Charles I 1645 Ninepence, Newark, siege piece issued under duress

Charles I (1625-49),silver Newark siege Ninepence, 1645, issued in time of duress on lozenge shaped flan, Royal crown, C to left, R to right, denomination IX below in Roman numerals, beaded border both sides,rev.three line inscription and date, OBS: / NEWARK / 1645, weight 4.67g (Brooker 1227; N.2641; S.3144).Toned, with some light flan flaws, good very fine and at the upper range of the weight for these pieces, an unusual denomination.

The silver Newark siege pieces were issued with dates of 1645 and 1646, the Shilling being the first denomination to appear with a crude ovoid crown design and with an E on the end of the town name styling it as "Newarke."

The next denomination issued was the Ninepence in unison with the Shilling after a revision of the crown style. Later in 1645 the Halfcrown appears when all three of the denominations are styled with the town name as "Newark."

Finally, the Sixpence appears for use dated 1646 and is consequently the rarest of the denominations. The letters OBS: are an abbreviation of the word obsidional which means "of the siege."

The dated coins of 1646 are rare, as the new year at that time did not commence till the 25^thMarch. Therefore 1646 dated coins could really only have been issued from the 25^thMarch till the 6^thMay maximum, but probably for a slightly shorter time in reality. Probably for only 40 days or less, a very short-lived issue and subsequently rare.