Introduction Amongst the rarest coin issues of the turbulent times that covered the Wars of the Three Kingdoms are the gold pistole and double-pistole of 1646. These are the only gold coins struck and circulated in Ireland. They were produced by Dublin goldsmiths Peter van Eindhoven and Gilbert Tonques, on behalf of the Duke of Ormonde,…
Introduction The Spanish dollar or ‘piece of eight’ reales counter-struck ‘5 shillings & 5 pence’ for use in trading by the Castle Comer Colliery, in Co Kilkenny, is the only silver crown-sized piece issued in Ireland by a private commercial entity. They were produced on behalf of Anne, Duchess of Ormonde – the wife of…
Timeline 1643 (Julian dates have been adjusted to modern time frame) (Early January) Colonel Ruthven bombards Saltash on the Cornish side of the River Tamar but is unable to capture the town January 2 Petition from the Common Council of the City of London presented to the King at Oxford requesting his return to Westminster…
Timeline 1642 (Julian dates have been adjusted to modern time frame) Although the depositions of 1641 have since been proven exaggerated at best or, at worst, false – they were designed to provoke a sensational response from the Parliament in London. By 1642, Owen Roe O’Neill had reigned in the worst sectarian elements in Ulster…
Timeline 1641 (Julian dates have been adjusted to modern time frame) The key events of 1641 were: The Trial and execution of Strafford Imprisonment of Archbishop Laud The Triennial Act The Irish Uprising The Grand Remonstrance From an Irish perspective, the key figure was James FitzThomas Butler, then 12th Earl of Ormond and Commander of the…
Introduction Many people think of the Great Rebellion as a two-sided fight – the Irish Catholics versus the Anglo-Irish Protestants … but it was a lot more complicated than that. There were at least five opposing parties during the rebellion, which have been described by Carlyle as follows :- the Catholics of the Pale demanding…
The Old Currency Exchange is a specialist dealer and valuer of Irish & GB coins, tokens and banknotes 