Rare English Civil War Siege Coin Sells for £19,000 at Auction

The shilling, struck in 1645 during the siege of Carlisle, was estimated to sell for between £8,000 and £12,000 at the Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's auction.

A rare shilling siege coin from the English Civil War has sold for £19,000 at auction.

The coin was struck in 1645 during the siege of Carlisle and was estimated to sell for between £8,000 and £12,000 at the Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's auction on March 22.

It was part of the Frank Waley collection of hammered silver and milled gold.

The shilling is an example of an 'obsidional' or 'emergency' coin, created by Royalist towns under siege during the war to pay the garrison's daily expenses and ensure the loyalty of defending troops.

With limited supplies of regular coins and isolated from the main Royalist forces, these besieged towns turned to silver items, including church plate, flagons, and private flatware, to create their own currency.

The lack of minting tools meant that the silver was crudely hammered into lozenge, octagonal, and circular shapes and struck with simply engraved dies bearing the town's name, denomination, and date.

Some of these coins still show traces of the original decoration from the items they were made from.

This particular coin was created during the 1645 siege of Carlisle, which was the principal Royalist stronghold in Northern England.

It was surrounded by Scottish Covenanters after the Royalist defeat at Marston Moor.

The Royalist garrison, under Sir Thomas Glenham, defended the fortress for eight months despite severe shortages of food and supplies.

By the time the siege ended in June 1645, the defenders were starving but still managed to negotiate terms of surrender.

The English Civil War (1642-1651) saw a series of armed conflicts between the Royalists, who supported King Charles I, and the Parliamentarians, who sought to limit his power and establish a constitutional monarchy.

The auction of these obsidional coins offers a glimpse into this turbulent period of English history.

The coins, though simple in design, reflect the challenging circumstances of their creation during the English Civil War, offering insight into the hardships of the era.