1690 An incredible Irish coin, no corrosion and full lustre.
A wonderfull copper plug. A coin struck for Roayl admiration.
Mrs.Bustle remarked it was in an old catalogue
"In wonderfull preservation and the finest known 30 pounds 1936"

PEWTER MONEY CROWN 1690 with copper plug in
Edge MELLORIS. TESSERNA. FATI. ANNO. REGNI. SEXTO 
Obv. IAC • II • DEI • GRA • MAG • BRI • FRA • ET • HIB • REX. King on horseback to left., sword in right hand. Rev. CHRISTO • VICTORE • THIVMPHO. The four shields of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, each crowned, arranged in form of cross; crown in centre : in the angles of the cross and cross the field ANO DOM 1690

Finest extant
In wonderfull presevation
 

Small pteces of princes’s metal are inserted in the fore and hind quarters of the horse on the obverse, and a large piece, over which the crown is struck, on the reverse.

 

The whole of the coinage struck in Ireland for James II from 1689 to 1691 is of the nature of “money of necessity”. Its current value was merely nominal and when ordered it was specially stated that it was only intended to meet present necessity, and was not to continue for any length of time. In Ireland the popular name was “brass money” not “gun money”.

The Gold ,Silver Gun and Copper Crowns were made from origional dies but by Bolton for commerative pieces to order in the 1800's and made to order & boxed in presentaion case.

Published in 1784
Published James Dodsley in Pall Mall

James II. Arriving in Ireland from France in 1689, to make a flruggle for his loft dominions, he inftituted a mint, and on the 15th. June iffued Shillings; and half-crowns on the 2 nd of the fame month. Thefe coins are ftruck of all the refufe metal which could be got: fome brafs guns efpecially were employed, whence the coinage is generally called gun-money, The half-crowns gradually diminished in fize, as the metal became fcarce, from June 1689 to July 1690 : and the month of their mintage being always upon them, this decreafe is eafily marked. Pennies and halfpennies of lead mixed with tin, and crowns of white metal, were publifhed in March 1690; and other crowns of gun-metal 15 June 1690, of the fize of half-crowns, and known by having no month marked on them, as the half- crowns have. The crowns of white metal, which are very fcarce, have James on horfe- back, with titles no longer his; and on the re- verfe the arms, Christo Victore Triympho, with this legend on the rim, Melioris Tessera Fati Anno REGNf Sexto. James, however, having totally miftaken Chrift's meaning in the legend of his crown pieces, and being completely defeated, left Ireland in July 1690; but a few halfpence were ftruck in Limerick
by his adherents/ 1691, called HiberniaS, from tie reverfe.   

 
The inimitable Jeffrey Hearn

Jeffrey Hearn, never to be forgotten as the most eccentric numismatic dealers of the last century, from champagne for breakfast to doing battle to friends

Some 30 years ago I was meeting with the infamous and incredulous Jeffrey Hearn; to this day I do not believe that numismatic market has ever had another such a character. His retirement from coins market left a "hole". A man that saw the wonderful collections of the post war era being dispersed. It is difficult to put words to paper about this character; his club which I would frequent with him maybe sums it up. Crazy, he was not, although he was a member of the “ECENTRIC CLUB” at St.James. Champagne for breakfast and bottles of whiskey early morning. 

One day after a sale and prior to a few “noggins” we visited Jeffrey’s office, a vault in a bank a few steps from St.James. The purpose was to show me some new coins; I saw two sets of Irish Gun Money. Geoffrey they are for sale? but not for you said smilling, they are not genuine! 5’000 gbp, so do not buy them. These sets sparkled the Gold, Silver and copper were not contemporary to the period. Bolton got the dies and re-struck these pieces for customers. I said how this can be true, he then showed me the box holding the coins, a little note decribing the coins "Mathew Bolton" and said I will sell them to the USA without the box and the writing inside. These were “presentation coins from Bolton”. Since that day I never had any interest to acquire these. Today people still discuss if they are genuine, I just smile :))  Jeffrey said, go to see Mrs. Bustle at Seaby’s and she will show you a genuine pewter 1690 Gun Money crown the finest specimen in existence.  Buy it, it has a long history and this is a genuine piece for the Gun Money. When they struck the coin they had to take a piece of metal to take the coin from the die.  I of course took myself in a taxi to Margaret Street; it was in those days the princely sum of 300 gbp.

 

 

JC 

Rare, British Hammered coins, Milled coins, Tokens
& Medallions - Numismatics of England, Scotland & Ireland