Elizabeth I Sovereign, sixth issue, m.m. escallop, extremely rare die variety

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 escallop (1584-86), ELIZABETH: D; G; ANG; FRA; ET: HIB; REGINA:, rev. inverted die axis, reverse variety with mint mark to right of top dead centre, quartered shield at centre of ornate rose, beaded circle surrounding, +A. DNO'. FACTV; EST. ISTVD; ET. EST. MIRAB; IN. OCVLIS. NRS, weight 15.18g (Brown and Comber A18; Holloway 08-07-001 (lot 13); Schneider 780/-; N.2003; S.2529). Lightly toned, struck fully round and pleasing, a couple of tiny spots of old deposit on reverse, one short scratch on reverse on upper rose petal rendering the coin ineligible of a straight grade from the third party services, otherwise a bold to good very fine from an extremely rare die combination of the escallop mint mark, George Holloway only recorded three examples in his collecting lifetime.

The fine gold output of mintmark escallop totalled £56,562 worth from 1^st February 1585 until 31^st January 1587, an output which would have also included the gold Angel and its fractions. The denomination also named officially as a Double Noble passed for Thirty Shillings. Brown and Comber recorded this coin as A18 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.