Tudor coins

[Tenorchris]

Hi I'm after some help please. I want to buy a Tudor/Elizabethan coin as a gift for my wife who is realy into her history and this period in particular.I amthinking around £100-150.

[Rob]

What sort of coin do you want? Big, small, high grade, lower grade (I'm assuming grade has to be reasonable), Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary or Elizabeth 1? I'm not going to ask whether it is gold or silver, as the former is out of the question in your price range.

Affordable denominations are shillings down to farthings ( shilling, sixpence, groat, threepence, twopence, threehalfpence, penny, threefarthings, halfpenny, farthing)  but not for all reigns. There are some serious rarities within that group. 

 

[Tenorchris]

I'm not a collector as you probably realise, I got the idea to get the gift after watching a bbc4 history programe.This is also my first time on any forum, my wife certanly likes the Henry Vlll period but would you pay a premium because he is probably our most famous Monarch, as to coin denomination larger in size maybe.

[mick1271]

 Elizabeth 1st shillings can be had in good grade within your budget , and are a decent size .

 

[mick1271]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hammered-Silver-Coin-Elizabeth-1st-Shilling-c-1582-AD/372146690705?hash=item56a5abda91:g:S7UAAOSwl2haGDKO The shillings are readily available .the listing I have posted is just a sample of the type of coin , you could probably get better for cheaper or an even better one within your budget .

 

[mick1271]

be careful when buying Henry VIII hammered ,there is lots of fake/ reproductions out there .If like me ,you have a basic knowledge ,most of them are easy to spot , but if you are a complete novice ,then you can be easily caught out . If you see anything on ebay ,dealers website etc .that takes your fancy , stick a pic up of it on here (before you buy )and one of the more knowledgeable members will keep you right .

[Rob]

And whatever you do, avoid anything dated 1562 

[Coinery]

1 hour ago, Rob said:

And whatever you do, avoid anything dated 1562 

Especially if it's called a sixpence, but has the bust and diameter of a threepence!

here you go, Tchris:

https://www.rpcoins.co.uk/collections/tudor-1485-1603

[Rob]

3 hours ago, Tenorchris said:

I'm not a collector as you probably realise, I got the idea to get the gift after watching a bbc4 history programe.This is also my first time on any forum, my wife certanly likes the Henry Vlll period but would you pay a premium because he is probably our most famous Monarch, as to coin denomination larger in size maybe.

If you are looking to spend £100-150 then you could be alright for a decent Henry VIII halfgroat or sovereign penny. You will struggle if you are looking for the Holbein portrait on a coin however, as a testoon with a decent portrait is measured in thousands. To give you an idea of the grade you could expect to find, a few images are attached for the Tudors.

First up is a 2nd coinage 2d struck at York under Abp. Lee - about 18mm dia..

Second is a sovereign penny. There are several types of this and not all are equal. The portrait on this one is a bit better than you might expect for the money you want to spend, but a clear portrait of the king seated on the throne should be possible. About 15mm dia.

Third coin. Henry VII you can get a middle grade groat (4d) of the commoner types or mintmark - about 25mm dia. You could also get a halfgroat (2d) of this reign in reasonable condition. 

Halfpennies of Henry VII, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I will be at the bottom end of the price range for a decent example, but are quite small at 11 or 12mm dia. Fourth, the Henrys are a facing bust. 5th, the Elizabeth design is a portcullis.

You are unlikely to find much in the way of Edward VI or Mary in your price range, but might be able to find a lower grade fine silver issue shilling of the former.

A shilling is possible for Elizabeth 1 as is a sixpence, threepence or smaller, but a rule of thumb is the larger the coin, the more expensive they tend to be for the generic types. Portraits on Eliz.1 shillings tend to be quite weak, so this might not be the best option if you want a coin in better condition. A sixpence with a decent portrait would be better (6th coin) as these come better struck up.

This isn't exhaustive, but gives a few options.

Edited December 7, 2017 by Rob

[Tenorchris]

Wow great information I need to some homework.

Thanks very much Rob.

[Tenorchris]

Thanks for all you're help, I was hoping to get somthing sorted before Christmas but it looks like I have some delving to do.

[Tenorchris]

15 hours ago, Coinery said:

Especially if it's called a sixpence, but has the bust and diameter of a threepence!

here you go, Tchris:

https://www.rpcoins.co.uk/collections/tudor-1485-1603

15 hours ago, Coinery said:

Especially if it's called a sixpence, but has the bust and diameter of a threepence!

here you go, Tchris:

https://www.rpcoins.co.uk/collections/tudor-1485-1603

There is a 1562 sixpence on this site. I it pucker? I hope I'm not offending anyone.

[Rob]

It had better be.

It's mine. The 1562 reference was directed at the plethora of copies on eBay, invariably described as sixpences.

[Nick]

38 minutes ago, Tenorchris said:

There is a 1562 sixpence on this site. I it pucker? I hope I'm not offending anyone.

It's Rob's site and therefore is the definition of pucker.

[Tenorchris]

1 hour ago, Rob said:

It had better be.

It's mine. The 1562 reference was directed at the plethora of copies on eBay, invariably described as sixpences.

I thought it may have been your site, appologies but I'm learning all the time. I assume I'd be better to talk via RP Coins regarding purchases.

[copper123]

There are plenty genuine 1562 sixpences etc around they were of a good weight so tended to get hoarded more than the ord silver hammered coins , many of which were clipped .

Bad money drives out good , one of the simplest laws of economics