IRELAND. JAMES I, 1603-1626. 2nd Coinage. Shilling, nd (1604-07). Mm rose. Obv: Crowned bust right. Rev: Crowned harp. 4.35 grams. S.6515 / DF 261. Fine to Very Fine.

Irish Coin Daily: James I, Silver Shilling, Third Bust / Second Irish Coinage – m.m. Rose (1605/6)

Date: c. 1605-06 Description: James I, 2nd Coinage. Irish Shilling, no date, but the mint mark: Rose denotes the year 1605-06. Struck at the Tower Mint, London. Weight: 4.35 grams. . Fine to Very Fine  (F / VF) References: S.6515 / DF 261 Obverse: Crowned (third) bust of James I, facing right. The third bust can be…

Ireland. John as lord of Ireland (1177-1199), AR Half-penny. Dublin, c. 1190-1198. +IOHANNES DO, facing diademed head / +TOMAS…VVE, voided cross potent. SCBI 10, Belfast, 231-74; S 6205. 0.71g, 14mm, 6h.

Irish Coin Daily: Prince John’s Silver Halfpenny (Second Coinage, Dublin Mint / Tomas)

Date: c. 1190-1199 Description: Ireland. John as Lord of Ireland (1177-1199), silver halfpenny. Halfpenny, second coinage (1190-99), Dublin mint, c. 1190-1199. SCBI 10, Belfast, 231-74; S 6205. 0.71g, 14mm, 6h. Very Fine (VF) Obverse: Facing diademed head, legend around +IOHANNES DO Translates as “John Dominus” Reverse: Voided cross potent, legend around +TOMAS…VVE Translates as “Tomas of…

Edward III Halfpenny, Dublin mint

O’Brien Rare Coin Review: The Irish Coinage of Edward III (1339-40)

Introduction After Edward III, there was a gap in Irish coin production of over 120 years. What caused this? Was it an economic or political decision, or a combination of several different causal factors? Did the causal factors occur before and/or during the reign of Edward III ??? No coins would be minted in Ireland for…

Phase III, Penny, bust left, two pellets in front of face and behind head, rev. long voided cross with hand in two quarters, blundered legends

O’Brien Coin Guide: Introduction to the Hiberno-Norse Coinages of the Late 10th & Early 11th C

The first locally produced Irish coinage was the so-called Hiberno-Norse coinage which was first minted in Dublin in about 995-7 AD under the authority of Sihtric III (aka Sihtric Silkenbeard), the Norse King of Dublin.  There is no evidence for the native Irish producing coins before this, so it is likely that their economy was not coin-based.  The…

King John Irish farthing, Dublin mint

Collecting medieval Irish coins

One of the more difficult aspects of coin collecting is the language barrier one encounters when trying to decipher the legends (text around the edges) of coins. Very few of us speak Latin and truncated Latin still appears on British coins today. As we all know, British coins circulated alongside Irish coins in this country…