POST MEDIEVAL COIN WEIGHT

1604

Post Medieval square copper alloy double sided coin weight. On the obverse is a three quarter lengh portrait of James I with the legend: I R BRI all encircled by a pellet border. On the reverse is XIs (for 11 shillings) under a crown within a plain line circular border, over stamped with a crowned I to upper left. This is a British made weight for revalued Double Crown (half unite) of James I, 2nd coinage (Withers and Withers 1995:13). It is 14.52mm square by 3.35mm thick; it weighs 4.5 grams, 70 grains. A full weight double crown of the period 1604-1619 weighed 77.5 grains; coin weights are typically made slightly light to fit the legal minimum weight of the coin. Although unites were only produced for a short period they continued to circulate longer, however after 1632 round weights were more common (ibid:26).