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1/2 Penny - James II Limerick Siege Coinage
| Issuer | Jacobite Forces (Limerick) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1691 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Obverse description | Laureate and draped bust of King James II facing left, with long flowing curled hair, occupying the central field. The peripheral legend reads IACOBVS II DEI GRATIA in raised Latin characters, separated by pellets, running clockwise around the rim. The strike is characteristically irregular and somewhat weak in areas, consistent with the crude hammered emergency production of the Limerick siege coinage. The surfaces show the typical rough fabric and uneven flan associated with this issue, struck from hastily prepared dies under wartime conditions. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The Limerick siege pieces were struck by Jacobite forces during the final months of Irish resistance following the Battle of the Boyne, using whatever base metal could be sourced as William III's army tightened its grip on the city. Limerick held through two sieges; this issue belongs to the second, in 1691, which ended with the Treaty of Limerick in October of that year.
The brass used was almost certainly recycled — cannon fittings, domestic objects, and confiscated goods all fed the makeshift mint. Weights vary considerably across survivors, reflecting emergency production rather than any consistent minting standard.