1685 Shilling – James II

1685 Shilling James II Obverse

The 1685 Shilling - James II

King James II Shilling minted by the Royal Mint at the Tower Mint in London. Silver, diameter 25mm and weighs 5.98g. A shilling was 12 old pence, equivalent to the 5p coin in modern coinage.

Design is SCBC 3410 and was used 1685-1688, with a few variants. Some 1685 coins had no stops on the reverse.

The Obverse shows a laureate and draped bust of James II facing left. Legend around is "IACOBVS . II . DEI . GRATIA".

Edge has diagonal milling (///).

The Reverse is four crowned shields, bearing the arms of England Scotland France and Ireland, arranged in a cross. Star of the Garter at the centre. Legend around is "MAG . BR . FRA . ET . HIB REX". Date (1685) divided across top crown.

Image credit: Museums Victoria


Mintage: Not known
Minted at The Royal Mint.
Remember 1685 ?
Monarch was Charles II until 6 February, and then James II. King Charles II died after a short illness and his brother succeeded him as King James II. James needed to fend off a counter-claim and some assassination attempts.
James II (1685-1688)
James was King of England and Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685 until he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Born on 14 October 1633, the brother of Charles II, at St James's Palace, London and died 16 September 1701. Many dies engraved by John Roettier (1631-1700).

On coins, James II is usually written as Latin: IACOBVS II.

The regnal years used on James II coins were:
1686:SECVNDO; 1687:TERTIO; 1688:QVARTO.
Category: Shillings
The Shilling (written 1/-) is one-twentienth of a pound, worth 12 old pence (5 new pence). It is traditionally a silver coin, but since 1947 it has been made from cupro-nickel. Shillings are known as 'Bobs'.

Shillings are old coins and the English shilling has been around since about 1549, although there were 12 pence coins before that called Testoons from about 1489. The British shillings was the continuation from 1707.

After decimalisation on 15 February 1971, the coin was replaced by the five new pence piece. Originally, the 5p coin was the same size as the shilling but was later made much smaller.
Which Mint: The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint is the designated place for the UK to mint coins. It dates back well over 1000 years and is a Government-owned company. 

Formed in the reign of Alfred the Great about the year 886, during the period 1279-1812 it was generally referred to as The Tower Mint as it was housed at the Tower of London. The Master of The Royal Mint has included famous figures such as Sir Isaac Newton.

Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK although it also produces medals and coins for other countries. It is currently located at Llantrisant, Wales.
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
The United Kingdom (UK) is the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is often refered to as Great Britain (GBR). It has a long, rich history.

The orignal coinage was Pounds, Shillings and Pence but since decimalisation on 15 February 1971, it is £1 = 100p, that is One Pound = 100 pence. The coinage of the UK is also a long history, the Royal Mint being established as long ago as 886AD when coins were hammered. Today there is perhaps 30 billion coins in circulation, and many (numismatic) collectors coins and sets are issued frequently in gold, silver and other metals.
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IRELAND. JAMES II (1685-1691). ‘GUNMONEY’ COINAGE SHILLING. DATED 1690 MAY.
IRELAND. JAMES II (1685-1691). ‘GUNMONEY’ COINAGE SHILLING. DATED 1690 MAY.
£ 270.00
1685 Silver SHILLING 1s Coin King JAMES II 1685 - 1688  ESC1068 (5.90g)
1685 Silver SHILLING 1s Coin King JAMES II 1685 - 1688 ESC1068 (5.90g)
£ 349.99
1663 Silver SHILLING Coin CHARLES II  (1660 - 1685) 5.45grams ESC1022
1663 Silver SHILLING Coin CHARLES II (1660 - 1685) 5.45grams ESC1022
£ 139.99
1685 Silver SHILLING 1s Coin King JAMES II 1685 - 1688  ESC1068 (5.62g)
1685 Silver SHILLING 1s Coin King JAMES II 1685 - 1688 ESC1068 (5.62g)
£ 269.99
King James II Shilling - 1685
King James II Shilling - 1685
£ 215.00
1685 Silver SHILLING 1s Coin King JAMES II 1685 - 1688  ESC1068 (5.66g)
1685 Silver SHILLING 1s Coin King JAMES II 1685 - 1688 ESC1068 (5.66g)
£ 299.99
1671 CHARLES II SCOTTISH SILVER MERK COIN TYPE 2 RARE GOOD CONDITION 2C42
1671 CHARLES II SCOTTISH SILVER MERK COIN TYPE 2 RARE GOOD CONDITION 2C42
£ 145.00
1670 CHARLES II SCOTTISH SILVER MERK COIN TYPE 2 RARE GOOD CONDITION 2C8
1670 CHARLES II SCOTTISH SILVER MERK COIN TYPE 2 RARE GOOD CONDITION 2C8
£ 195.00

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