James II (1685 - 8) Read about James II

Gold

Silver

Crowns

WCA-5385: 1687 James II Full Silver Crown. TERTIO edge (normal lettering) but the 8 of the date is distinctly odd, looking more like a lower case “g”. No over-date is listed in ESC for this or any of the J.II crowns. £575

WCA-5957: 1687 James II Full Silver Crown. Interestingly modified to incorporate x2 small blades. See images here and here. £275

WCA-5393: 1687 James II Full Silver Crown – Birthing Love Token. TERTIO edge. “G W 1798”. Once again, as in WCA-5230, a 100+ year old coin was chosen for the engraving. £279

Tin

WCA-7145: 1686 James II Tin Halfpenny. Copper plug intact, slabbed by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation as XF45 – the lower end of the EF grade bandwidth. All tin coins are extremely rare in this high grade with this date (the rarest of all three dates) stated as Very Rare by Peck. Further, the coin database shows this to be only the second example of a 1686 being offered on the open market since 2003, the other being ex Dr Nicholson collection. These tin coins had an alarming rate of wear from circulation. The Ferryman’s hoard of W&M tin coins from the River Thames in the 1970’s was made up of 1690 through to 1692 tin coins. There were no copper 1694 coins leading to the conclusion that the purse was dropped into the Thames 1693 or earlier. Of the many coins, the 1690’s were all very worn, the 1691’s quite worn and the 1692’s being at least somewhat worn. The 1690’s coins could only have been in circulation for three years or so but they were all very worn. Even the coins that had been in circulation for only up to a year or so were worn. This illustrates just how hard it is to find high grade tin coinage. As well as wear, the tin coinage corrodes in air and the soil (tin was far too reactive a metal to be used for coinage) so high grade examples are at a premium. Counterfeiting was clearly a consideration as every tin coin that left the mint had a copper plug – designed as an anti counterfeiting measure. Perhaps the Mint ought to have had similar considerations just a few decades on, during the mid to late 1700’s, when towards the end of the century, counterfeit (and we’re talking really obvious / very little effort re dies or even the final product) “copper” coins literally outnumbered the genuine coinage in circulation! Choice. £1,950

“Other”

WCA-5487: 1688 James II Large Silver “Religious” Medal. A crown-sized medal commemorating Archbishop Sancroft and six Bishops being committed to the Tower for not agreeing to the religious dictates of James II. This all came to a head in the Spring of 1688 when James VII of Scotland / James II of England ordered his Declaration of Indulgence. This suspended penal laws against Catholics and was to be read from every Anglican pulpit in England. The Church of England and its staunchest supporters, the peers and gentry, were naturally outraged. Interestingly, James was a protestant although on his deathbed he did convert to Catholicism. Sancroft (actually an Archbishop) wrote with his own hand the petition presented in 1688 against the reading of James II Declaration of Indulgence (granting broad religious freedom in England by suspending penal laws enforcing conformity to the Church of England and allowing people to worship in their homes or chapels as they saw fit), which was signed by himself and six of his suffragans (collectively known as the Seven Bishops). For this they (of whom Sancroft was oldest, at 71) were all committed to the Tower of London by the King. This medal was struck under James at the end of his reign (he “vacated” the throne and headed to Ireland, latterly heading for France under the protection of Louis XIV) and, along with the birth of James's son and heir James Francis Edward (The future Scottish “Old Pretender”) who threatened to create a Roman Catholic dynasty and excluding his Anglican daughter Mary and her Protestant husband William III of Orange from the thrown, was entirely responsible for premature departure of the monarch. This was a monumental event in 1688, impacting the wider population of the country in all quarters. In case you were worried about the Bishops, they were released from The Tower. However, Archbishop Sancroft appears to have not coveted an easy life because just two years later, the Archbishop was deprived of his office in 1690 for refusing to swear allegiance to William and Mary. The ironic thing in all this is that Archbishop Sancroft was the official at the King’s coronation – he effectively made him king!! Truth is stranger than fiction! £425

WCA-7687: 1685-88 James II Ticket or Pass for Admittance to King James’ Palace. Brass, sixpence face value, MY 64, W.1190. Image showing tickets here. From a very short reign and only for the well-healed in society as sixpence in those days was a lot of money. £295

WJC-8102: 1686 James II Coronation or Accession Medal. One of the more crude and unusual medals, having a guarding lion passant one side and a large fleur-de-lis the other. GOD SAVE KING JAMES II, in English, is the legend both sides. Medallic Illustrations (i) 604/3 where it lists this particular medal as VERY RARE. £295