1 Farthing - Oxfordshire 1652

Weight

NA

Diameter

15 mm

Thickness

NA

Material

Copper

Shape

Round (irregular)

Edge Type

Plain

Technique

Hammered

Front design

Central arms of the city of Oxford (an ox passing a ford), lettering around.

Back design

Central initials and date with lettering around.

Year of Minting

1652

Ruler

NA

Mint location

NA

Mint mark

NA

Orientation

NA

Inscriptions

Obverse: THE MAYOR OF Reverse: OXFORD TOKEN C.O 1652 . R .

Context

The small R below the date on the reverse is for the engraver, Thomas Rawlins (1620?-1670). Hiss first dated medal was from 1641 and on the outbreak of the English Civil War the following year, he went to the king's headquarters at Oxford. His signature appears on coins of the Oxford mint between 1644 and1646 and in 1644 he produced perhaps his most famous piece known as the 'Oxford crown', due to the view of the city added under the regular equestrian obverse and was appointed chief engraver of the mint around 1647. After a few years when he was thought to have gone to France, he returned to England in 1652 earning a precarious livelihood, partly by making dies for tradesmen's tokens such as this. After the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, he was reinstated as chief engraver at the Royal Mint and died in 1670.

Rarity

Ultra rare

Coin type

Merchant tokens

In circulation

No

Demonetized

Yes

Marketplace listings

0