The Great Re-coinage of 1696 was an attempt by the English Government under King William III to finally replace the hammered silver that made up most of the coinage in circulation, much of it being clipped and badly worn. This was something that Charles II and James II needed to do but both had failed…
In 1660, the crown prince (later James II) married Anne Hyde, daughter of Charles II’s chief minister and they had two surviving children, Mary and Anne (both raised as Protestants) but in 1669, Prince James converted to Catholicism and took a stand against a number of anti-Catholic moves, including the Test Act of 1673. This…
Introduction Gun money was an emergency issue of coins made by the forces of James II during the Williamite War fought in Ireland between the years 1689 and 1691. It was not quite the same as the emergency issues of the Great Rebellion of 1641 where besieged cities and towns melted silver plate and issued…
The Old Currency Exchange is a specialist dealer and valuer of Irish & GB coins, tokens and banknotes 