Catalog
1/2 Crown Dublin Siege coinage
| Issuer | Ireland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1642-1643 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse repeats the denomination inscription 'S D II · VI' (two shillings, sixpence) in two horizontal lines within a thin inner circle and reeded outer border, mirroring the obverse layout. This duplication of the value on both sides is a distinguishing feature of the Dublin Siege emergency coinage, produced under the exigencies of the Confederate Ireland conflict. The hammered flan results in an irregular octagonal outline with uneven surfaces typical of these wartime emergency pieces. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Produced during the Confederate Ireland period, when the Catholic Confederation held Dublin under siege and royal coinage supply had effectively collapsed, these pieces were struck from melted plate silver — Church plate, household silver, whatever could be requisitioned. The irregular weight and crude fabric are structural, not incidental: the mint was working under siege conditions with improvised tools and no access to standard blanks.
The authorization came from the Marquess of Ormond, commanding Royalist forces in the city, making this a crown-loyalist emergency issue caught between two enemies simultaneously — the Confederate besiegers and, increasingly, a Parliament hostile to Charles I.