1/2 Penny - James II Limerick Siege Coinage

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.