Page:Archaeologia Volume 13.djvu/45

Rh and, as he afterwards subjoins, Pontefract, where was struck a unitie, or twenty shilling piece of an octagonal form, like the Pontefract shilling.

It must be remarked that it is not unfrequent in modern times to strike from fine dyes pieces of money in different metals from what they are designed to be made current in; these are given to the friends of such as are favoured by the persons in office in the mint; many cabinets shew this by having such specimens. I should at first have thought this had been struck off from the dye of a silver threepence; especially, as it is exactly like that given in the plates published by this society, had the size been the same; but this drawing shews that it is much larger than the threepence given in those plates. Snelling gives types of the threepences of the York mint very different from this. The motto, which never appears upon any of king Charles I.'s gold coins, is another argument in favour of its not having been a regular coin, but a piece struck from the dyes of a silver threepence. But, as such specimens in other metals are very rarely, if ever, found so far back as this reign, and as the monarch, who struck the piece, the drawing of which I have the honour to lay before the society, coined a far greater variety of money than any other of his predecessors, or successors, I do not see any reason why it should not be looked upon as a real coin, struck in York, of the value of three Shillings. If it is so, it may be pronounced very valuable, as it is, I apprehend, an unique.

All the York coins exhibit the king in armour, otherwise I should have supposed this piece coined after the commencement of the unhappy civil war. King Charles visited York in the years 1633, 1639, and 1642; probably in one of these years it was struck, and as it is of peculiar elegance, though from its smallness difficult to be done justice to in a drawing, it might be for the express Rh