Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 50-51 15 Oct 2020
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Elizabeth I, sixth issue, 'crown gold' coinage, pound, mm. tun with lion at the end of the legend/tun (1593-94), crowned bust 7A left, ELIZABETH D G ANG FRA ET HIB REGINA, rev. crowned shield of arms, ER at sides, SCVTVM FIDEI PROTEGET EAM, annulet stops, wt. 11.22gms. (S.2534; N.2008; Schneider 797; Brown & Comber F3), faint surface marks, extremely fine, extremely rare
*ex Herman Selig Collection (Pt.III), DNW 58, 24/25 June 2003, lot 4
Purchased Knightsbridge Coins, 2003
This lovely coin was minted a decade before Elizabeth's death, the tun initial mark having been used from mid-June 1593 for almost a year. 'Crown gold' was slightly less fine, at 22 ct (.917 fine) than the gold used to strike the larger 'fine' sovereigns, but alloyed with silver and tin it was less prone to being bent or dented. What had been something of a phenomenon-an actual image of the queen, a detailed portrait-in earlier years now became the standard for the public to gaze upon. Her image on coins was for most of her subjects the only 'glimpse' they ever had of their monarch. The golden pound series, as well as the similar half-pounds, exist in a fairly large number of die varieties, reflecting the somewhat higher than normal output of gold by the Mint during the 1580s, levelling off from 1590 to 1602 (see charts in Challis, pp. 252-254). The queen was validly portrayed on these coins, in her ruffed, jewelled dress-for in life she was a fancy dresser. Her image here looks much like some of her painted portraits by Nicholas Hilliard, the finest miniaturist of the age. It is said that Elizabeth ordered the destruction of all images of her that were not flattering-proving both her vanity and her tacit approval of her portrait coins.
(20000-25000 GBP)
*ex Herman Selig Collection (Pt.III), DNW 58, 24/25 June 2003, lot 4
Purchased Knightsbridge Coins, 2003
This lovely coin was minted a decade before Elizabeth's death, the tun initial mark having been used from mid-June 1593 for almost a year. 'Crown gold' was slightly less fine, at 22 ct (.917 fine) than the gold used to strike the larger 'fine' sovereigns, but alloyed with silver and tin it was less prone to being bent or dented. What had been something of a phenomenon-an actual image of the queen, a detailed portrait-in earlier years now became the standard for the public to gaze upon. Her image on coins was for most of her subjects the only 'glimpse' they ever had of their monarch. The golden pound series, as well as the similar half-pounds, exist in a fairly large number of die varieties, reflecting the somewhat higher than normal output of gold by the Mint during the 1580s, levelling off from 1590 to 1602 (see charts in Challis, pp. 252-254). The queen was validly portrayed on these coins, in her ruffed, jewelled dress-for in life she was a fancy dresser. Her image here looks much like some of her painted portraits by Nicholas Hilliard, the finest miniaturist of the age. It is said that Elizabeth ordered the destruction of all images of her that were not flattering-proving both her vanity and her tacit approval of her portrait coins.
(20000-25000 GBP)