Date: c. 1100 BC – 800/700 BC Description: Gold Ring Money – Penannular ring (cable type) tapering to plain ends. Late Bronze Age. Dated at c. 1300-100 BC) by Spink Weight: 4.62g. Very fine (VF) Very rare Provenance: Spink 5 July 1982, ex-Mallinson collection Reported to have been found in Co Wicklow Dating Gold Ring…
Introduction: The British gold sovereign is one of the most ‘collected’ gold coins in Ireland today. We used it when we were part of the UK and it would seem that we are still hoarding them. Named after the English gold sovereign, previously last minted in 1604, the name was revived with the Great Re-coinage…
Introduction: William IV (b. 21 August 1765, d. 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. He was the third son of George III and he succeeded his elder brother George IV. Like his elder brother,…
Date: c. AD 900 – 1050 Description: Viking Gold Trade Ingot, 10th-11th century AD – a rectangular-section ingot of gold with irregular ends. Weight: 23.47 grams Length: 30mm (approx. 1 inch) Metal content Gold ~ approx. 67-69% Silver ~ approx. 29-31% Copper ~ approx. 2% Country: Ireland + Hiberno-Norse Northumbria Category: Viking Proto-Currency Gold Trading Ingot…
Introduction: The price of gold rose from the 1430s onward, so gold coins were worth more in Europe than in England, which resulted in a gold shortage in England as coins were exported for profit. This is known as an ‘arbitrage market’ and is also an early example of Gresham’s Law – it caused a…
Following the death in 1376 of his father, Edward of Woodstock (the Black Prince), Richard became heir to his grandfather, King Edward III of England, whom he succeeded in 1377 at the age of ten. His reign of twenty-two years saw a number of domestic crises, from the Peasants’ Revolt (1381) to later conflicts with…
Date: c. 1646 Description: Emergency issue from The Great Rebellion, 1642-1649. Gold Double Pistole (21mm, 6.61 g, 2h). Ormonde Money. Struck 1646. ‘4 : 9wtt : 7 : gr :’ in two lines / ‘4 : 9wtt : 7 : gr :’ in two lines. O’Sullivan, Gold dies 1/2; D&F 269; SCBC 6552. Extremely Fine (EF) Probably…
There are 4 gold coins currently minted by the US Mint – 1 oz., 1/2 oz., 1/4 oz. and 1/10th oz. They are sold by the US Mint at a premium over the gold market spot price. They are not proofs, nor are they limited edition commemorative issues. They are sold as an investment and…
Gold Coin Values Last updated – Friday, 18th September Daily updates have been discontinued I am frequently asked to value gold coins and this is a list of the more popular gold coins usually found in Ireland. In perfect condition, a gold coin has a fixed weight but, as they get worn and polished over…
Introduction When James II succeeded his father in 1685, he continued to issue copper halfpennies, albeit via a ‘patent’ like his father did before him. This maintained the flow of small change but the same ‘decades old’ problem persisted with the large proportion of under-weight ‘clipped’ silver in circulation. This might have sufficed for transactions…
The Old Currency Exchange is a specialist dealer and valuer of Irish & GB coins, tokens and banknotes 