Charles I Sixpence

The Charles I Sixpence is a small hammered silver coin of the English Stuart period, struck during the reign of Charles I (1625-1649). The obverse carries a crowned profile bust of the king facing left, with long curled hair, surrounded by an abbreviated Latin legend reading a form of CAROLVS D G BRITT REX ("Charles, by the grace of God, King of Britain"). The reverse shows a heraldic shield of arms with a cross-and-quartering design and floral ornament, encircled by a Latin motto.

As a hammered coin, each piece was struck by hand between two dies, so surviving examples typically have slightly irregular flans, uneven striking, and legends that can be weak or run partly off the edge. Valued at six pence, the sixpence sat between the shilling and the smaller groat and threepence in the silver series.

Because much of Charles I's later coinage was produced during the upheaval of the Civil War (1642-1649), sixpences of this reign are collected both as attractive small Stuart silver and as tangible relics of one of the most turbulent periods in English history.

Charles I ruled from 1625 until his execution in 1649, a reign that ended in the English Civil War between the king's supporters and Parliament. His silver coinage, including the sixpence, was struck first at the Tower of London mint under royal control and later, once war broke out, at a series of emergency and provincial mints raised to fund the royalist cause.

The reverse motto observed on this coin is a worn rendering of the wartime "Declaration" legend associated with Charles's cause, referring to the Protestant religion, the laws of England, and the liberty of Parliament. Legends of this kind belong to the propaganda coinage of the 1640s, when both sides used money to assert the legitimacy of their position. Tower issues of the same period more commonly carry the earlier peacetime religious motto, so the exact wording is a useful clue to when and where a given sixpence was made.

Each mint identified its work with an initial mark, or mint mark, placed at the start of the legend, and these marks changed over time. Because the coinage spans peacetime Tower production and hectic wartime striking at scattered locations, the sixpences of Charles I vary considerably in style, quality, and neatness of manufacture.

Begin with the obverse. It shows a crowned bust of Charles I in profile facing left, with the long curled hair characteristic of his portraits, surrounded by a Latin legend naming him as king; on the observed coin this reads as a contracted form such as CARO ... D G BRITT REX. A mark of value, usually a small numeral VI, often appears in the field behind or beside the bust to confirm the sixpence denomination.

Turn to the reverse, which carries a heraldic shield combining the royal arms in a cross-and-quartering arrangement, sometimes with floral or garnished ornament, and a Latin motto around the rim. On this example the motto is a Declaration-type legend referring to religion, the laws of England, and the liberty of Parliament. The legends are abbreviated and, because the coin is hammered, may be partly weak or off-center.

Genuine examples are struck in silver on a small, thin, slightly irregular flan of a diameter and weight appropriate to a sixpence, noticeably smaller than a shilling of the same reign. A mint mark at the beginning of the legend helps pin down the mint and date. Because bust styles, mint marks, and mottoes differ between the Tower and the wartime mints, precise attribution normally relies on matching those details to published references on Charles I coinage.

Value depends on the mint, the type of reverse motto, the strength of strike, and overall condition. Common Tower-mint sixpences in worn grades are an affordable entry into genuine Stuart hammered silver, while sharply struck pieces with full portraits and clear legends, or coins from scarcer Civil War mints, command substantially more.

As with all hammered coinage, eye appeal counts as much as technical grade. A sixpence with a well-centered, complete bust, readable legends, and an identifiable mint mark is worth considerably more than a weakly struck, clipped, or corroded example of the same type. Wartime issues from provincial mints, and coins tied to notable historical events, sit at the higher end of the range.

Because values range widely, from modest sums for heavily worn common pieces to significant amounts for choice or scarce-mint examples, it is wise to confirm authenticity and grade through a specialist dealer or reputable auction record before paying a premium.