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1/2 Groat - Elizabeth I 2nd issue
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1560-1561 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 20 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A quartered royal shield of arms is superimposed over a long cross fourchée extending to the coin's edge, dividing the reverse field into four quadrants. The shield bears the arms of England and France quarterly, consistent with the heraldic conventions of the Elizabethan period. The surrounding legend is arranged around the periphery, and a mintmark appears above the shield in the upper field. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | POSVI DEV:AD IVTORE M:MEV (Translation: I have made God my helper) |
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| Additional information |
Elizabeth I's second coinage of 1560–61 was part of a broader recoinage effort to address the debased silver flooding England after Henry VIII and Edward VI had systematically stripped the coinage of precious metal content — at its worst, the silver standard had fallen to just .333 fine. The Mint was directed to call in the old base issues and replace them with sterling-standard silver, a logistical undertaking that consumed enormous quantities of bullion in a short window.
The halfgroat of this issue was struck at the Tower Mint under the direction of Sir Thomas Stanley. Wire-line inner circles and the mintmark Cross Crosslet place it precisely within the second issue's known production sequence.