Oliver Cromwell 1658 Crown, 8 struck over 7

Oliver Cromwell (d.1658), silver Crown, 1658, 8 struck over 7 in date, laureate and draped bust left, raised die flaw at mid-stage, Latin legend and toothed border surrounding, OLIVAR. D.G.R.P. ANG. SCO. HIB &c PRO, rev. crowned quartered shield of arms of the Protectorate, date above, PAX QVÆRITVR BELLO, edge inscribed in raised letters, *.HAS. NISI. PERITVRVS. MIHI. ADIMAT. NEMO., 30.12g (N.2745; L&S 1; Bull 240; ESC 10; S.3226). Possibly once wiped/cleaned in antiquity. Obverse toned in the peripheries with slight wear to the high points, large die crack along bust as is usual for this type, reverse with attractive lustre in hand though some toning around details, overall extremely fine, a pleasing example and hard to find in this grade.

The largest portrait coin of Oliver Cromwell is the magnificent silver Crown engraved by Thomas Simon. However, not long after striking commenced a crack started to emerge on the lower left side of the obverse die, progressing across the horizontal of the neck of Cromwell. This crack in the die manifests on the struck coins as a raised die flaw across the obverse, which would have been a major problem upon the freshly struck coins at the time. It is thought that many of the coins were worked upon with fine tooling to have the die flaw adjusted as much as possible, to then make them perhaps suitable for presentation. The inscription on the edge produced using the new technology of Pierre Blondeau and his castaing machine was a safeguard against the illegal practice of clipping, and was severe in its intent as the Latin translates as "Let no one remove these from me under penalty of death."