Please Help Identify 1600's? Gold? | Halfcrown Coin Weight

I thought gold didn't tarnish like that... ?
Maybe it's brass?

Neat looking.
Wish I could interpret it for you.
I tried, but my eyes aren't like they used to be!

Edit:
It looks awful crude for the 1600s.
Looks as though there was a date on it.
Could that be 1260-something?
Then again, Roman numerals were more common
that far back... Right?

G'day,
initials CR: Charles or Carolus Rex ? England, Spain, & France, and no doubt others, all had King Charles at various times. Not much help there.

below that: 2s6d - standard abbreviation for two shillings & sixpence, equals a half-crown. That was a common denomination of English coin for hundreds of years.

above CR: can't read these words. Any help or suggestions ?

horseman side: the text around the horse is "HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE", which is still the motto on the British coat of arms.

This looks much rougher than English coins typically do.

I'm wondering if it might be a token made at a provincial mint, during the English civil war, in the 1640s. And, presumably made by someone loyal to the King. Which would explain why it is not gold, nor silver: it might be an emergency coinage during a siege.

Good luck with your research.

Peter in Oz

I appreciate the information guys. It's my first time on here posting and I can see you all know what you are talking about. I can't wait to pick your brain about my other coins I have in my photobucket so far.

Hopefully I will find out what this coin actually is or was and actual date and metal. I did weight it at 14.2 Grams. Hopefully that helps. I think my scale is pretty accurate.

Peter's deductions show that this is not a token, but a British brass coin weight for a Charles I period halfcrown. The "king on horseback" design would help match the weight with the coin it was supposed to weigh the same as. Your weight should weigh around 13.5 to 14 grams. The actual halfcrowns look like this one on Wildwinds:


These coins were hammered, not machine-struck, and forging and clipping were major problems back then. Coins needed to be weighed, and if necessary be rejected or have their exchange value reduced if the coin was found to be underweight.

These weights themselves are now collectable in their own right. Here's a few on CoinArchives, including one that's an exact match for your type. The text above the CR monogram reads "WITH / OVT GRAYN / ES" - "without grains", meaning (I assume) the weight should match a halfcrown without having to add any additional grain weights.