Charles I Gold Unite (Kingdom of England)

Historical Context

Upon ascending the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland in March 1625, Charles I inherited a currency system structured under his father, James I. James had instituted the unite in 1604 following the Union of the Crowns to symbolize the dynastic merger of England and Scotland. First tariffed at 20 shillings, the unite was raised to 22 shillings in 1611 in response to rising continental gold prices, before being superseded in 1619 by a lighter 20-shilling gold denomination known as the laurel.

Charles I discontinued the laurel design and revived the unite title at the traditional 20-shilling valuation. The indenture standard settled in 1619 was maintained: crown gold of 22 carats fine (0.9167 fine), struck at 41 unites per pound troy, producing a theoretical statutory weight of 140.49 grains (9.104 grams).

The Tower Mint's earliest regular issues of 1625 (Group A) depicted the king in formal coronation robes. Produced manually between handheld dies, these hammered coins frequently displayed typical irregularities such as uneven edges, varying flan thickness, and legend doubling. Dissatisfied with the mechanical inconsistency of the Tower moneyers, Charles extended patronage to Nicolas Briot, former Chief Engraver (Tailleur général) of the Paris Mint, who had relocated to England in 1625 after facing institutional resistance from French guild moneyers.

Following royal warrants in 1628 and formal letters patent in 1631, Briot established a mechanized coin press within the Tower of London. Utilizing rolling mills for uniform planchet thickness and screw presses for striking, Briot produced controlled runs of regular currency alongside commemorative medals. His First Milled Coinage of 1631–1632 marked a significant advance in English coinage art, characterized by uniform roundness, crisp medallic relief, and precise letterforms. Although the Company of Moneyers resisted broad mechanization to protect established operational privileges, Briot's punch-cutting and technical skill introduced a lasting standard into Stuart numismatics.

Obverse: Iconographic Composition

Across both the hammered Tower series and Briot's milled issues, the obverse of the unite features the crowned profile bust of Charles I facing left. Behind the king's portrait is the mark of value XX, indicating the coin's statutory tariff of 20 shillings.

In the hammered Group A series (Bust 1), the king appears in coronation robes, wearing an upright pleated ruff, a mantle trimmed with an ermine collar, and a double-arched crown. An inner beaded border separates the portrait from the circumferential inscription, with the privy mark lis positioned at the apex (12 o'clock).

In Nicolas Briot's First Milled Issue, the monarch is depicted with refined shoulder-length hair, a pointed beard, and an upturned moustache. He wears an arched royal crown, plate armor, a draped royal mantle, and an intricate falling lace collar. The numeral XX is engraved behind the head. At the top of the flan at 12 o'clock, Briot's personal signature—a small anemone (daisy) flower followed by the letter B—initiates the marginal legend.

Obverse: Epigraphy and Inscriptions

The obverse inscriptions are executed in Latin capital letters, detailing the monarch's official royal titles.

Hammered Group A:

• Script: Latin capital lettering.
• Series legend: · CAROLVS D : G : MAG : BR : FR : ET HI : REX ·
• Transliteration: Carolus Dei Gratia Magnae Britanniae Franciae et Hiberniae Rex
• English Translation: "Charles, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland"
• Arrangement: Clockwise marginal text positioned between an inner beaded circle and an outer beaded border, preceded by the privy mark lis at 12 o'clock.

Briot First Milled Issue:

• Script: Latin capital lettering.
• Series legend: · CAROLVS · D : G · MAGN · BRITANN · FRAN · ET · HIBER · REX ·
• Transliteration: Carolus Dei Gratia Magnae Britanniae Franciae et Hiberniae Rex
• English Translation: "Charles, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland"
• Arrangement: Continuous marginal inscription framed within a fine outer beaded border, initiated at 12 o'clock by the anemone mark and the letter B.

Reverse: Iconographic Composition

The reverse iconography represents the royal house through the heraldic quartering of the Stuart arms, signifying the united domains of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland.

In the hammered Group A coinage, the reverse displays a square-topped garnished shield ensigned by a jeweled imperial crown, whose apex interrupts the inner beaded circle. The shield bears:

• First and fourth quarters: France modern (three fleurs-de-lis) quartered with England (three lions passant guardant).
• Second quarter: Scotland (a lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counterflory).
• Third quarter: Ireland (a harp).

In Briot's First Milled Issue, the reverse centers on an ornate square-topped garnished shield bearing identical quarterings, ensigned by an imperial crown. The shield is flanked by the royal cipher: a letter C to the left and a letter R to the right. A minute initial B appears directly beside the cross terminal of the crown.

Reverse: Epigraphy and Inscriptions

The reverse carries a Latin moral motto proclaiming the benefits of peaceful rule and dynastic unity.

Hammered Group A:

• Script: Latin capital lettering.
• Series legend: · FLORENT · CONCORDIA · REGNA ·
• Transliteration: Florent concordia regna
• English Translation: "Through concord kingdoms flourish"
• Arrangement: Circular marginal inscription punctuated by pellets, placed between inner and outer beaded borders, opened by the privy mark lis at 12 o'clock.

Briot First Milled Issue:

• Script: Latin capital lettering.
• Series legend: · FLORENT · CONCORDIA · REGNA ·
• Transliteration: Florent concordia regna
• English Translation: "Through concord kingdoms flourish"
• Arrangement: Encircling legend separated by diamond-shaped stops, enclosed within a sharp beaded border and framing the crowned shield and royal cipher C R.

Typology and Documented Variants

Between 1625 and the Civil War, the unite progressed through several distinct typological groups at the Tower Mint:

• Group A (Type 1) Hammered Unite (1625): Features Bust 1 facing left in coronation robes (ermine collar, ruff) and double-arched crown; reverse shows a square-topped garnished shield. Initial mark lis (1625). Catalogued as North 2146; Brooker 17–28; Spink 2685; Schneider BNJ 28, pp. 333–338. (Comparative specimen: Cleveland Museum of Art 1969.192: 9.117 g, 34 mm).
• Group B (Type 1a) Hammered Unite (1625–1628): Features Bust 2 in armor with falling ruff and the ribbon of the Order of the Garter; reverse retains the square-topped shield. Privy marks include cross calvary (1625–1626), Negro's head (1626–1627), castle (1627–1628), and anchor (1628). Catalogued as North 2147/2148; Brooker 29–48; Spink 2687; Schneider BNJ 28, pp. 338–349.
• Group C (Type 2) Hammered Unite (1628–1630): Features Bust 3 with a narrower bust and smaller ruff; reverse shifts to an oval garnished shield between crowned letters C and R. Privy marks include heart (1629–1630) and plume (1630). Catalogued as North 2150; Brooker 49–67; Spink 2689; Schneider BNJ 28, pp. 349–356.
• Group D (Type 3) Hammered Unite (1630–1638): Features Busts 4 and 5 with a falling lace collar instead of a ruff; reverse displays an oval garnished shield flanked by crowned C and R. Privy marks include rose (1631–1632), harp (1632–1633), portcullis (1633–1634), bell (1634–1635), crown (1635–1636), and tun (1636–1638). Catalogued as North 2153/2154; Brooker 68–95; Spink 2692; Schneider BNJ 28, pp. 356–370.
• Nicolas Briot's First Milled Issue (1631–1632): Mechanically produced with rolling-mill flans and screw presses; bust in profile with lace collar and armor; reverse shows a square-topped shield between C and R. Obverse mark anemone and letter B; reverse initial mark B. Catalogued as North 2294; Spink 2719; Brooker 706–707; SCBI 57 (Schneider II) no. 273; Schneider BNJ 28, pp. 380–385 (dies II/3). (Comparative specimen: Cleveland Museum of Art 1969.194: 9.061 g, 33 mm).
• Nicolas Briot's Second Milled Issue (1638–1639): Exhibits a shorter bust truncation and adjusted drapery; reverse preserves the square-topped shield between crowned C and R. Privy mark anchor accompanied by B. Catalogued as North 2301; Spink 2722; Schneider BNJ 28, p. 385.

Scholarly Debates and Attribution Limitations

Circulation Status vs. Pattern Designation

Early numismatic accounts (such as those by Kenyon and Hawkins) frequently categorized Briot's English machine-made coins as pattern or presentation strikings due to their fine finish and relative scarcity compared to hammered currency. However, documentary examination of mint indentures and the official Trials of the Pyx confirmed that Briot's First Milled Issue of 1631–1632 was an authorized currency production struck in controlled numbers alongside regular hammered issues. While Briot also executed distinct patterns and trial pieces, his gold unites struck pursuant to the 1631 letters patent served as circulating legal tender.

Historiographical Corrections

Two persistent claims in general museum literature require clarification:

• Pioneering Mechanized Striking: General collection records have occasionally referred to Briot's 1631 coinage as the earliest machine-made coins produced in England. In their die and archival study, Douglas G. Borden and Ian D. Brown demonstrated that mechanized screw presses and rolling mills had already been deployed at the Tower Mint by the French moneyer Eloy Mestrelle between 1561 and 1572 under Elizabeth I. Briot reintroduced, improved, and expanded upon mechanization rather than originating it in England.
• Early Tudor Profile Portraiture: Legacy cataloguing has at times conflated the introduction of Renaissance profile portraiture under Henry VII (1485–1509) with Henry VIII (1509–1547). The profile testoon dies were engraved circa 1504 by Alexander of Bruchsal under Henry VII.

Metrological Tolerances

The statutory indenture weight for the unite was 140.49 grains (9.104 g). The paired museum records report actual surviving masses: CMA 1969.192 weighs 9.117 g, while CMA 1969.194 weighs 9.061 g. In hammered examples, irregular flans and varying border widths are standard consequences of manual production and cannot be taken as definitive evidence of coin clipping without visible shearing or edge destruction.

References

1. Cleveland Museum of Art Accession Record 1969.192: Unite: Charles I; Crowned Shield (1625). Accession No. 1969.192; The Norweb Collection; 9.117 g, 34 mm.
2. Cleveland Museum of Art Accession Record 1969.194: Unite: Charles I; Crowned Shield by Nicolas Briot (1631–1632). Accession No. 1969.194; The Norweb Collection; 9.061 g, 33 mm.
3. The Milled Coinage of Elizabeth I. Borden, D. G., and I. D. Brown, British Numismatic Journal 53 (1983): 108–132, pls. 1–4.
4. The Tower Gold of Charles I (Part I). Herbert Schneider, British Numismatic Journal 28, pp. 331-385; Tower gold and Briot issues
5. Royal Mint Museum: Charles I Unite (Thomas Simon Collection). Collection object entry on Charles I Unite and Nicolas Briot mechanization.
6. English Hammered Coinage, Volume II: Edward I to Charles II, 1272–1662. North, J. J. (3rd rev. ed., London: Spink & Son, 1991), nos. 2146, 2148, 2150, 2153, 2294, 2301.
7. The John G. Brooker Collection: Coins of Charles I (1625–1649). Brooker, J. G., ed. J. J. North and P. J. Preston-Morley, SCBI 33 (1984), nos. 22–24, 706–707.
8. The Herbert Schneider Collection, Volume Two: English Gold Coins 1603–20th Century. Woodhead, Peter, SCBI 57 (2002), no. 273 (Briot First Milled Unite).