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Rare British Hammered, Milled coins,Tokens,Medallions & Roman imperial sestertius, incl. the "Petition crown"

Philip & Mary coins 1554-1558

Halfcrown
Philip and Mary 
Shillings and sixpences Philip and Mary facing each other
with the smaller coinage with Mary portrait only

The story
A collectors dream comes true.

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Half-Crown, 1554. 2nd issue.
Weight 252 grains
Obv. PHILIPVS . D . G . R . ANG . FR .NEAP . PR .HISP.
Bust of Philip to r., in armour; above crown; below, date 1554
Rev.  . . MARIA . D . G . R . ANG. FR . NEAP . PR . HISP.
Bust of Mary to l., in high embroaded dress cap and veil ;
above crown dividing date, 1554
Only three specimens of this remarkable pattern are known. It was recorded in the BNJ in 1911 that three were known. Two are in museums, the Hunterian, Glasgow and the British Museum, and the third and best formed and Very Fine+ lot 1935 in the famous R C Lockett sale in 1956. 320 gbp.
Ex Prince of Montenuovo,
Bieber,
A. D. Clarke,
Montagu,
Murdoch, 
Wakley collections,
Lockett,
Cope

1784 Published. Philip and Mary : half crown, RRR. 10/-. 

Folkes 1763 say from the cabinet of James West, M.P., (c.1704-1772)
Snelling 1763 also shows it in his plate without comment
J. West  was also an active collector of books
 

 

Press this button for the Electotype & Medalic copy information


 
1554 Date below bust Exc.Rare
Ex.Ryan 1952 Finest Extant
 1554 Philip & Mary

If the Civil War had not happened coin collecting would be different today. There were very few Tudor hoards yet the Civil War created many 17th Century hoards and usually there were a few Tudor coins in these hoards, all had poor quality coins due to the continuous usage over a long period of 50-100 years. In the Stuart hoards there were 6d-2/6d very few minors and fewer crowns. While research was being done my friend M found an article from the BNJ from 1911 that states the 3 knownhalf-crown’s of Philip & Mary being 250 grains, this matches the one in the collection.
  

      1554 Shilling. 2nd issue

Obv. PHILIP ET MARIA D G REX ET REGINA ANG 
 [Philips and Mary by the Grace of God King and Queen of England].

Rev.
POSUIMUS DEUM ADIUTOREM NOSTRUM
[We have made God our helper]

There were several varieties of the shilling as follows:- (a) Undated with or without  mark of value (X11); (b)  Dated 1554 or 1555, above the heads and with or without mark of value on the reverse; (c) Dated 1554 or 1555 under the busts. Some coins omit the Neapolitan and Spanish titles, and give the English ones only;
 
The workmanship on the earlier undated coins is superior to some of the later 1554 and 1555 shillings where we find letter punches used on 6d and 4d dies are frequently mixed in with the shilling letter punches. Die sinkers errors occur on the later coins e.g. ADIVTORIVM for ADIVTOREM, POSVIMS for POSVIMVS and NOSTREM for NOSTRVM. Philip brought Spanish die sinkers and mint workers with him but when he left England these workers left with him and were replaced by inexperienced English mint workers who had to adapt to the new style coinage with facing portraits.(Contribution by David H)

  

1554 Sixpence 2nd issue
Same as the preceding, Struck in 1554, 1555 and 1557, with dates above the bust. Those dated 1557 have the Lis mint-mark. The Neapolitan and Spanish titles only occur on those dated 1554.



1554 Sixpence size X 1.5
The quality is an extreme rarity, Beard weak striking 

       
Undated Shilling 5 known specimans all from the same dies.English titles only.

   

  1554 Shiling [countermarked fleur de lis]
UNIQUE
During this period there were export restriction on coinage from England.
International trade required precious metal to be transferred and an
amount of coinage was exported for trading and melting.
This 1554 shilling was acquired from a European collection.
The coin would having been tested for silver to check it was silver on
arrival in Europe and had the FLEUR de LIS stamped twice on the coin
to show that is silver. The British Museum has a specimen with a different
countermark. The coin countermark is possible from Bruge in the Low
Countries an area were Philip was well known.
(Contribution by David H)  






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