Legend. POSVI DEVM ADIVTOREM MEVM, and its abbreviations on the Shilling and Groat. Half-groat, occasionally the same, or with name of town. Penny and Halfpenny, name of town. Farthing, CIVITAS LONDON or RVTILANS ROSA.
Rarity. Groat struck at Tournay, CIVITAS TORNACI. etc., very rare. Henry VIII. debased his silver so much that his later coins have more the appearance of brass than silver. The shillings and halfpenny rare, the rest are not.
Gold. Double-sovereign, Sovereign, Half-sovereign, Rial, Half and Quarter-rials, similar in general type to those of Henry VII.: George-noble, with an equestrian figure of St. George riding over and transfixing with a spear a dragon, on the obverse; and on the reverse a ship, a cross, between H R, for a mast, and upon it a double rose. Angel and Angelet as before. Crown and Half-crown obverse a double rose, etc., crowned, between the crowned or uncrowned letters H. K. (Henry and Katherine), H. A. (Henry and Ann Boleyn), H. I. (Henry and Jane Seymour), or H. R.; reverse, royal arms crowned between same initials. RVTILANS ROSA SINE SPINA. Half-george, Noble, Crown, and Half-crown, George-noble, rare; Rial extremely so.
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.