Great Britain, Tudor. Elizabeth I (1558-1603) AV Sovereign. Sixth issue. Tower (London) mint, struck 1584-1586. ELIZABETH • D' • G' • ANG' • FRA' • ET • HI' • REGINA • (escallop) •, Elizabeth seated facing on ornate throne with pellets on back and pillars with single pellets, holding lis-tipped sceptre in right hand, left hand set on globus cruciger propped on her knee; all within tressure of arches; portcullis with chains below / (escallop) A • DNO' • FACTV' • EST • ISTVD • ET • EST • MIRAB' • IN • OCVLIS • NRS, Tudor rose, coat-of-arms at centre. SCBC 2529; Brown & Comber A17; Schneider 780 (same rev. die); North 2003; cf. Friedberg 209. 14.98g, 43mm, 10h.

Extremely Fine; slight reddish tone. A beautiful example with a well detailed image of Elizabeth.

Ex James & Martha Robertson Collection;
Privately purchased from Spink & Son Ltd, April 2002;
Ex I. Ure Collection, Mark Rasmussen, FPL 2, Spring 2002, no. C107;
Ex '125th Anniversary Celebration sale', Baldwin's Auctions Ltd, Auction 15, 13 October 1997, lot 27;
Ex B. A. Seaby Ltd, Coin & Medal Bulletin 642, February 1972, no. G174.

This exquisite specimen depicts the majestic 'Virgin Queen', titled, "by the Grace of God, Queen of England, France and Ireland" on the obverse legend. The youthful portrait, with Elizabeth's face unlined and her flowing hair reminiscent of the Virgin Mary, projects the ageless power and purity of the great monarch, with the minute details of her ornate crown and garments demonstrating the technical skill of the Royal Mint. The splendour of the queen's portrait is coupled with articulations of her divine right to rule, with the biblical psalm quoted on the reverse, "this is the Lord's doing and is marvellous in our eyes". This sentiment is reinforced by the globus cruciger on her knee: the cross, symbolising Christ, and the orb, representing the world, together convey universal Christian authority.

Rich dynastic iconography in the design affirms the continuity between Elizabeth's reign and that of her Tudor forebears. A portcullis lies at the feet of the enthroned monarch: this type of latticed gate was used in fortifications like the Tower of London and adopted as the heraldic badge of the House of Beaufort to which the first Tudor monarch, Henry VII, belonged. Ancestral Tudor emblems also dominate the reverse, with a splendid Tudor rose acting as a backdrop to the shield of arms. As the royal badge of the Tudor house, this rose represented unity between the Lancastrian and Yorkist Houses following the marriage of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York and celebrated the royal lineage of Elizabeth. Elizabeth's accession did not in fact mark a harmonious transfer of royal power from one united Tudor to the next: divisions between Elizabeth and her predecessor Mary I were such that the former had previously been imprisoned by Mary in the very Tower at which this present coin was minted (Duffy, Fires of Faith, 2010, p.7). However, the dynastic symbolism of the current type obscures the tumultuous reality of Tudor succession and instead celebrates Elizabeth's royal lineage.

This coin provides a fine example of the successful restoration of the currency under Elizabeth. The gradual debasement of English coinage across the sixteenth century was such that it began to hinder international trade and the solvency of the monarchy. Previous efforts by Edward VI and Mary I had seen limited success in improving the quality of coins in circulation, but Elizabeth made this a priority and by 1561 the Royal Mint had collected, melted down and re-minted the debased currency, even making a profit in the process. Moreover, this denomination, the gold sovereign, was of particular importance: the sovereign was the coin bestowed upon skilled actors and playwrights by Elizabeth when she attended dramatic performances in her role as patron of the arts. Contemporary texts like the will of Augustine Phillips, a member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, compound the impression of the high value and honour associated with this gold coinage: "I giue and bequeath to my fellowe William Shakespeare," read the document, "a xxxs peece in gould" (May, 1605). The will of Shakespeare himself makes mention of such coinage: "...To my godson William Walker, 20 shillings in gold" (PROB 1/4, 26th March, 1616). This bequest "in gold" designated a gold sovereign like the present type, from later in the queen's reign. Handed down by benefactors to posterity, such magnificent pieces as this present type were held in high esteem during the 'golden age' of Elizabeth.