The Petition Crown

The King of English Coins

The Petition Crown is numismatic royalty — often called "the King of English Coins" in the same way the 1804 dollar reigns over American numismatics. This 1663 pattern piece by Thomas Simon represents not just exceptional artistry but a dramatic personal appeal from a master engraver who had fallen from royal favor.

In 1663, Thomas Simon was facing professional ruin. Despite serving as Chief Engraver under the Commonwealth and creating the universally admired Cromwell crown, the restored King Charles II had appointed Dutch engravers John and Joseph Roettiers to design the new milled coinage. Simon, tainted by his association with the Parliamentarians during the Civil War, found himself sidelined.

His response was audacious: create the finest coin England had ever seen and inscribe his plea directly on its edge, in two lines of raised lettering — a technical feat unprecedented at the time.

A Technical Marvel

The edge inscription itself was a technical triumph. Raising letters on a coin's edge in two full lines was unprecedented — most edge inscriptions were single-line and simpler. Simon's execution was flawless, with the word "MAJESTY" rendered in slightly larger italic letters for emphasis. The inscription begins with a decorative device: crowned interlocked C's over palm and laurel branches.

The obverse portrait of Charles II is extraordinary. Simon captured the king's features with unprecedented detail — you can see the veins on his neck, individual strands of his flowing hair, and the delicate shadows under his famous "lovelock" curl draped over his right shoulder. The king wears a laurel wreath and is draped in classical robes, struck in such high relief that the portrait appears almost sculptural.

The reverse features crowned cruciform shields with pairs of interlocked C's in the angles. At center is the Order of the Garter with St George slaying the dragon, surrounded by the motto "HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE" (Shame to him who thinks ill of it). The attention to detail rivals the obverse — twelve strings are visible on the Irish harp, an exceptional level of precision.

The Petition's Failure — And Lasting Victory

Simon's plea failed. Charles II did not reinstate him as sole Chief Engraver. The Roettiers' designs were adopted for circulation coinage in 1662–1663. Simon continued in a reduced capacity, creating smaller denomination dies and seals, until his death in 1665 — a victim of the Great Plague that swept London.

Yet Simon won the judgment of history. Within a year of the Petition Crown's creation, the Roettiers began modifying their portrait of Charles II to more closely resemble Simon's superior work. And while the Roettiers' coins circulated in the millions, it is Simon's Petition Crown that numismatists treasure above all English coins.

Only approximately 16–30 original Petition Crowns are believed to exist today, with about a dozen in private hands. In 2007, one sold for £207,100. In 2018, another brought $649,000 in New York. In 2024, a specimen achieved $1 million at auction, setting a record for a British silver coin. This is a coin people build collections around, not merely add to them.

The 2023 Two-Coin Set

The Royal Mint's 2023 release honored Simon's masterwork with a two-coin set — the only format that could properly showcase both the intricate obverse portrait and the detailed reverse shields. Released in March 2023 (360 years after the original), the set allowed collectors to display both designs while preserving the famous edge inscription.

The modern striking reveals details in Simon's engraving that would have been difficult to appreciate even on the original 1663 proofs. The high relief of Charles II's portrait, the micro-detail of the shields, and the precision of the raised edge lettering all benefit from 21st-century proof striking techniques.

This marks the first time the Petition Crown design has been struck officially since Simon's original trial pieces. The Royal Mint produced the 2023 versions in .999 silver and 24-karat gold across multiple denominations, from 2oz to 5kg, with a unique 5kg gold set limited to a single specimen — echoing the extreme rarity of Simon's originals.

Official Mintage Figures

For Collectors

Original Petition Crowns exist primarily in institutional collections — the British Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum, and major American collections. When examples appear at auction, they attract worldwide attention and set records. Even electrotypes (19th-century reproductions made for collectors who couldn't afford originals) are themselves collectible.

The 2023 Great Engravers re-issue represents an extraordinary opportunity: to own an officially struck version of arguably the most important English coin ever made, complete with Simon's petition inscribed on the edge. The two-coin format allows both sides to be displayed prominently — something impossible with the original.

For numismatists, this is a coin with three faces: obverse, reverse, and edge. Each tells part of Simon's story. The 2023 version ensures that story — and Simon's unmatched artistry — remains accessible to collectors who will never hold an original but can appreciate his genius in museum-quality modern strikes.