Young King Edward designs his own coins?

[Nicholas]

I've gone a bit deeper into my study of Edward VI Crowns and have discovered that the young King himself may have contributed to some of the coinage denominations, metal purity and designs as well!

From BNJ 63 (1993) C. E. Challis:

http://www.britnumsoc.org/publications/Digital%20BNJ/pdfs/1993_BNJ_63_17.pdf

"In a letter from the Privy Council to Sir Edmund Pekham, 25 September 1551, we learn that it was the king's own decision to introduce the crown and the halfcrown and that he himself had drawn a design. Whether that which finally emerged was his in every particular we do not know, but certain it is that the form of the numeral five used in the date was his alone. The letter, as we have just seen, specified this as being that on 'the lowest pattern of 4 on a card of 3 of the spades'. Despite my best endeavours I have not seen such a card, but the letter has the shape, which tallies exactly with that on the coins. .."

My question to the forum is

Q. Does anyone understand Edward's playing card reference to the design of the numeral "5" ?

[Rob]

nope

[Peckris]

I've gone a bit deeper into my study of Edward VI Crowns and have discovered that the young King himself may have contributed to some of the coinage denominations, metal purity and designs as well!

From BNJ 63 (1993) C. E. Challis:

http://www.britnumsoc.org/publications/Digital%20BNJ/pdfs/1993_BNJ_63_17.pdf

"In a letter from the Privy Council to Sir Edmund Pekham, 25 September 1551, we learn that it was the king's own decision to introduce the crown and the halfcrown and that he himself had drawn a design. Whether that which finally emerged was his in every particular we do not know, but certain it is that the form of the numeral five used in the date was his alone. The letter, as we have just seen, specified this as being that on 'the lowest pattern of 4 on a card of 3 of the spades'. Despite my best endeavours I have not seen such a card, but the letter has the shape, which tallies exactly with that on the coins. .."

My question to the forum is

Q. Does anyone understand Edward's playing card reference to the design of the numeral "5" ?

It wasn't Edward's reference apparently - the Challis article says it was a 'marginal note written by ... William Cecil'. It's beyond doubt though, that the Edward VI coins of 1551 are the first dated coins in Britain.

I have seen a rare form of playing card where the spade symbol is upper left with a quite large 3 to its right. Then on the bulk of the surface there are a number of spade symbols all connected and overlaid by a large 3. Whether this type was used in Edward's time, I have no idea. What's certain is that medieval playing cards had a different form than what we now have.

[Nicholas]

The date is the same upside down - like playing cards. That's all I've got..

Edited September 23, 2014 by Nicholas