Very Imposing Silver Crown of King Edward VI of the Earliest Date

Edward VI (1547-53), silver Crown of Five Shillings, 1551, Fine Silver issue, King on horseback right, date below in Arabic numerals, wire line and beaded inner circles surrounding with legend and beaded border around both sides, initial mark y both sides, :EDWARD'. VI: D'G'. AGL': FRA': Z: hIB': REX:.:, rev. quartered shield over long cross fourchée, wire line and beaded inner circles, :POSVI. DEVm: A DIVTOR E':mEV':, weight 30.83g (Lingford dies G/7; N.1933; S.2478). Some very light flan striations in field, otherwise attractively toned, almost extremely fine on obverse, good very fine on reverse with some surface marks, seemingly the finest of this die variety, very rare as such.

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. Page 8 of the Herbert M Lingford Collection part I sale catalogue lists all the die varieties of this interesting series of silver crowns (Glendining, 24th October 1950).

Provenance:
Ex Captain H.E.G. Paget Collection, Glendining, 25th September 1946, lot 1.
Ex W.B. and R.E. Montgomery Collection Triton XIV, Classical Numismatic Group, 8th January 2008, lot 1682.