Top 5 – Britain’s Most Infamous Coins
British coinage has had its fair share of controversy over the years, but there are 5 coins that really stand out – each with a fascinating story behind them…
The Henry III Penny – with its ‘long cross’ designed to prevent clipping
1. 1247–1272 Henry III Long Cross Penny
The Clipped Coin
The practice of ‘clipping’ gold or silver coins has long proved irresistible for a few enterprising individuals who want to get more than they deserve for their money. The practice was most prevalent on hammered coins, with their already irregular shape masking the intended deception. A fraudster would clip or shave off a tiny section of a coin, then attempt to pass off the tampered coinage as original.
Over the months, the tiny clippings of gold and silver could well amount to a decent sum, whilst leaving the exchequer out of pocket. Successive monarchs and governments tried to stem the practice, with varying success – the harshest punishment being the death penalty. The Henry III ‘Long Cross’ Silver Penny is one of the most innovative examples of fraud prevention – the traditional short cross design on the reverse of the coin was extended to reach the edge of the coin – immediately making it obvious when a coin had been clipped.
The Hangman’s Wages – or money for old rope?
2. 1729–1754 George II Halfpenny
The Hangman’s Wages
How much was a hangman paid? Well, back when Tyburn was one of the most notorious locations in Britain it was 13½d. Situated at the end of what is now Oxford Street near Marble Arch in London, Tyburn was for centuries the home of capital punishment in England. The ‘Tyburn Tree’ – a triangular gallows – was used for executions right up until 1783.
Various sources suggest the Hangman’s fee for an execution was 13 pence, however the actual amount that changed hands was 13½d – the extra halfpenny was for the rope. Two of the most notable executions conducted at Tyburn were James ‘The Gentleman Highwayman’ MacLaine and Oliver Cromwell, whose dead body was exhumed and hanged again as an act of revenge by the Cavalier Parliament.
Could this have been The King’s Shilling?
3. 1787 George III Shilling
The King’s Shilling
It is the stuff of legend that Royal Navy press gangs would try any means to get potential recruits to ‘take the King’s Shilling’ – the signing up bounty for new sailors.
Acceptance of the shilling was deemed to be a commitment to recruitment in the King’s service, and as the dreadful food, harsh labour and risk of death did not appeal to many the coin was often surreptitiously dropped in a ‘free’ pint and handed over, which led to the creation of glass-bottomed tankards.
The Godless Florin
4. 1849 Queen Victoria Florin
The Godless Florin
For hundreds of years, right up until the present day, Britain’s coinage has been diligently pious – except for one notorious occasion. Each coin features a range of different Latin inscriptions, but all coinage features the full text or an abbreviation of Dei Gratia, Fidei Defensor – ‘by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith’ – reference to the Monarch’s position as head of the Church of England.
However, in 1849 a new silver coin – the Florin – was introduced and this inscription was left off, with just Victoria Regina 1849 on the obverse. Despite the exceptional design of the coin, there was an immediate outcry from the strongly religious Victorians and the coin gained the nickname ‘the Godless florin’. It was even suggested that an outbreak of Cholera that year was the act of a vengeful God, visiting death upon the British population as revenge for leaving Him off the new coin. Suffice to say, after Queen Victoria herself complained, the coin was replaced, and remains to this day one of the most infamous one-year-only coin designs in British numismatic history.
The Barmaid’s Ruin
5. The Barmaid’s Ruin
1887–1890 Queen Victoria Double Florin
Introduced in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, the double florin was for many an unwanted addition to British currency. The real reason for its introduction is disputed, nevertheless it became Britain’s second ‘decimal’ coin, just 2mm smaller in diameter than the familiar Crown yet worth a shilling less.
The unintended consequence was that a significant number of unscrupulous rogues tried to pass the coin off as a Crown, with naïve barmaids apparently the most susceptible to the deception. Anecdotal evidence suggests more than a few barmaids lost their livelihood on the grounds that they were losing the tavern owners money, hence the nickname Barmaid’s Ruin.
Want to secure all five infamous coins today?
The Westminster Collection have a limited number of complete sets available.
NOW SOLD OUT
The 50th anniversary of the most reproduced image in the world
Arnold Machin’s Effigy of the Queen in silhouette
50 years ago in 1964 Her Majesty the Queen approved a new portrait for her coinage, and set in motion a chain of events that led to the creation of the most reproduced image in the world.
The portrait in question was designed by Arnold Machin RA – and if you look in your pocket now you’re still likely to find a coin bearing the distinctive profile.
But even though millions of coins are struck every year – it was when the design was adapted for use on our stamps that it really took off…
300 billion and counting
The 6 1/2p Definitive Stamp featuring Arnold Machin’s effigy of the Queen.
Best estimates suggest that the Arnold Machin RA effigy of Queen Elizabeth II has now been reproduced on our stamps over 300 billion times – a staggering number.
In fact, amongst collectors, UK definitive stamps are now simply referred to as ‘Machins’ because the image is so ubiquitous.
But who is Arnold Machin RA, and how did he come to design this instantly recognisable image?
From pottery to sculpting the Queen’s portrait
Arnold Machin was born in 1911 in Stoke-on-Trent. Modelling and sculpture was in the family, but his father struggled to make ends meet with his freelance modelling job. Consequently Machin started work aged 14 at the Minton China Factory, as an apprentice china painter.
But he could not keep away from sculpture, and after a working for many years in the arts was appointed an associate member of the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1947.
Arnold Machin’s Effigy on a UK Crown
As if this wasn’t enough of an honour, in 1964 Machin was approached to design an effigy of the Queen for the new decimal coinage to be introduced in 1971. So, despite never having designed a coin before, Machin was granted four sittings with the Queen.
Cleverly using the bas-relief technique, which creates a raised sculpture from a plaster base, Machin came up with a design the Queen appreciated so much she has insisted it be used unchanged on our stamps for the past 40 years.
An £18,000 plaster cast
Perhaps testament to the enduring popularity of the image, and the design process behind it, one of Machin’s original plaster casts recently sold at auction for the princely sum of £18,000.
And I don’t think this will be the last we’ll hear of record breaking Machin sales – as time goes by the power of the image will not diminish, yet the availability of collectables will.
And now we are due to see a new portrait of the Queen on our coinage in 2015, this is bound to be an area to watch.
You may be interested in…
The Arnold Machin Queen Elizabeth II Philatelic Silver Set
The Westminster Collection is proud to present the first ever officially licensed silver philatelic set featuring Arnold Machin’s famous effigy of the Queen.
NOW SOLD OUT
Royal Mint announces new coin themes for 2015
2015 is set to be something of a momentous year for coin collectors, with five significant anniversaries to be commemorated next year. They are:
£2 – The 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta
2015 
marks 800 years since the signing of the Magna Carta – an agreement which forced King John to abide by the ancient laws and customs by which England had previously been governed. Literally translated as “Great Charter” it laid the foundations for modern democracy and the rights of English citizens. In fact, it is still cited in many legal cases to this day.
50p – 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain
Perhaps surprisingly, this will be the first time that the Battle of Britain is commemorated on a United Kingdom coin. In the summer of 1940, Nazi Germany was advancing through Europe, but their failure to gain air superiority over the RAF in Britain was ultimately one of the turning points of the war.
£2 – 100th Anniversary of the First World War – Royal Navy
The second design in the series of First World War £2 coins pays tribute to the role of the Royal Navy. At the time, it was by far the most powerful navy in the world and was a major asset to Britain in defending coastal waters against the Germans.
£5 – 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo
Also making its debut on United Kingdom coinage for 2015 is the Battle of Waterloo. Fought by the Duke of Wellington and his allied armies against Napoleon Bonaparte of France in 1815, it was a defining moment in European history – ending 20 years of conflict in the continent.
£5 – 50th Anniversary of the Death of Winston Churchill
There are few Britons more worthy of commemoration than the wartime Prime Minister himself, Sir Winston Churchill. Following his death in 1965 he became the first person outside of the Royal family to be commemorated on a coin, and now, fifty years on, he is being honoured again on a new £5 coin.
Next year the Queen is due to become the longest reigning monarch in British history, and there will soon be a new portrait on our coins to honour her. With the final appearance of the long-standing effigy of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS and five very noteworthy anniversaries, it already looks like 2015 will be a truly landmark year for coin collectors.