Reverse.—Type. Cross fleury, or plain cross, and shield of France and England; the shield on the crown mantled. Halfpenny, cross and pellets. Farthing, crowned monogram of name.
Legend. POSVI DEVM ADIVTOREM MEVM, or its abbreviations; or name of town.
Gold. Sovereign, or Double-rial, same general type as the Sovereign of Mary. Pound-sovereign, Half-sovereign, Crown and Half-crown, sinister bust fully robed, crowned with an open crown of two, four, or five arches. Rial, with the queen in a large ruff, standing in a ship, crowned, etc. Angels, Angelets, and Quarter-angels, St. Michael and the Dragon; reverse, a ship, royal shield in front, surmounted by a cross, with E. and a rose. Some of the legends on the reverses of gold coins are, A DNO. FACTV. EST ISTVD ET EST MIRAB. IN OCVL. NRS; IHS. AVT TRANSIENS PER MEDIV. ILLORVM IBAT; SCVTVM FIDEI PROTEGET EAM; and one Rial, referring to the taking of Virginia by Sir Walter Raleigh, has on its obverse ELIZAB [ETHA] D [EI] G [RATIA] ANG [LIÆ] FR[ANCIÆ]ETM[AGNÆ]PR[OVINCIÆ]C[APTÆ]A[VSPICIIS]I[LLIVS] REGINA (“Elizabeth, by the Grace of God, Queen of England, France, and the Great Province captured under her auspices”).
In this reign pattern copper coins were struck, but never issued. The Penny bore on the obverse a full-face portrait of the queen, and the words THE PLEDGE OF; and on the reverse the crowned monogram, and the continuation of the legend, A PENNY, and date 1601. Other pattern pieces were also struck of copper, lead, pewter, and leather, but are all extremely rare.
JAMES I. (1603 to 1625.)
Denominations.—Silver. Crown, Half-crown, Shilling, Sixpence, Half-groat, Penny, and Halfpenny. Gold. First issue. Sovereign or Thirty-shilling-piece, Half-sovereign or Double-crown (15s.), Quarter-sovereign or Crown (7s. 6d.), Eighth-of-Sovereign or Half-crown (3s. 9d.). Second issue. Unit (20s.), Double-crown (10s.), British-crown (5s.), Half-British-crown (2s. 6d.), Thistle-crown (4s.). Third issue. Rose-rial or Sovereign (30s.), Spur-rial (15s.), Angel (10s.), Angelet or Half-angel (5s.). Last issue. Rose-rial or Sovereign (Thirty-shilling-piece), Spur Rial (Fifteen-shilling-piece), Angel, Laurel or Unit, Double-crown or Half-laurel, British-crown or Quarter-laurel. The current values were from time to time raised.
Obverse.—Type. Crown and Half-crown, king on horseback, in armour, crowned, drawn sword in his right hand; on the caparison the royal rose or the thistle crowned.
On some IACOBVS D G MA (or MAG) BRI (or BRIT) FRA (or FRAN) ET HI (or HIB or HIBER) REX.
Shilling, Half-shilling, etc., dexter bust profile, robed, crowned; long pointed beard and mustachios, hair short, numerals at back of head for value. Twopence, the bust as before on some, on others the royal rose crowned. Penny, bust as before, or I. R. crowned; a rose on one side the letters, and a thistle on the other: others, a rose. Halfpenny, a portcullis, or rose.
Legend. I. IA. IACOBV. or IACOBVS. D. G. ANG. SCO. FRAN. ET. HIB. REX., and other abbreviations. Half-groat, etc., I. D. G. ROSA SINE SPINA. Penny with I. R.; and Halfpenny, no legend.