1 Shilling - Charles I Group D, 4th bust

Group D shillings mark a transitional period in Nicholas Briot's influence on English coinage — by the mid-1630s, the Tower Mint was absorbing milled-coin techniques while still relying on hammer striking, producing an uneven body of work across the type. The 4th bust is the most commonly encountered of the Charles I shilling busts, though survivors in problem-free silver are genuinely difficult to locate given the type's heavy circulation before the Civil War disrupted mint operations entirely.

Charles I's persistent refusal to call Parliament between 1629 and 1640 — his "Personal Rule" — meant no formal taxation by consent, which in turn drove aggressive use of royal prerogatives including control of the mint for revenue. Ship Money and forced loans of that decade circulated through the same economy as these coins.