Sixpence (Tanner)

In 2016 a hoard of English silver coins, buried during the Civil War (1642-1651) was discovered in Ewerby, Lincolnshire. They were declared and are thus legal for you to own. They were put up for auction and we bought all the Elizabeth I Silver Sixpences at the auction. It is normal to find earlier coins in a hoard from the date it was buried, as they were buried to protect the hoard and the owner. We bought the Sixpences because that is one coin of Elizabeth I that has a date on it. Elizabeth I Silver Sixpences are dated between 1560 and 1602 and while having seen a lot of circulation they are struck in good silver. Don’t forget these coins are between 420-460 years old and are real British Treasure. The sixpence is great because it has a date on it and is also great for weddings, where the bride should carry a sixpence in her shoe. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe. In the days of Elizabeth I, you could get by for about a week if you had a sixpence. It was real money at the time. We offer these coins in five different grades. Each coin comes with a certificate of authenticity. Supplies are limited.

The obverse has a reasonable impression of the portrait but will have flat areas. The reverse usually has a complete shield and date.

Coins are occasionally clipped. The obverse portrait will be worn out but legends are readable. The reverse will usually have a clear impression of the shield and date.

When Elizabeth I (1558-1603) ascended the throne in 1558, she boldly set about improving the quality of England’s coinage following the debasement of silver under her father Henry VIII. Throughout her reign, large quantities of silver coins were produced, and much of the silver was obtained from raiding Spanish ships. Many silver denominations were produced under Elizabeth’s reign, from the Rare Crowns and Halfcrowns, the mass-produced shillings and sixpences, and the more unusual small denominations — groats, threepences, half-groats, three-halfpence, pennies, three-farthings, and halfpenny. The silver sixpence was one of the most popular denominations. They feature a portrait of the Queen facing left with Tudor rose behind, the reverse features a long cross fourchée over quartered shield of arms, with the date above (1560-1601), and Latin legend reading “I Have Made God My Helper”. We are delighted to offer you Elizabeth I sixpences from the Tower Mint in London. Each is in Very Good condition with a clear depiction of the Queen. These are fantastic coins, each is over 420 years old, struck in Sterling Silver, and bears the portrait of Elizabeth I. Perfect for your growing Elizabeth I Collection. The coins are all dated on the reverse, because of the thinness of the planchet the designs are not struck up as well as modern coins. But they were issued in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1816 they passed the currency Reform Act which changed our coinage completely. The Guinea was out and the Sovereign was in. All coins before then were no longer legal tender. One coin that was badly needed for everyday usage was the humble sixpence. So in 1816, a new Sixpence was issued. The King hated the design and the public referred to it as the ‘Bull Head’ Sixpence because of the design. But it was only struck from 1816-1820 when a new King took the throne. Dates will be of our choice, but the more coins you order the more different dates we will try and give you.

These George III Sterling Silver 1787 Sixpences were only struck for circulation for just one year, 1787. What is even more interesting is that they were struck for the Bank of England to give out to their favoured clients around Christmas. You have King George III in an armoured bust on the obverse and four crowns and four shields on the reverse. Today the Royal Mint is charging £95 in Fine. The reverse in some ways is even more interesting than the obverse. As you have the arms of England, Ireland, Scotland, Hanover and France. The coins on offer are very high grade and becoming very difficult to find these days. They are available in Extremely Fine. Remember that this coin is now over 230 years old and in very high quality.

Most will know about the illness of King George III, but most don’t know that because of that illness the King would not allow a law to make smaller coins to be passed. This of course caused a lot of problems with day-to-day commerce; there just were not enough small coins around to make change. There are only two silver coins struck before the Currency Reform Act of 1816, that are readily available to collectors: the George III Sixpence and the Shilling of 1787. There is a simple but almost unbelievable reason for this. These coins were struck at the Royal Mint from silver delivered from the Bank of England. The Bank decided that they would need some new shiny coins to give out to their clients at Christmas. So only the Bank of England had these silver coins, and they only handed them out during the Christmas period, and only to their wealthy clients. So now you have the whole history! You have King George III dressed in what looks like Roman armour, and on the reverse the arms of Hanover and France as well as England, Scotland, and Ireland. Back in 1787, you had to be somehow important to have one of these Sixpences, important enough to do business directly with the Bank of England, and someone they wanted to treat. We have selected some very high-quality examples of this beautiful and very important historical coin for your collection.