Edward VI (1547-53), silver Crown of Five Shillings, 1551, Southwark mint, King on horseback right, date below in Arabic numerals, wire line and beaded inner circles surrounding with Latin legend and beaded border around both sides, initial mark y both sides, :EDWARD': VI: D: G': AGL': FRAnC'. z: hIBER': REX., rev. quartered shield over long cross fourchée, small fleur de lis, wire line and beaded inner circles, :POSVI: DEVm: A DIVTOR E': mEV’:, edge plain, 31.06g (Lingford dies A/3; N.1933; S.2478). Toned and well struck with some surface marks, deep nick on I of HIBER, graded by NGC as XF40.

NGC Certification 6674778-004

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).

Estimate: £ 2000 - 2500