English Hammered Coins

Edward II also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. Following the death of his father Edward “Longshanks”, Edward succeeded to the throne in 1307. The “Long Cross Penny” was the largest coin of the period and those of Edward II closely resemble those of his father. He adopted the same bust and legend. It takes a trained eye to spot differences in the lettering and the King's crown to spot a genuine Edward II. The pennies on offer here come in “Fine”. They are from London or Canterbury Mints, depending on availability. You have the crowned bust of the King on one side, under the name of Edward I. On the reverse you have CIVI TAS LONDON or CIVI TAS CANTOR, meaning “City of London (or Canterbury)”. This is the first time we have accumulated enough Edward II Pennies to offer you in almost three years, so get one while you can.

When Elizabeth took the throne in 1558, much of the country’s coinage was in a poor state after her father, Henry VIII’s debasement of silver coins. It was Elizabeth’s intention to raise the quality of the country’s coinage back up to Sterling quality, and in 1560, the Tower mint began striking her Fine Silver coins. They feature Elizabeth facing left on the obverse and cross over a shield on the reverse, they were struck between 1560 and 1602 and are getting very expensive in higher grades. For the first time in 13 years, we’re able to offer you Elizabeth I’s Fine Silver shillings, they are graded Fair as these were heavily circulated for about a century and are now up to 463 years old.