Edward VI 1551 Crown, initial mark y, first dated silver crown of England

Edward VI (1547-53), silver Crown, 1551, armoured King on horseback right with upright sword, "Arabic" figure date below with stop, linear and beaded circles surrounding both sides of coins, initial mark y, legend surrounding, .y:EDWARD': VI: D': G': AGL': FR AnC' :Z: hIBER': REX, rev. quartered shield of arms on long cross fourchée, :POSVI: DEVm: A DIVTOR E': mEV'.'y:, weight 31.00g (Lingford A16; N.1933; S.2478). Toned, fully round well struck with no striations, with a detailed portrait of the King on horseback, nearly extremely fine.

The abbreviated Latin legends translate as on the obverse "Edward the Sixth, by the Grace of God, King of England, France and Ireland"; and on the reverse "I have made God my helper," a Psalm from the Bible.

The 1551 dated crown is the first English coin to have the date displayed in our modern familiar way rather than in Roman numerals as some of the preceding coins of Edward of 1547-50 had displayed. This is also the first occasion an English Crown had been issued in silver having been exclusively a gold denomination up to this time. The gold Crowns continue as a concurrent issue until the last hammered issue of Charles II in circa 1662. The dated silver Crowns of our familiar format continue until 1553 whereupon there is not another until the 1642 issues at the Provincial mints of Charles I at Shrewsbury and Oxford.

Provenance:

Ex A H Baldwin with their ticket from 1976.

Ex Lord Smith of Marlow Collection, purchased privately by Spink 1983

Ex A H Baldwin, Fixed Price List, Summer 2011, item BH053.