The milled sixpence series under Charles II was a direct consequence of the disastrous hammered coinage it replaced — clipping had become so endemic by the 1660s that the entire hammered silver currency was recalled and demonetized between 1696 and... well, the groundwork was laid here. The Royal Mint's adoption of the Roettier-designed milled coinage, mechanized using horse-powered machinery, was partly a political statement: a restored monarchy needed a currency that looked like it belonged to a functioning state.
The 1674–1684 window encompasses several die varieties distinguished primarily by the bust treatment and plume or no-plume privy marks indicating Welsh silver supply.
The milled sixpence series under Charles II was a direct consequence of the disastrous hammered coinage it replaced — clipping had become so endemic by the 1660s that the entire hammered silver currency was recalled and demonetized between 1696 and... well, the groundwork was laid here. The Royal Mint's adoption of the Roettier-designed milled coinage, mechanized using horse-powered machinery, was partly a political statement: a restored monarchy needed a currency that looked like it belonged to a functioning state.
The 1674–1684 window encompasses several die varieties distinguished primarily by the bust treatment and plume or no-plume privy marks indicating Welsh silver supply.