Elizabeth I fine gold Sovereign, mint mark tun (1592-95)

Elizabeth I (1558-1603), fine gold Sovereign or Double Noble of Thirty Shillings, sixth issue (1583-1600), full facing robed figure of Queen seated on large throne, lis headed pillar either side, throne back of pellets in hatching, five small pellets up each side of throne back with trefoil, portcullis below Queen, tressure and beaded border surrounding, Latin legend and outer beaded border on both sides, initial mark tun (1592-95), ELIZABETH. D; G; ANG FRA; ET. HIB; REGINA., rev. quartered shield at centre of ornate rose, beaded circle surrounding, +A; DNO'. FACTV; EST. ISTVD. ET. EST. MIRAB' IN OCVL; NRS; weight 14.87g (Brown and Comber A26; Holloway 18-25-003 (lot 33); Schneider 783; N.2003; S.2529). Weak in parts though fully round and well centred, perhaps some very light tooling around some letters of legend, though there is some slight doubling in strike, otherwise with a decent face, very fine, some elements stronger, has been slabbed and graded by NGC as AU details repaired, rarer mint mark of which George Holloway only recorded nine examples of the combination in his collecting lifetime.

NGC certification 6320339-001.

The fine gold output of mintmark tun is unknown but has been estimated to have been a mere £12,000 which would have included the Angel coinage too, and was issued from the 1^st February 1592 until 10^th June 1593. The denomination also named officially as a Double Noble passed for Thirty Shillings and mint mark tun was the final issue of this coin.Brown and Comber recorded this coin as A26 in their work on the Elizabethan gold coinage in the British Numismatic Journal of 1989.

The abbreviated Latin legend translates as on obverse "Elizabeth by the Grace of God, Queen of England, France and Ireland," and on the reverse "This is the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes," a Psalm from the Bible.

The fine gold Sovereign of Elizabeth I was a highly respected coin at the time and was famed in the acting world of the time of William Shakespeare, as the coin of choice to be honoured with should the Queen attend a performance personally. Traditionally the Queen would honour the playwright and the star of the show with her favour reflected in the presenting of a fine gold Sovereign. We have such evidence of this in the will of the Gentleman Actor Augustine Phillips of Mortlake Surrey who was one of the first to rise to such a social status in his profession. From his will dated 13^th May 1605 we can see fine gold Sovereign presented described thus "I give and bequeath to my fellow William Shakespeare a XXX^s piece in gould, To my fellow Henry Condell one other xxx^s piece in gould." Such a coin of honour being highly revered and not to be spent in the lifetime of the recipient.