Ancient, British and World Coins and Banknotes

Oliver Cromwell, Half-Broad, 1658, by an unknown artist working in the Low Countries [i.e. the 'Dutch' Half-Broad], in gold, struck c. 1700, similar, edge coarsely grained, 4.64g/12h (Lessen B7; WR 44; Henfrey pl.iii, 5; Murdoch 455; Montagu 718; N p.175). Light haymarking and a small area of rust from the die in the reverse field, otherwise extremely fine and of the highest rarity, almost certainly the only specimen available to commerce (£5,000-6,000)

Provenance:
SNC August 1911 (89685);
V.M. Brand Collection [from Spink November 1911];
Mrs R. Henry Norweb Collection, Part II, Spink Auction 48, 13 November 1985, lot 422;
C. Southern Collection;
bt C. Cooke August 2000.

Lessen states that only three other specimens with grained edges are believed known, two of which are in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. It is probable that the present coin is the same piece included in the Maynard (Sale, 1885, lot 123), Montagu (Sale, 1896, Part III, lot 718) and Murdoch (Sale, 1903, Part II, lot 455) Collections, subsequently listed in SNC February 1904 (627) and April 1905 (14659)