Gun money facts for kids
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Gun money (Irish: airgead gunna) was a special type of coin made by the forces of King James II. This happened during a war in Ireland called the Williamite War in Ireland, between 1689 and 1691. These coins were not made from valuable metals like silver or gold. Instead, they were made from cheaper metals like copper, brass, or pewter.
The idea was that if King James II won the war, these coins would be traded for real silver coins later. To help with this, the coins even had the month they were made printed on them. This was supposed to help replace them gradually. However, King James lost the war, so the coins were never swapped for silver. They were still used for a while but were worth much less. Most of them were taken out of circulation in the early 1700s.
The name "gun money" comes from the belief that old guns were melted down to make them. But many other brass items, like church bells, were also used to create these coins.
Contents
What Was Gun Money?
Gun money was a temporary currency used during a war in Ireland. It was created because King James II's army needed money to pay soldiers and buy supplies. Since they didn't have enough silver or gold, they used cheaper metals.
Why Were These Coins Made?
These coins were made from what are called "base metals." This means they were not made from precious metals like silver or gold. The plan was to replace them with proper silver coins if King James II won the war. The month of issue was put on the coins. This was so that after the war, soldiers could claim interest on their pay, which had been delayed for a long time.
Different Kinds of Gun Money
There were two main sets of gun money coins. The first set, called the "large" issue, included coins worth sixpence, shillings, and half crowns (which were 2½ shillings).
The second set, known as the "small" issue, had shillings, half crowns, and crowns (worth 5 shillings). Some of these smaller coins were even made by stamping new designs over the older, larger coins. For example, shillings were made over sixpences, half crowns over shillings, and crowns over half crowns.
The most interesting thing about these coins is that they showed the exact month they were made, not just the year.
Rare Silver and Gold Versions
For most months, a few special coins were also made in silver and gold. These were like samples or collector's items. Today, these silver and gold gun money coins are extremely rare and hard to find.
Pewter Money: A Special Type
Pewter money is a much rarer kind of gun money. It was made from pewter, which is a metal mix mostly containing tin. It also had small amounts of copper, antimony, bismuth, and lead. Some of these coins even had a small brass plug in them.
Halfcrowns and crowns made from pewter were issued in 1690. They used the same designs as the other gun money coins. Both of these pewter coins are very rare. There was also a groat (a small coin) made in 1689, which is probably a test coin and very rare. Halfpennies and pennies were also made in pewter in 1689 and 1690. These are less rare, but the 1689 penny is still almost impossible to find.
See also
- Notgeld
