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.
ELIZABETH. (1558 to 1603.)
Denominations.—Silver. Crown, Half-crown, Shilling, Sixpence, Groat, Threepence, Half-groat, Three-halfpence, Penny, Three-farthing, Halfpenny. Gold. Sovereign or Double-rial, Rial, Pound-sovereign, Half-sovereign, Crown, Half-crown, Angel, Angelet, Quarter-angel.
Obverse.—Type. Silver. Crown and Half-crown, sinister bust profile, crowned, open double-arched crown, hair turned back, draped, robe with wide puffed sleeves, stiff frill round the neck; in the right hand the sceptre, the orb as if held in the left. The Shilling, Sixpence, Groat, Threepence, Half-groat, Three-halfpence, Penny, Three-farthing, Halfpenny, and Farthing have also the bust profile, crowned with a single-arched crown, hair long and flowing down the back, draped robe, much plainer than before, and having no sceptre or orb.[4] The Sixpence, Threepence, Three-halfpence, and Three-farthing pieces are distinguished from the others by having the Tudor rose behind the head. It was in reference to this distinguishing mark of a rose behind the head that the satirist on costumes wrote:—
“... Behind her head a rose
That people cry, ‘Lo! there Three-farthings goes!’”
The commonest Halfpenny has a portcullis instead of the bust; the one with the bust is extremely rare. The “milled” money is neater in execution than the earlier “hammered” pieces. The “portcullis” money, struck in 1601 for foreign use, has on the obverse the royal arms, surmounted by a crown, between the initials E. and R., each crowned, and the usual name and titles of the queen; reverse, a portcullis crowned, and the POSVI, etc., legend.
Legend. E. ELIZ. ELIZAB. or ELIZABETH.—D. G. ANG. FR. (or FRA.) ET. HIB. (or HIBER.) REG. (REGI or REGINA). Three-halfpence, Penny, etc., E. R.,—E. D. G. ROSA SINE SPINA.