Crude Civil War era ‘emergency money’ coins created by Newark Royalists up for auction with Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's

Civil War era ‘emergency money’ coins forged by Newark’s besieged Royalists are set for auction — expecting to fetch thousands of pounds.

Obsidional coins, often referred to as ‘siege coins’, were made during the English Civil Wars in isolated towns which were cut off and besieged during the gruelling conflict between Royalists and Parliamentarians.

Isolated from the main Royalist forces, coins were in limited supply, but money was still needed for day-to-day transactions of the garrison and to keep the defending troops paid to discourage desertion or defection.

Whatever the townspeople could lay their hands on — whether silver church plates, flagons, or private flatware — was turned into bullion coins.

They were crudely hammered out into lozenge, octagonal, and circular shapes and marked with the name of the town, the denomination, and the date, as well as the letters OBS, standing for the Latin word obsessum (besieged) or obsidio (siege).

“Obsidional coins are a fascinating and tangible connection to the mayhem and horror of this very troubled time in English history,” said Richard Gladdle, British coin specialist.

Three lots of coins from Newark are to be put on sale by auction house Stanley Gibbons Baldwin's, at its upcoming auction of The Frank Waley Collection of Hammered Silver and Milled Gold on December 11.

Newark played a crucial role in the war and was known as the “Faithful Fortress” for its unwavering loyalty to King Charles I — but its inhabitants suffered greatly as they endured three separate sieges between 1643 and 1646.

Newark's defenders remained fiercely loyal to the Royalist cause, until King Charles I himself ordered their surrender in May 1646, and it was in the final year of this suffering that the coins up for auction were created.

Lots 92, 93, and 94, are said to sit at the cruder end of the siege coinage spectrum, roughly cut into the shape of a diamond and far less intricate than coinage minted away from the pressures of war — but the half-crown and shilling are particularly well-struck.

The half-crown even appears to still show marks of the original decoration from the plate it was made from.

Lot 92 is estimated to sell for £2,000 to 2,500, Lot 93 for £1,800 to 2,300, and Lot 94 for £800 to 1,300.