Charles I Shillings of the York Mint (i) Official Issues – Gary Oddie

This short note will revisit the shillings issued at the York mint during the civil war. The series has been comprehensively studied and published^{(1, 2)}.The dies were engraved by Nicholas Briot and the pieces were made using a roller or cylinder press. This results in a slight ovality and curved flan of some pieces and slight creasing of the metal when they were cut from the strip or subsequently straightened. Misalignment of the silver strip could also lead to coins with partial straight edges. Two pairs of rollers were manufactured, each with five dies engraved on their surface. Briot’s skill as an engraver means that it can be challenging to identify the exact die pair.  Many published illustrations make it difficult to distinguish between certain dies and errors have been found in some catalogues⁽³⁾. The following pages will provide good illustrations of pieces made by every die pair and die combination. Whilst not original, it is hoped it will be useful.