The Coins of Ireland

王大拿2018

1928 Ireland ½ Crown, PCGS PR64. Courtesy of PCGS.

By Sanjay Gandhi - August 2, 2024
Original link: https://www.pcgs.com/news/the-coins-of-ireland

When I was six or seven years old, I saw some kids sitting on the grass and carefully fiddling through it. I asked, “What are you doing?” They replied, “We’re looking through the clover patches to find a four-leaf clover.” I had never heard of such a thing. They showed me that most clovers had three leaves, and the four-leaf clover, if you find one, was lucky. Not so lucky for the clover, I think now... I searched with them and, within 30 seconds, I found my first four-leaf clover, and they were in awe. One of the kids said, “Let me see it just to make sure.” Sure enough, they confirmed my lucky green find.

The shamrock is the national symbol of Ireland, and Saint Patrick used it to convey his message of the Holy Trinity. He would state that the three leafs of the clover represented God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, which are one according to the Holy Trinity belief. Saint Patrick was of English-Roman descent, and accounts may vary about his birth year. He is credited for introducing Christianity to Ireland, where the majority of his missionary work was done. He wrote two books, one being titled Confessio. It’s written in Latin. Scholars have concluded from his writings he was an exceptionally humble, moral individual. One of the earliest coins that depicts Saint Patrick is a 1670s 1/2 Penny from the United States colonial era. The reverse of the coin shows him holding a shamrock, which is derived from the Irish word seamróg, meaning little clover. Patron Saint Patrick passed away on March 17, 461, and each year, he is honored on this day as St. Patrick’s Day.

1670s NJ US Colonial St. Patrick ½ Penny, PCGS AU53. Courtesy of PCGS.

Ireland has always been known for its beautiful green landscapes and breathtaking sea cliffs. Seafaring Vikings in neighboring European countries eventually made their way to the island nation to plunder. One of the first accounts as shared by the National Museum of Ireland notes, “The first recorded Viking raids on Ireland took place in 795 when islands off the north and west coasts were plundered.” About three years earlier, King Charlemagne had introduced the Carolingian monetary system within all of the European countries that were under his rule. The ratio of the monies were as follows: 1:12:240, one pound (libre), which contained 408 grams of silver, one shilling (solidus), and one penny (denarius), respectively. Some of these denominations are used in the present day for coinage.

King Sigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson (1010–16) Ireland Silver Penny, PCGS MS63. Courtesy of PCGS.

Carolingian coinage made its way into the hands of the Vikings as they raided countries under the rule of Charlemagne. They also used coinage from the Islamic Dynasties and coinage from Arabic regions, mainly to create ornaments or decorations and not using the coins for currency. Their preferred currency was in the form of ingots, which could be used to buy, for example, 12 goats for 12 ounces of silver. In 841, The Vikings established a settlement with a city named Dublin, and this began their permanent residence within Ireland. It wasn’t until 995 that coinage was first struck in Dublin under King Sigtrygg II Silkbeard Olafsson. He was the first ruler to mint coins that are known today as Hiberno-Norse coins. Historical accounts vary about when the first part of his rule began from 989 to 995. His second rule was from 995 to 1036 until he was dethroned. Coins were posthumously struck under Silkbeard’s name for some years, and the minting of Hiberno-Norse coinage stopped being produced sometime in the mid-12th century. The Norman Conquest from England was just beginning when the Vikings ceased minting coins.

May 1, 1169, marked the first day of the Anglo-Norman Invasion, which was commissioned by King of England Henry II. Diarmait Mac Murchada, who was formerly the king of the region of Leinster in Ireland, led a group of mercenaries to the city of Wexford. He was joined by another commander from England, Robert FitzStephen, and the Skirmish of Duncormick took place with the local Norse-Gaels (Irish-Vikings), who could not hold them off. Soon, the English invaders found their way to Wexford, and they raided the city. The townspeople surrendered, and a peace treaty was signed. Two land grants were made to FitzStephen as territories known as Bargy and Forth. These were the first established colonies of the Anglo-Norman Invasion. A year later, another invasion would follow, and more settlements were made throughout Ireland by the English.

The British Crown conquered much of Ireland, and sporadic wars were fought over the next few hundred years. It wasn’t until 1603 that Ireland was fully under the control of the British Empire, since Elizabeth I had died and her cousin King James VI of Scotland now became the ruler of the British Empire. He was now known as James I. In 1641, the Irish Confederate Wars began, lasting 11 years in total. These wars were fought between England, Ireland, and Scotland, which controlled the three kingdoms that existed within Ireland. A man by the name of James FitzThomas Butler was placed in charge of the Irish Royal Army that was based in Dublin. His rank was that of a lieutenant-general. In 1642, he became the Earl of Ormonde after his successful campaign against the rebel confederates. On November 17, 1643, he became lord lieutenant of Ireland and was sworn into office on the 21st of January following in 1644. Between 1643 and 1644, the Earl of Ormonde issued emergency coinage, which is known as Ormonde Money. Citizens of Ireland who were faithful to England were encouraged to bring in their silver to be coined at the treasury, which would be equivalent to silver issued by England. A few denominations were produced, and one issue that is popular among coin collectors is the Ormond Crown, as shown above.

(1643-1644) Irish Ormonde Silver Crown, PCGS VF35. Courtesy of PCGS.

Milled- or machine-struck coinage first began to be produced in 1660 under Charles II, and in 1685, James II was crowned as king of England. His coinage was short-lived, and within three years, James II and the English Parliament were at odds. The king would not give up his Catholic faith and then named his newborn son as heir to the throne. This resulted in his daughter, Mary Tudor, being essentially cast aside as the heir to the throne, which upset Parliament, which were of the Protestant faith. William of Orange was summoned to England, who took over and ascended to the throne with little resistance from James II’s army. James II fled to France in December of 1688. In 1689, he landed in Ireland and Parliament declared him the king of Ireland. James II introduced token coinage consisting of base metals obtained from scrap items, such as old church bells, fencing, broken cannons, and guns, and thus, this coinage was dubbed Gunmoney. This type of coinage was introduced to Ireland in March of 1689 so James II could pay his newly formed army to support his strategic endeavors to regain the English throne, which was unsuccessful. PCGS offers a set titled Irish Gunmoney Type Set, Circulation Strikes (1689-1690) for collectors to view and potentially start a PCGS Registry Set.

1690 May ½ Crown Irish Gunmoney, PCGS MS63. Courtesy of PCGS.

In 1816, England issued currency reforms known as the Coinage Act devalued the currency to stabilize the English economy after the Napoleonic wars. Large transactions that were over 40 shillings were prohibited to be transacted in silver and were only to be conducted in gold. England wanted to establish a gold standard throughout the empire. English coinage was widely circulated throughout Ireland and milled coinage continued to be struck in Ireland up until 1823. In 1826, all Irish currency was removed from circulation within the country. The British Pound became the official unit of currency for a little over the next century within Ireland.

1949 Ireland ½ Penny, PCGS MS66RB. Courtesy of PCGS.

On April 24, 1916, seven men, known as the Irish Republican Brothers, organized a movement to stand up against England and become independent. This day is known as Easter Rising and was led by Patrick Pearce. The English sent reinforcements to Dublin, where the opposition was quickly halted. Pearce peacefully surrendered on Saturday, April 29, 1916, to stop the carnage. The day of the uprising was carefully planned for a little over a year, and martial law followed this demonstration. Although Ireland did not gain its independence immediately, this historic day unified Ireland further, and its pursuit for freedom intensified.

January 21, 1919, marks the day a new party was formed in Dublin called the Dáil Éireann, or Assembly of Ireland. This new revolutionary party issued a Declaration of Independence, called itself the Irish Republic, and sought to free itself from the United Kingdom. This day marked the beginning of the Irish War of Independence as The Irish Republican Army (IRA) killed two Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) officers, and this incident is known as the Soloheadbeg Ambush. The IRA began attacking the British and RIC soldiers with intensity. Barracks were sabotaged, assaults took place on patrols, locals helped with the cause, and guerrilla warfare escalated. Fighting continued for many months, and on July 9, 1921, a ceasefire was put into effect. However, the following day, homes were burned to the ground in Falls Road, Belfast, and weapons of all sorts reared their ugly heads in the streets in an event known as Bloody Sunday. This led to another ceasefire on July 11, 1921, paving the way for peace talks.

1941 Ireland Florin, PCGS MS65. Courtesy of PCGS.

On December 6, 1921, The Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed, putting an end to colonialism in Ireland. Disagreements existed within the IRA and its leaders over the next few years, but the Irish Free State was established on December 6, 1922. Once Ireland became a free state in 1922, the Trinity College harp became the nation’s new symbol. It appears on the obverse of coinage struck for the free state of Ireland beginning in 1928. The reverse of the 1/2 crown displays the Irish sport horse, an animal developed by crossbreeding an Irish draught and a thoroughbred for show competitions. PCGS has listed a set titled 1928 Irish Proof Set, which displays the first proof coins struck under the Irish Free State. Irish year sets can be found, and another popular Registry Set is the Irish Florin Date Set, Circulation Strikes (1928-1968). This set includes the fabled 1943 Florin, of which less than 35 examples are known to exist. An example graded PCGS AU50 and sold in 2007 fetched just under $19,000! PCGS F15-graded examples currently bring about $10,000 in the marketplace.

1966 Ireland Patrick Pearse Easter Rising 50th Anniversary 10 Shillings, PCGS MS65. Courtesy of PCGS.

For centuries the people of Ireland endured hardships due to colonialism, feudalism, classism, and barbarism. However, the people of Ireland, through unity and faith, persevered to become a free nation.

That sunny day way back, when I found that little green trophy, one of the kids took me to their home and said to their mom, “Sanjay found a four-leaf clover.” She warmly replied with something like, “Well, that sure is lucky, Sanjay, and we need to save this moment.” She grabbed her scissors and an album that had adhesive, laminate-covered pages. She then cut a square, peeled back the laminate, wrote the date, carefully placed the clover on the sticky paper, and sealed the four sides with tape.

The odds of finding a four-leaf clover are one in 10,000. And in Ireland, the four-leaf clover represents faith, hope, love, and luck.

One night, I got lost in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and somebody was kind enough to give me directions to where I was going. Before departing, I opened my wallet, handed them my four-leaf clover, told them it brought me luck, thanked them, and headed home. Hopefully, it brought them luck.