£1,200 - £1,800
† Charles I (1625-49), silver obsidional Newark Shilling, struck on a lighter weight Ninepence flan, 1645, Royal crown, C to left, R to right, denomination below in Roman numerals, beaded border both sides, rev. three-line inscription and date, OBS: / NEWARK / 1645, 4.58g (Brooker 1225; N.2640; S.3143). With a degree of wear to the upper portion and some punch marks on value side, otherwise about very fine and seemingly an early example of a mint error from a siege town under duress.
Newark in Nottinghamshire was besieged a number of times in the Civil War and the siege pieces were issued with dates of 1645 and 1646, the Shilling being the first denomination to appear with a crude ovoid crown design and with an E on the end of the town name styling it as Newarke.The next denomination issued was the Ninepence in unison with the Shilling after a revision of the crown style. Later in 1645 the Halfcrown appears when all three of the denominations are styled with the town name as Newark like we have demonstrated herewith.Finally, the Sixpence appears for use dated 1646 and is consequently the rarest of the denominations. The letters OBS: are an abbreviation of the word obsidional which means of the siege.Newark surrendered to the Parliamentarians on the 6th May 1646.Provenance:Ex Lawrence Korchnak Collection, this coin the subject of a three page article in Coin News July 2023, pages 48-50 - Newark Hybrid: A Numismatic Anomaly from the English Civil War where an analysis of this coin reveals it is struck in 0.975 fine silver (Newark siege coins range from 0.947 to 0.989) and weighs in the same within the correct tolerance for a Ninepence coin yet is proven to be struck with the 1645 Newark shilling dies - a hybrid minting error which saw circulation.
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