Triton XXVI - Session 4
Fecha: 2023-01-10 00:00:00
Lotes: 325
Total salida: $ 0.00
Total realizado: $ 0.00 (+0.00%)
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Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1243
TUDOR. Henry VIII. 1509-1547. AV Crown of the Double Rose (25mm, 3.15 g, 5h). Third coinage. Tower (London) mint; im: pellet-in-annulet. Struck 1544-1547. Θ hЄnRIC · 8 · RVTILΛ'· ROSΛ · SInЄ · SPI' (clover stops), crowned rose; crowned h R flanking / Θ DI'· GRΛ'· ΛGLI'· FRΛnC'· Z · hIB'· RЄX · (clover stops), crowned coat-of-arms; crowned H R flanking. Whitton p. 180, 3 var. (Roman H on rev. only); Schneider 6235 (same rev. die); North 1834; SCBC 2305. In NGC encapsulation 2124442-009, graded AU 58. Ex Dr. Baumhauer Collection.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1244
TUDOR. Edward VI. 1547-1553. AR Crown (42mm, 30.52 g, 1h). Third period, fine silver issue. Tower (London) mint; im: У. Dated 1551. У : ЄDWΛRD': VI : D': G': ΛGL': FRΛnC': Z : hIBЄR': RЄX ·, Edward on horseback riding right / : POSVI : DЄVm'· Λ DIVTOR Є': mЄV': У :, coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée. Woodbridge dies A/5; North 1933; SCBC 2478. Softly struck on rump of horse otherwise with an attractive cabinet tone. Full flan. Good VF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1245
TUDOR. Mary. 1553-1554. AR Groat (24mm, 1.96 g, 7h). Tower (London) mint; im: pomegranate. · mΛRIΛ · (pomegranate) · D'. G'. ΛGL'. FR'. Z · hIB'. RЄGI' (annulet stops), crowned bust left / VЄRITΛ S (pomegranate) TЄm PORIS FILIΛ, crowned coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée. North 1960; SCBC 2492. Richly toned, slight crimp. Near EF. Well struck.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1246
TUDOR. Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. Pattern AR Shilling (31mm, 6.11 g, 11h). Sixth issue. Tower (London) mint; im: key. Dies by Charles Anthony. Struck 1595. (key) ELIZAB'· D'· G'· ANG'· FR'· ET HIB'· REGI, crowned bust left / (key) POSVI DEV'· AD IVOTRE M · MEV'·, crowned coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée. BCW KY-3C/KY-c1; B&C P4; North 2044. A few light marks, Toned. Good VF. A wonderful and very rare portrait piece. Ex C. Comber Collection; Dr. E. Burstall Collection (with his ticket, Eaglen C15); Dr. E.C. Carter Collection (purchased en bloc by Baldwin, 1950).After the death of the mint's chief engraver Derek Anthony, his son Charles assumed the position. Charles engraved a new set of portrait punches for the reintroduction of a crown gold coinage in 1593. Elizabeth was portrayed in profile in a richly decorated dress and with long, flowing hair. After this success, he prepared a redesign of the silver shilling. A small number of beautiful patterns were struck with the key mint mark. For unknown reasons, the 'flowing hair' design was not adopted, and the youthful portrait of the queen continued in use on the currency issues until the end of the reign.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1247
TUDOR. Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. AV Quarter Angel (17mm, 1.30 g, 4h). Fifth issue. Tower (London) mint; im: Latin cross (over Greek cross)/Latin Cross. Struck 1580-1581. † (over +) ELIZABETH : D G ANG : FRANCIE, Archangel Michael slaying dragon to lower right, spear topped by cross fleurée / † ET · HIBERNIE · REGINA · FIDEI ·, ship bearing shield and cross; E and rose flanking cross. Brown & Comber E7; Schneider 776; North 1993; SCBC 2528. A few light marks. Good VF. Rare over-mintmark on obverse. Ex C. Comber Collection; C. Herriot (Dix, Noonan, & Webb 62, 30 June 2004), lot 78.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1248
TUDOR. Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. AR Sixpence (26mm, 2.93 g, 6h). Milled coinage. Tower (London) mint; im: star. Dated 1562. (star) ELIZABETH · D · G · ANG · FRA · ET · HIB · REGINA, crowned bust left, with plain dress, wearing ruff; rose to right / (star) POSVI · DEVM · AD IVTORE M · MEVM, crowned coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée. Borden & Brown 23, dies O1/R1; North 2052/2; SCBC 2594. Pleasing cabinet toning, traces of red wax on reverse. Good VF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1249
TUDOR. Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. AR 8 Testerns (40mm, 26.71 g, 10h). 'Portcullis' money. Tower (London) mint; im: O. Struck 1600. O : ELIZABETH · D'· G'· ANG'· FR'· ET · HIB'· REGINA, crowned coat-of-arms; crowned E R flanking / O : POSVI · DEVM · ADIVTOREM · MEVM ·, crowned portcullis. BCW 0-1B/0-a; North –; SCBC 2607A; Pridmore 1. Edge slightly smoothed in places. Broad flan. Toned. Good VF. Rare. From the Arthur M. Fitts III Collection. Ex F. R. Cooper (Glendining's, 8 November 1978), lot 138.In 1600, the recently organized East India Company found themselves in need of coin. They initially planned to import the commonly used Spanish dollars, but Elizabeth refused to grant such a license, and insisted that the company use coins bearing her name and image. In the end, a compromise was reached allowing the royal mint to strike new coins with the name of the queen, but with the royal symbol of the portcullis in lieu of a portrait of a woman, which would likely have not been acceptable in the Indies. (BCW p. 11) Ultimately, £6000 worth of silver was struck in denominations of 1, 2, 4, and 8 testerns. But even without a feminine visage, the coins proved to be unsuccessful in trade, and quickly disappeared. Only a very small number of specimens for each denomination have survived to this day.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1250
TUDOR. Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. AR 4 Testerns (34mm, 13.70 g, 9h). 'Portcullis' money. Tower (London) mint; im: O. Struck 1600. O : ELIZABETH · D'· G'· ANG'· FR'· ET · HIBER'· REGINA, crowned coat-of-arms; crowned E R flanking / O : POSVI · DEVM · ADIVTOREM · MEVM ·, crowned portcullis. BCW 0-1E/0-a; North –; SCBC 2607B; Pridmore 2. Small flan split. Crisply struck and richly toned. EF. Rare, especially this fine.. From the Arthur M. Fitts III Collection. Ex Seaby Coin & Medal Bulletin 786 (February 1984), no. E80 'a superb piece'.In 1600, the recently organized East India Company found themselves in need of coin. They initially planned to import the commonly used Spanish dollars, but Elizabeth refused to grant such a license, and insisted that the company use coins bearing her name and image. In the end, a compromise was reached allowing the royal mint to strike new coins with the name of the queen, but with the royal symbol of the portcullis in lieu of a portrait of a woman, which would likely have not been acceptable in the Indies. (BCW p. 11) Ultimately, £6000 worth of silver was struck in denominations of 1, 2, 4, and 8 testerns. But even without a feminine visage, the coins proved to be unsuccessful in trade, and quickly disappeared.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1251
TUDOR. Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. AR 2 Testerns (29mm, 6.74 g, 12h). 'Portcullis' money. Tower (London) mint; im: O. Struck 1600. O : ELIZABETH · D'· G'· AN'· FR'· ET HIBER'· REGINA ·, crowned coat-of-arms; crowned E R flanking / O : POSVI · DEVM · ADIVTOREM · MEVM ·, crowned portcullis. BCW 0-1B/0-a; North –; SCBC 2607C; Pridmore 3. Toned, lightly chased on obverse. VF. From the Arthur M. Fitts III Collection. Ex Classical Numismatic Group 60 (22 May 2002), lot 2389.In 1600, the recently organized East India Company found themselves in need of coin. They initially planned to import the commonly used Spanish dollars, but Elizabeth refused to grant such a license, and insisted that the company use coins bearing her name and image. In the end, a compromise was reached allowing the royal mint to strike new coins with the name of the queen, but with the royal symbol of the portcullis in lieu of a portrait of a woman, which would likely have not been acceptable in the Indies. (BCW p. 11) Ultimately, £6000 worth of silver was struck in denominations of 1, 2, 4, and 8 testerns. But even without a feminine visage, the coins proved to be unsuccessful in trade, and quickly disappeared.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1252
TUDOR. Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. AR Testern (23mm, 3.51 g, 5h). 'Portcullis' money. Tower (London) mint; im: O. Struck 1600. O : ELIZABETH · D'· G'· AN'· FR'· ET · HI'· REGINA ·, crowned coat-of-arms; crowned E R flanking / O : POSVI · DEVM · ADIVTOREM · MEVM ·, crowned portcullis. BCW 0-1/0-a; North –; SCBC 2607D; Pridmore 4. Toned, small edge split. Near EF. Very rare. From the Arthur M. Fitts III Collection. Ex St. James 1 (13 October 2004), lot 299.In 1600, the recently organized East India Company found themselves in need of coin. They initially planned to import the commonly used Spanish dollars, but Elizabeth refused to grant such a license, and insisted that the company use coins bearing her name and image. In the end, a compromise was reached allowing the royal mint to strike new coins with the name of the queen, but with the royal symbol of the portcullis in lieu of a portrait of a woman, which would likely have not been acceptable in the Indies. (BCW p. 11) Ultimately, £6000 worth of silver was struck in denominations of 1, 2, 4, and 8 testerns. But even without a feminine visage, the coins proved to be unsuccessful in trade, and quickly disappeared.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1253
TUDOR. Elizabeth I. 1558-1603. AV Ship Ryal (34mm, 7.49 g, 1h). Dutch imitation struck in Amsterdam(?), circa 1585-1587. ЄLIZAB'· D'· G'· ΛnG'· FR'· ЄT · hI B RЄGINA (trefoil), half-length figure, wearing ruff, facing, holding scetpter in right hand and globus cruciger in left, on ship left with Є on banner at prow / (escallop) · IhS'· ΛVT'· TRΛnSIЄnS'· PЄR'· mЄDIV'· ILLORVm · IBΛT ·, radiant sun, with rose in center, over floreate cross with lis at ends; in each quarter, crown above lion passant left; all within tressure of eight arches with trefoils in spandrels. Thompson, Elizabethan – (dies O7/R– [unlisted rev. die]); Schneider 890 (same obv. die); Delmonte –; North 2004 note; SCBC 2530 note. In NGC encapsulation 6485724-001, graded MS 61. . Sharply struck with residual luster. A choice example of this very rare issue. Ex Baldwin's of St. James's 14 (14 January 2018), lot 68; Roderick Richardson FPL Summer 2002, no. 9; Spink 81 (19 November 1990), lot 34 'Extremely fine and very rare.'.In late 1585 Elizabeth I, recognising the growing threat to the Protestant cause in Europe, sent an English force of 5000 foot and 1000 horse to the Low Countries in support of the United Provinces in their revolt against the rule of Philip II of Spain. The queen's favourite and one time suitor Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester was given command of the army. Studies by H. Allen and subsequently J. D. A. Thompson have shown that much of the large treasure taken by Leicester to fund the expedition was, in large part, was comprised of gold Sovereigns and Ryals. The Ryal, a denomination first issued for Elizabeth in 1584, may indeed have been specifically struck with the Dutch campaign in mind. Since it was introduced by Edward IV of England in 1464 the gold Ryal, or Rose Noble, of 120 grains had been a very popular denomination in the Low Countries. The Elizabethan Ryal elaborated on the design of its late medieval predecessor by depicting the queen wearing a ruff and ornately jewelled dress aboard an accurately rendered late sixteenth century frigate.The introduction of the Elizabethan Ryals to the circulating medium of the Low Countries apparently resulted in a much smaller contemporaneous local issue of the type. Thompson ventured they may have been struck in Amsterdam. The Dutch Ryals are very close copies of the English prototype and bear the same mint marks - A and escallop - which were in use for the duration of the English army's presence in the Low Countries. While these Dutch Ship Ryals may have been the product of a local mint seeking to profit from the confused state of the currency at this time, numismatists have also speculated that they could, in Thompson's words, be 'an official copy of the English coinage for Leicester's government'. We know that Leicester was in constant need of coin, was involved in re-organising and re-tariffing the existing coinage of the United Provinces and even proposed a special coinage of Ryals to pay his army and bring profit to the English Crown.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1254
STUART. James I. 1603-1625. AV Sovereign (38mm, 11.13 g, 5h). First issue, crown gold coinage. Tower (London) mint; im: thistle. Struck 1603-1604. (thistle) IACOBVS · D'· G'· ANG'· SCOT'· FRAN'· ET · HIB'· REX ·, crowned and armored first bust right, holding lis-tipped scepter over right shoulder and globus cruciger in left hand / (thistle) · EXVRGAT · DEVS · DISSIPENTVR · INIMICI ·, crowned coat-of-arms; I R flanking. Schneider 2 var. (initial mark); North 2066; SCBC 2609. Toned, hairlines scratch above orb. Near EF. Struck on a broad flan with excellent detail. Ex Sharps Pixley (Spink 72, 9 November 1989), lot 26; J.A.M. Patrick Collection (purchased en bloc by Spink, 1954); H. Lingford (Glendining, 20 June 1951), lot 874.In 1950, Albert Baldwin described Lingford's assemblage of coins of this monarch as, "the best collection of James I of England in gold, silver and copper ever brought together in one cabinet."
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1255
STUART. James I. 1603-1625. AV Quarter Laurel (19mm, 2.22 g, 5h). Third issue, crown gold coinage. Tower (London) mint; im: thistle. Struck 1621-1623. (thistle) IACOBVS D : G : MAG:BRI : FRA : ET HIB : REX, laureate, armored, and draped bust left; V (mark of value) to right / HENRIC VS ROSAS REGNA (thistle) IACOBVS, crowned coat-of-arms set on long cross fourchée. Schneider 96 (same rev. die); North 2118; SCBC 2642. In NGC encapsulation 2124442-041, graded MS 63. Ex Dr. Baumhauer Collection.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1256
STUART. Charles I. 1625-1649. AV Angel (26mm, 3.95 g, 7h). Fine gold coinage. Tower (London) mint; im: Moor's head and castle/castle (over Moor's head). Struck 1627-1628. CAROLVS · D · G · MAG · BRI · FRA · ET · HIB · REX (Moor's head and castle), Archangel Michael slaying the Dragon; X to right / AMOR · POPVLI · PRESIDIVM · REGIS (castle over Moor's head), three-masted ship sailing left; royal coat-of-arms on mainsail; hull ornamented with lis and lions passant. Schneider, Tower dies 0-2a/R-4a; Brooker 2 (same dies); Schneider 102 (same dies); North 2145; SCBC 2683A. Toned. In NGC encapsulation 2119532-038, graded AU Details, holed. Rare. Ex Dr. Baumhauer Collection; Spink 67 (16 November 1988), lot 70; W.L. Raynes (Glendining, 15 February 1950), lot 220.The association of disease with evil and the employment of the laying-on of hands to cure that disease/evil has been a part of human belief since at least the time of Jesus and the miracles associated with him. Among the numerous diseases that existed in medieval and modern Europe, one of the most heinous and virulent was the so-called morbium regis, or, as it was known in French, mal de roi – the King's Evil. A form of scrofula, a tubercular infection of the lymph nodes that left untreated turned into suppurating sores. While various home remedies were known, the one perceived certain cure was the laying-on of hands by the king in his role as the anointed representative of Christ. Beginning in France under Robert II (996-1017) and in England under Edward the Confessor (1042-1066), this ritual became an important part of kingship and also a crucial test of royal legitimacy. As a part of the ritual, the afflicted would receive a coin as alms. Because of its association with this ritual, the coin would be kept to act as a talisman for the sufferer. By the time of Edward IV, the coin used was a gold denomination, the angel, that was perfectly suited for the ceremony as it bore a depiction of the Archangel Michael slaying the Dragon on the obverse and the royal ship-of-state – an allusion to the monarch – on the reverse. Under Henry VII (1485-1509), the practice was ritualized into a Divine Service and the coins themselves were a central part of the ceremony, retaining their relative intrinsic purity. Having first been threaded with a ribbon for suspension, the coin would be passed over the affected areas by the monarch, who would sometimes make the sign of the cross with the coin as well. Even after England had become a Protestant country, Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) continued to do the latter.Under the Stuarts, the ceremony took on special significance since they viewed it as an important component of their increasingly absolutist view of the divine right of kingship. While James I (1603-1625), owing to his Protestant background and the lack of such a ritual in Scotland, initially balked at performing the ritual, he soon acquiesced, although he removed everything in the ritual that remotely smacked of papism and invoked God in the actual healing. Under James I and Charles I (1625-1649), the coin itself underwent significant design changes to the reverse, including under Charles the replacement of the traditional legend with a more ironic one – AMOR POPVLI PRAESIDIVM REGIS (The People's Love is the King's Safeguard). Like his father, Charles I performed the ceremony only on Easter and Michaelmas, as well as on Progresses. In 1633, a few days after his Scottish Coronation, Charles touched about 100 people. To commemorate this event, special angels designed and struck by Nicholas Briot were used. During his captivity following the end of the Civil War, Charles continued to perform touchings; the coins and ribbons were supplied by those wanting to be touched.Under the Commonwealth, both the denomination and the ceremony ceased. When the ritual was reintroduced during the Restoration of Charles II (1660-1685) and his successors, a gold medalet, now specifically a touch-piece, was created to replace the angel. Designed solely for the touching ceremony and not meant to be used as currency, this medalet continued to employ the designs of the former angel (although now the ship was now modernized by depicting the Sovereign of the Seas accompanied by the legend SOLI DEO GLORIA (Alone to God the glory). The last reigning monarch to touch on British soil was Anne (1702-1714), who did so three months before her death. The Hanoverians refused to participate at all and the ritual died out in England, although in France it did so until the execution of Louis XVI (1774-1793), and was continued by the Stuart Pretenders until the death of Cardinal Henry Benedict Stuart, Henry IX to the Jacobites, in 1807.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1257
STUART. Charles I. 1625-1649. AV Crown (18mm, 2.27 g, 1h). Group D, class I. Tower (London) mint; im: portcullis. Struck 1633-1634. (portcullis) CAROLVS · D'· G'· MA'· BR'· FR'· ET · HI'· REX, crowned and mantled bust 4 left; V (mark of value) to right / CVLTORES · SVI · [DEVS · PROTEG]IT, crowned coat-of-arms. Brooker 207 (same dies); Schneider 244 (same dies); North 2185; SCBC 2715. Underlying luster, minor rim scuff and small scratch on reverse. Near EF. Sharp portrait.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1258
STUART. Charles I. 1625-1649. AV Triple Unite (45mm, 26.70 g, 8h). Declaration type. Oxford mint; im: plumes. Dated 1642. (plume) CAROLVS : D : G : MAG : BRIT : FRAN : ET : HI : REX, crowned and armored half length bust left, holding sword with both hands; plume to right / · EXVRGAT : DEVS : DISSIPENTVR : INIMICI, (continuing into inner field) RELIG : PROT/ LEGI : ANG/ LIBER : PAR on continuous scroll; above, three plumes above · III ·; I642 below. Beresford-Jones dies III/L1; Brooker 834 (this coin); Schneider 286–9/297 (same obv./rev. dies); North 2382; SCBC 2724. In PCGS encapsulation 40526314, graded AU 53. Ex Magnus (Spink 212, 28 March 2012), lot 946 (hammer £70,000), purchased from Spink, April 1980; J.G Brooker Collection; Glendining (6 November 1953), lot 22; C.A. Watters (Glendining, 21 May 1917), lot 377; J.G. Murdoch (Sotheby, Wilkinson, & Hodge, 8 June 1903), lot 2.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1259
STUART. Charles I. 1625-1649. AV Unite (34mm, 8.75 g, 11h). Declaration type. Oxford mint; im: plume (with bands). Dated 1643. (plume) CAROLVS : D : G · MAG : BR : FR : ET HIBER : REX, crowned and mantled bust left, holding sword in left hand and laurel branch in right; XX (mark of value) to right / EXVRGAT · DEVS · DISSIPENTVR · INIMICI : (continuing into inner field) RELIG : PROT/: LEG : ANG :/ LIBER : PAR; three plumes above, 1643 below. Beresford-Jones dies VIII/13; Brooker 849-52 (same obv. die); Schneider 318 (same dies); North 2389; SCBC 2734. Richly toned. In NGC encapsulation NGC encapsulation 6466656-001, graded AU 55. An attractive example. Ex Dr. Baumhauer Collection (there graded AU58); P. Finn FPL 14 (1998), no. 28.Finn noted that this coin was better than both the Beresford-Jones and Morrieson plate coins.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1260
STUART. Charles I. 1625-1649. AR Crown (44mm, 28.31 g, 9h). Exeter mint; im: castle. Dated 1645. (castle) : CAROLVS : D : G :MAG : BRI : FRA : ET : HI : REX :, Charles on horseback left, holding sword in right hand and reigns in left / (castle) CHRISTO : AVSPICE : REGNO · 1645 ·, coat-of-arms. Brettell, Exeter dies D/20; Brooker 1041 (same dies); North 2561; SCBC 3062. Toned, slightly double struck. Good VF.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1261
STUART, Siege money. Newark. 1645-1646. AR Ninepence (25x27mm, 4.26 g). Dated 1646. Crown; C R across field, IX (mark of value) below / OBS:/NEWARK/1646 (date) in three lines across field. Brooker 1227; Hird 263 (same dies); North 2641; SCBC 3145. Deeply toned with wonderful surfaces. Near EF. Ex 'Silver Coins of Charles I from a Private Collection' (Part II, Dix, Noonan, & Webb 79, 24 September 2008), lot 3738.
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1262
STUART, Siege money. Newark. 1645-1646. AR Sixpence (22x23mm, 2.50 g, 12h). In the name of Charles I. Dated 1646. Large crown; C R flanking, VI (mark of value) below / OBS :/ NEWARK/ 1646. Brooker 1228 (same dies); North 2642; SCBC 3146. Toned, with considerable luster on obverse. Good VF/VF. Struck on a flan cut form engraved plate, with some armorial engraving still visible. Very rare. Ex Samuel Birchall of Leeds Collection (1761-1814).
Classical Numismatic Group, LLC - Triton XXVI - Session 4 . 1263
COMMONWEALTH. 1649-1660. Pattern Milled AR Halfcrown (33mm, 15.11 g, 6h). Dies by Simon. Blondeau's mint, Drury House, London. Dated 1651 and year 3 of the Commonwealth. · (sun) · THE · COMMONWEALTH · OF · ENGLAND, coat-of-arms within wreath of palm frond and olive branch / · GOD · WITH · VS · 1651, two coats-of-arms; II · VI above. Edge: IN · THE · THIRD · YEAR · OF · FREEDOME · BY · GODS · BLESSING · RESTORED · 1651. Bull 62; ESC 443; North 2731. Richly toned with considerable underlying golden-orange brilliance. In NGC encapsulation 2822098-001, graded MS 63 'Top Pop'. Ex Tisbury (Part I, Spink 248, 25 September 2017), lot 810, purchased from Baldwin's, June 1986.Commissioned by the Commonwealth to improve upon English coinage, Pierre Blondeau arrived from France in 1649 and, with the help of engraver Thomas Simon, immediately began to produce patterns that would focus upon his primary concern: the marking of the edges of coins with either lettering or reeding –an important deterrent to the practice of clipping. This series of patterns was struck for 1651, and presents the first encounter of a lettered edge within English coinage. Opposition to Blondeau increased at the mint, however, and he returned to France in 1656. The Frenchman would ultimately be called back to England in 1662 to oversee the modernization of English coinage and the full implementation of edge marking in 1663.