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Hammered Coins
For numismatic collectors Hammered coins represent a chance to buy a piece of older history, whether in gold or silver. British hammered coins were in production up to 1662 at which point coin manufacture switched to milling, improving the quality and security. A hammered coin can usually be identified easily by its distinctive flattened edges and is often visually misshaped compared to modern milled coins.
Hammered coins cover the time period of some of England and Scotland's most famous, and infamous, monarchs. Edward I, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Charles II are just some of the Kings and Queens that can be found on a hammered coin.
1651 Gold Unite Coin Commonwealth
from £6,487
1658 Silver Shilling Coin Cromwell
from £4,030.80
1505-1509 Gold Angel Coin Henry VII Hammered
from £3,386
1625 Gold Unite Coin Charles I
from £3,345
from £3,019
1625 Gold Unite Coin Charles I mm Lis
from £2,968
Gold Angel Coin Henry VIII Good Fine
from £2,931
1467-1468 Gold Half Ryal Coin Edward IV mm Crown
from £2,882
Gold Unite Coin Charles I Near Very Fine
from £2,863
from £2,863
1499-1502 Gold Angel Coin Henry VIII Anchor
from £2,757
from £2,737
from £2,674
Gold Half Sovereign Henry VIII Fine
from £2,474
1632-1633 Gold Unite Coin Charles I mm Harp
from £2,357
1413-1422 Gold Half Noble Coin Henry V Class G
from £2,293
Gold Angel Coin Henry VII Fine
from £2,284
1613 Laurel Gold Coin James I mm Trefoil
from £2,284
The term ‘hammered' refers to the manufacturing process of the coin, during which a blank piece of bullion was placed between two dies, and the pattern struck into both sides of the coin. The method was used for centuries and was largely unaltered from traditional techniques even years later.
Hammered coins suffered from a number of flaws that ultimately made their replacement necessary. Due to the striking process it was impossible to produce coins that were uniform in size and weight. This made the coins vulnerable to various forms of fraud, of which the most popular was ‘clipping'. A clipped coin had slivers of the metal sheared from the edges and caused British coinage to be devalued significantly over the course of their history.
Non-hammered coins were first produced in England during the rule of Elizabeth I during the 1560s, but the skill-trade held off its rival for just over a century. It wasn't until 1662 that hammered coins finally came to an end.
