . INIMICI. RELIG. PROT./ LEG. ANGL. / .LIBER. PAR.

Weight 4.45g