Oxford became Charles I's de facto capital after he raised his standard at Nottingham in August 1642, and the mint established there drew heavily on college plate surrendered by the university — a forced contribution that stripped chapels and dining halls of their silver and gold. The Triple Unite, worth sixty shillings, was the largest gold denomination struck in England and existed almost entirely as a propaganda vehicle rather than a working currency.
Dies for the Oxford issues were cut by Thomas Rawlins, whose work under siege conditions accounts for the variable quality seen across surviving specimens.
Oxford became Charles I's de facto capital after he raised his standard at Nottingham in August 1642, and the mint established there drew heavily on college plate surrendered by the university — a forced contribution that stripped chapels and dining halls of their silver and gold. The Triple Unite, worth sixty shillings, was the largest gold denomination struck in England and existed almost entirely as a propaganda vehicle rather than a working currency.
Dies for the Oxford issues were cut by Thomas Rawlins, whose work under siege conditions accounts for the variable quality seen across surviving specimens.