From the late 14th to the 16th century, small silver coins known as ‘galley halfpennies’ circulated widely, but illegally, in England. They were, in fact, Italian soldini, principally those struck for the city-state of Venice under the authority of the ruling doge. They were brought to England by ‘galley men’ trading wine and other goods, and their name may derive from Galley Quay in Thames Street, London, which was reputedly the centre for their distribution.

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The English coinage at the beginning of this period was undervalued in relation to foreign currency, and consequently found its way to continental Europe, where it was profitably melted down. This depletion of the supply of bullion and the resulting shortage of coins, particularly small change, caused real difficulty for many people, and created a demand that was filled by the soldini. In 1402 the Commons petitioned the king to provide halfpennies and farthings for the poor people, but little was done to alleviate the shortage. However, the concern of the authorities regarding the circulation of galley halfpence can be judged by the fact that they were prohibited by statute five times during the 15th century, and finally in 1519/20. There is evidence, however, that they continued to circulate until at least the 1530’s, by which time it is possible that their value had reduced to a farthing.

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A large majority of the soldini found in England are those of Michele Steno and Leonardo Loredan. As the reigns of these two doges are respectively near to the beginning and near to the end of the period of circulation of soldini in this country, it might indicate that the 15th century legislation was, at least to some extent, effective.

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