English Coins and Tokens, with a Chapter on Greek and Roman Coins

by Llewellynn Frederick William Jewitt; Barclay V. Head

EDWARD VI. (1547 to 1553.)

Denominations.—Silver. Crown, Half-crown, Testoon or Shilling, Sixpence, Groat, Threepence, Half-groat, Penny, Halfpenny, Farthing. Gold. Treble-sovereign, Double-sovereign, Sovereign or Double-rial, Half-sovereign, Quarter-sovereign or Crown, Half-crown, Six-angel, Angel, Angelet.

Obverse.—Type. First coinage, which is base in the same degree as Henry VIII.’s last coinage. Testoon, etc., profile, crowned with an open arched crown; Penny and Halfpenny, some with crowned profile, others with the royal rose. Farthing, portcullis.

Later coinages. Crown, the king in armour, crowned, sword drawn, on horseback; to the right, under the horse, the date. Half-crown, the same, sometimes with the addition of a plume on the horse’s head. Shilling, Sixpence, and Threepence, fullfaced bust of king in robes, with the chain of the Order of the Garter round his neck, crowned, a rose on the left, and the value on the right side of the head. Penny, king enthroned, crowned ball and sceptre in his hands, or royal rose.

Legend. E. ED. EDWAR. EDWARD. EDOARD. EDOVARD. or EDWARDVS. VI. or 6.—D. DEI.—G. GRA.—AGL. ANGL.—FRA. FRANCIE. Z.—HIB. HIBE. HIBER.—REX. etc. Testoon, TIMOR DOMINI FONS VITE. MDXLIX. or MDXL.[2]—likewise on reverse, INIMICOS EIVS INDVAM CONFVSIONE. Penny, E. D. G. ROSA SINE SPINA. Crown, SCVTUM FIDEI PROTEGET EVM; or RVTILANS ROSA SINE SPINA. Half-sovereign, SCVTVM FIDEI PROTEGET EVM MDXLVIII[3]; or LVCERNA PEDIBVS MEIS VERBVM TVVM.

Reverse.—Type. One Testoon has the arms of France and England in an oval shield mantled; all others have the cross fleury, and plain shield of France and England quarterly. Farthing, cross and pellets.

Legend. POSVI DEVM ADIVTOREM MEVM and its abbreviations, and town names. Other legends are E. R. INIMICOS EIVS INDVAM CONFVSIONE; TIMOR DOMINE FONS VITE; IHS. AVTE TRANSIE PER MED ILLOR IBAT; SCVTVM FIDEI PROTEGET EVM; PER CRVCEM TVAM SALVA NOS XPE. RED.; IHESV. AVTEM TRANSIENS PER MEDIVM ILLORVM IBAT; and on some the titles appear.

Rarity. Gold coins rare, some extremely so. Silver, first coinage, the Testoon, Groat, Half-groat, and Penny, rare; all his last are tolerably common, with the exception of the Crown, Half-crown, and Penny. Halfpenny and Farthing rare.

Gold.Treble-sovereigns, with the king in robes, and crowned, seated on the throne, drawn sword in right, and orb in left, hand; reverse, royal arms, with supporters, a lion and a dragon. Double-sovereigns, similar figure, but with sceptre instead of sword; a portcullis at his feet. Sovereign, same as Double-sovereign, or a half-length figure of the king in profile, in armour, crowned, sword in right hand, orb in left; reverse, arms of France and England, crowned, with or without lion and dragon supporters; beneath, on the mantling, E. R.; others have the same type as the foregoing. Half-sovereigns, king in chair of state; half-length figure, and bust crowned, etc.

MARY I. AND PHILIP AND MARY. (1553 to 1558.)
Married Philip of Spain, 1554.

Denominations.—Silver. Half-crown, Shilling, Sixpence, Groat, Half-groat, Penny. Gold. Sovereign or Double-rial, Rial, Angel, Angelet.

Obverse.—Type. Before her marriage, Mary’s coins have a sinister bust profile, crowned, arched crown, hair long and flowing, draped. One Penny, a rose instead of head. After her marriage with Philip of Spain, the Shilling and Half-shilling have their busts face to face, with a crown above between them: here she appears with her dress up to her chin, and a head dress; he has the stiff ruffle about his neck. This arrangement of the profile heads facing each other gave rise to the couplet,

“... cooing and billing
Like Philip and Mary on a shilling.”

The Half-crown, which appears to be merely a pattern-piece, but never issued, has on one side her bust, over which is the crown between the date 1554, with the legend MARIA D. G. R. ANG. FR. NEAP. PR. HISP.; and on the other a similar bust of Philip, beneath a crown, and the legend PHILIPVS D. G. R. ANG. FR. NEAP. PR. HISP. Some of the coins have no date, others the date above, others below the heads.

Legend. M. or MARIA.—D. G. ANG.—FR. FRA. Z. HIB. REG. or REGI. Shilling and Sixpence, PHILIP. ET. or Z.; or MARIA. D. G. R. ANG. FR. NEAP. PR. HISP.; or PHILIP ET MARIA D. G. REX ET REGINA ANG. or ANGL. Some have the date as 1553 either beneath the heads or by the crown. Penny, M. D. G. ROSA SINE SPINA; or P. Z. [ET] M. D. G. ROSA SINE SPINA.

Reverse.—Type. Before the marriage, cross fleury and shield, as on her predecessor’s coins. After the marriage, Shilling and Sixpence bear the Spanish and Neapolitan royal arms, impaling those of England, in an oval shield, mantled; surmounted by a crown, between numerals for value.

Legend. Groat and Half-groat of Mary, VERITAS TEMPORIS FILIA, and also abbreviated; of Philip and Mary, POSVIMVS DEVM ADIVTO NOS. Shilling and Sixpence, POSVIMVS DEVM ADIVTOREM NOSTRVM, and abbreviated. Penny, CIVITAS LONDON; or VERITAS TEMP FILIA.

Rarity. Rose-penny rare; Half-crown, Half-groat, and Penny, extremely so.

Gold. Sovereign or Double-rial, the queen full-robed and crowned seated on the throne, in her right hand a sceptre, in the left the orb and cross; at her feet a portcullis; reverse, within a tressure of ten arches a double rose, with shield of royal arms in centre. Legend, A. DNO. FACTV. EST ISTV. Z. EST MIRA IN. OCVL. NRIS. (“It is the work of the Lord, and is wonderful in our eyes.”) Rial, the queen crowned standing in a ship, in her right hand a drawn sword, in her left a shield of arms; in front, a rose. Same legend. Angel and Angelet, with St. Michael and the Dragon as on those of preceding monarchs.