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	SunandAnchor - Silver Crowns


	Quick Finder - major die design variants, read also about N over inverted N


Silver Crowns
One ounce silver ( approx 30 gms ), approx 42 mm in diameter, value V

Reference	Year	Description / Photograph Links	Mintmark

CR-5	1649	Obverse (1) with inverted N in England	sun
CR-10		Standard, with different obverse (2) and reverse

CR-15	1651	New reverse and obverse (3) design	sun

CR-20	1652	Large 652 over small 652 in the date, small circular beading on reverse	sun
CR-25		Large 2 in the date, very coarse beading on reverse
CR-30		Small 2, narrow date, coarse beading
CR-35		Medium 2, wide date, coarse beading on reverse
CR-40		Medium 2, narrow date, coarse beading

CR-45	1653	Shallow scallops to reverse shields, various dies	sun
CR-50		Deep scallops to reverse shields, various dies
CR-55		Upside down A over V in VS on reverse, deep scallops

CR-60	1654	New reverse and obverse (4) design, fine cross hatch	sun

CR-65	1656	6 over 3 in date, old 1651 style obverse (3), see CR-55	sun
CR-70		6 over 4 in date, 9 strings to the harp, 54 obverse (4)
CR-75		6 over 4 in date, 10 strings to the harp, 54 obverse (4)
CR-80		6 over 4 in date, 9 strings to harp, new obverse (5)
CR-85		6 over 4 in date, 10 strings to the harp, new obverse (5)
CR-90		Large 6 over small 6 over 4, 9 strings to harp, new obverse (5)
CR-95		Large 6 no overdate, 9 strings to harp, new obverse (5)

CR-100	1658	Cromwell Crown, 1658/7 in date	none
CR-101		Cromwell Crown, Dutch Copy
CR-102		Cromwell Crown, Tanner Copy

CR-105	1660	Anchor fantasy piece dated 1660 but based on a 1652 crown	anchor


	N over Inverted N does not appear to exist ....

This phenomenon, we read occured on crowns dated 1651 thru’ 1653. Before in 1649 two different obverses are in use - one with a conventional letter N and another obverse with an inverted letter N.

Examples of crowns dated 1651 thru to 1653 are shown and none of these examples even hints that the second N in ENGLAND has been punched twice with a reorientation of a punch. So the idea that these crowns have a letter N over an inverted letter N seems a little odd. The precision on placement probably exceeds that which was possible in the 1650’s with manual techniques.

As a double check closeups were also taken of the 1654 crown and that looks as solid as the 1653 crown, letter N, although the font is different.

Below are closeups of the 1653 crown and the 1649 crown with the letter N inverted. This gives some idea of just how difficult it would have been to use the inverted N punch twice and not show any double imaging or lack of registration.

Looking for a match to the 1649 punch the closest appears to be the centre image of the 1652 date.

So does the N over inverted N exist? Probably not and if it did it would be highly exceptional and not as widespread as the suggested spread over 3 years.


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	Feature Dimensions





		Feature Dimensions - Size of “V” in Value, 4.2mm to 5.0 mm


		One characteristic which may give us a clue as to who made what is the size of the letter V in the value. As can be seen this varied across the range of crowns. The most common size is 4.8mm seen on the 1649 crowns. The 1651 crowns had a smaller V which is also seen on three die variants of the 1652 crown. In the same year dies with larger V’s were made suggesting that perhaps three parties were making the 1652 reverse dies. After that for 1653 thru to 1656 over 4, the 4.8mm V was preferred. Two late 1656 dies with large sixes have 4.5mm V’s which may suggest these two reverse dies were made by a newcomer to Tower mint.

A second trial was to be made in 1656 with a totally new design featuring the bust of Oliver Cromwell himself. Three denominations were chosen for the trial - the gold fifty shilling, the gold Broad of 20 shillings and the silver halfcrown which was probably the control for comparison to previous work. All went well but it was decided that the halfcrown dies needed to be more deeply engraved. Notice again another lost opportunity to run the larger silver crown.