British Kings "Bullet Book," Charles II 1660 - 1685

BillJones

1663 Charles II Shilling

1679 Charles II Guinea

• Charles II was the son of Charles I. He was invited to become of the King of England soon after Cromwell’s death.

• Unlike his father, Charles chose not cause trouble with Parliament. His was an easy going reign during which he enjoyed the fruits of his office.

• The Great Fire of London raged from September 2 to early on the 6th. It destroyed two-thirds of the city, all on the north side of the River Themes.

• Architect Christopher Wren and surveyor and philosopher, Robert Hooke supervised the rebuilding which was considerably completed in a remarkable ten year timeframe. Although not all of their visions came to completion, many of them did. Streets were widened, building were made of stone, not timber and building codes were strictly enforced. Access to the River Themes was greatly increased, and the storage of combustible goods in warehouses along the river was modified to reduce the dangers from first damage.

• Christopher Wren’s crowning achievement, St. Paul’s Cathedral, was re-built on is former site. Wren is buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral under a modest stone with a famous epitaph, “Reader, if you seek his memorial—look around you.”

• Charles had many affairs and fathered at least 16 illegitimate children. He lavished gifts and titles on his lady friends. Despite that his relationship with his wife was kind and affectionate. Ironically Charles and the queen, Catherine, did not have any children, and the king died without leaving an heir. At his death, the crown passed to his brother, James.

• A story, that may have been folklore, relates to how the Massachusetts Oak coinage got its name. During a conversation with Sir Thomas Temple, Charles asked him about the rogue Massachusetts silver coinage which violated the Royal Prerogative, which stated that only the king could issue or authorize the coining of money. Temple pulled out an example of the Oak Tree and reminded the king about an incident during the English Civil War. At one point the king had climbed an oak tree and hidden in its branches to avoid capture by the rebel army. Temple told Charles that the tree which an oak which had been issued in his honor. The king laughed and commented that the Massachusetts colonists were a “group of good dogs” and let the matter slide.

"1652" Massachusetts Oak Tree Shilling, circa 1660 - 1667

BillDugan1959

The Great Fire of London occurred in 1666. Charles II and his brother James directed and helped in firefighting efforts and generally acquitted themselves very well during this episode.

EVillageProwler

The Great Fire of London also broke the cycle of the plague in the city.

WillieBoyd2

"My tail's for sale. Half-a-crown will lay me down!"

Great Britain Charles II half crown 1663
Silver, 33mm, 14.30gm
Obverse: Charles II facing right, CAROLUS II DEI GRATIA
Reverse: Shields of England, Scotland, France, Ireland, MAG•BR•FRA•ET•HIB•REX 1663

The line is from Kathleen Winsor's infamous 1944 historical novel Forever Amber, which was set
in England during the Restoration period of King Charles II, approximately 1660-1670.

More about Forever Amber and King Charles II is on my website under "Coin Stories".

291fifth

The coinage is now taking on a very modern look in terms of artistry and method of manufacture.

Washingtoniana

interesting post and nice coins as usual

sarikanair

The coin looks stunning! Thanks for sharing such valuable information and interesting stories about Charles II and Christopher Wren.

SaorAlba

Charles II and his younger brother James were notorious womanizers - but Charles remarked once that James's mistresses must have been proscribed as a penance because they were so ugly.

jgenn

@291fifth said:
The coinage is now taking on a very modern look in terms of artistry and method of manufacture.

Resistance to milled coinage, largely from the Tower of London mint workers who were concerned about keeping their jobs, was finally overcome at this time in England.

messydesk

Nice 1663 Shilling! Numismatically significant date as it spelled the end of British hammered coinage. Prime number, too.

asheland

Great thread as always. Awesome coins!

Aethelred

I don't think I own anything of Charles II.

SaorAlba

This particular piece is a 4 Merk, or for some reason when it was issued in 1681, this coin was referred to as a Dollar, even though that latter was never used in common vernacular. This coin is from the second coinage and is S-5618, or SC24M-075 in Coincraft. This particular piece is quite rare in nicer grades. The value of this coin was raised to 56/- from the old 4 Merk standard of 53/4 by proclamation in 1681.

SaorAlba

The merk as pictured above was the most common silver Scottish coin from the reign of Charles II that circulated in Scotland. It was the equivalent of 13/4 or Thirteen Shillings, Four Pence and was the last vestige of the Merk reckoning used in Scotland for hundreds of years. Curiously the term "Quarter Dollar" was not used contemporaneously, but only as a reference much later on, so in effect it is not really accurate in describing these coins. This coin is S-5620 in Seaby and SC-21M-135 in Coincraft.

jgenn

Since we don't have any examples posted from 1662, here's my crown ESC-15 / S-3350.

messydesk

Chaz 2.0 1679 half crown. Currently my only one from him.