Elizabeth I's sixth coinage halfpenny is among the smallest silver coins ever struck for regular circulation in English history, and its survival rate reflects that — at 0.24 g, losses to pocket holes, melting, and simple misplacement were catastrophic. The series ran nearly two decades, spanning the years of the Spanish Armada threat and the ongoing drain of Irish campaigns on Crown finances.
Spink 2581 encompasses several die marriages across that long production run, and pieces attributable to specific moneyers remain a specialist pursuit.
Elizabeth I's sixth coinage halfpenny is among the smallest silver coins ever struck for regular circulation in English history, and its survival rate reflects that — at 0.24 g, losses to pocket holes, melting, and simple misplacement were catastrophic. The series ran nearly two decades, spanning the years of the Spanish Armada threat and the ongoing drain of Irish campaigns on Crown finances.
Spink 2581 encompasses several die marriages across that long production run, and pieces attributable to specific moneyers remain a specialist pursuit.