Rare £1 coin made in Shrewsbury is sold for £8,400
A silver coin made in Shrewsbury 375 years ago sold for £8,400 at auction – more than double the sum it was expected to make.
Before the auction at Spink, the one pound coin, struck at the Shrewsbury Mint in 1642 shortly after King Charles I arrived in the town at the start of the English Civil War, had been expected to sell for between £3,000 and £3,500.
But the bidding was so enthusiastic that those cautious pre-sale estimates were swiftly overtaken and, in coin was snapped up by a mystery bidder for £8,400.
Shrewsbury Civil War coins are comparatively rare because the Shrewsbury Mint lasted for only three months before the King and his army moved on to set up their headquarters at Oxford.
Auctioneers Spink say that toin is “rare” and that despscratches and “a test cut to edge” it is in “very fine” condition.
Gregory Edmund from Spink,said: “The Charles I Pound, while not a spectacular rarity, has an enduring popularity with collectors for being the largest English silver coin ever struck for value. At a time when intrinsic metal content was vital in guaranteeing a coin’s worth.
