Crudely struck, but measuring only 14 mm and weighing a scant 0,54g, makes you wonder how the die cutter managed such amazing portrait detail into such a tiny coin. Elizabeth I 1558-1603. Penny. Fifth Coinage. Tower mint. Struck 1578-1579. S.2575. N.2001.
That is a beautiful portrait. Not only are they small but they're thin and get beaten up very easily. It took me a while to get any where she didn't look like she'd had a horrific accident. I don't have a penny but I have a few small Elizabeth I's and the engravers did pretty well on those too. This was the time when they wouldn't mint coins in copper, so they got extremely tiny and had to mint strange denominations (because farthings were impossible). I just wrote a post about how England finally ended up getting copper farthings https://www.cointalk.com/threads/en...annia-married-her-royal-lovers-cousin.381773/ Elizabeth I Three Halfpence, 1561 Tower. Silver, 0.71g. Third issue. Mintmark pheon, medium flan, large rose, small shield (S 2569). Elizabeth I Three Farthings, 1575 Tower. Silver, 13mm, 0.39g. Third issue. Mintmark eglantine (S2571) They just gave up with portraits on the halfpenny. Elizabeth I Halfpenny, 1582-1584 Tower. Silver, 9mm, 0.24g. Sixth coinage. Portcullis. Mintmark A (S 2581).
A beautiful penny, Eduard. It's one of the best I've seen. I just have a Shilling. Elizabeth I (1558 - 1603 A.D.) AR Shilling O: (key) ELIZAB’· D’· G’· ANG’· FR’· ET : HIB’· REGI, crowned and mantled bust left (bust 6B). R: (key) POSVI DEV’· AD IVTORE M · MEV’·, coat-of-arms over long cross fourchée. Sixth coinage. Tower (London) mint; im: key. Struck 1595-1598 AD 31mm 5.81g North 2014; SCBC 2577
It is surprising how weakly struck the portraits are struck on these coins most of the time. I bought this six pence because it was better than average. This one probably grades higher, but is weak in the center.
