The shilling (often written as 1s or 1/-) coin was a sub-division of the pre-decimal Irish pound, and was worth 1/20th of a pound. The original issue of the coin from 1928 until 1942 contained 75% silver; thus this Irish coin had a higher content than the equivalent British coin. These earlier coins were noticeably different…
1834-36: Major Banking Expansion In Ireland The short-lived Agricultural & Commercial Bank of Ireland was founded in 1834, suspended payments in 1836 and struggled on until 1840. It was the first Joint-Stock Bank in Ireland to fail but it was not its failure (in itself) that made headlines but the manner of its failure. When…
The 1961 ‘mule’ halfcrown was struck in error (or, possibly deliberately) from a reverse die from the 1928-37 type. In 1938 the halfcrown reverse – the side with the horse on it – had been redesigned to improve the striking characteristics of the coin. A single example of the 1938 trial of the new die…
The halfpenny (½d) (Irish: leath phingin) was the second-lowest value coin of the pre-decimal Irish pound. There were 2 to a penny, 24 to a shilling, 48 to a florin and 480 to a pound. First issued in 1928 it ceased to be legal tender on 1 August 1969, although they were readily accepted by shopkeepers until decimal…
In 1922 Ireland won its independence from Britain after a two-year War of Independence and protracted negotiations in London. The team, authorized to negotiate on behalf of Dáil Eireann, signed a treaty and, after ratification by ‘simple majority’ in the Dáil and by a referendum vote by the Irish people, the Irish Free State was…
Introduction The Irish government began minting the original 10p coin two years prior to Decimal Day, 15 February 1971, hence the first 10p coins were dated 1969 and 1971 – when they were first circulated. These coins retained the exact design and dimensions (except denomination) of the old (pre-decimal) florin coin, first introduced to the…
The new Irish 20p coin In 1982 the then Minister for Finance, Ray MacSharry, announced that a twenty or twenty-five pence coin might be designed and in August 1984 the twenty pence was chosen. The Arts Council of Ireland recommended the horse design. The twenty pence (20p) coin was introduced on 30th October 1986. It was first…
In 1937, a new constitution declaring Ireland a free state was established and the old designs for the coins of Ireland that featured the legend “Saorstat Eireann” or Irish Free State were changed to “Eire” to reflect the new constitution. The only known 1938 coins to feature that revised legend are: one halfcrown (currently unique…
Introduction There are two facets of grading coins that are frequently discussed at coin fairs and exhibitions – condition and rarity ! The former is relatively straight forward (albeit subject to several different standards) whereas the latter is often the subject of spirited debate. In order to address both, I will deal with them separately. …
The Old Currency Exchange is a specialist dealer and valuer of Irish & GB coins, tokens and banknotes 