An original crown from the reign of Charles II

With the execution of Charles I in 1649, rule passed to the Commonwealth and later the Protectorate. But the republic under Oliver Cromwell would prove short-lived. In 1660 the British monarchy was restored under the returning Charles II, exiled in mainland Europe since his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Two years later this crown was issued for circulation, one of the first examples of mill striking as production moved away from traditional hammer struck coins.

Crowns have a long history, derived from a gold coin introduced by Henry VIII in 1526 to replace the Sovereign. The gold of that Sovereign was too soft, so hard-wearing ‘crown gold’ was introduced. This has been the standard of British gold coins ever since. In 1551 coins of the same size and weight, but made from silver, were brought in.

They adopted the name crown from the gold version and became the sole carrier of that name after 1662, when gold crowns were no longer produced. This coin is offered in ‘Fine or Better’ condition, retaining the clarity and definition of its Royal Arms design.