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1/2 Penny - Elizabeth I Third coinage
| Issuer | Ireland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1601-1602 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Currency | Second Irish Pound (1460-1826) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a quartered royal coat of arms — the quarters bearing the fleurs-de-lis of France and the lions passant of England — enclosed within a beaded inner circle, with the royal initials E and R flanking the shield on left and right respectively. The arms are rendered in the characteristic flat, linear style of hammered Elizabethan coinage. The encircling Latin legend naming the queen as ruler of England, France, and Ireland runs around the outer border. The overall strike is irregular and slightly off-center, typical of hand-hammered production of this period. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | ELIZABETH · D`. G`. AN`. FR`. ET . HIB`. RE · E R (Translation: Elizabeth by the Grace of God, Queen of England, France and Ireland Queen Elizabeth) |
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| Additional information |
Elizabeth's copper coinage for Ireland was authorized partly to address the chronic shortage of small change that had plagued the island for decades, but the timing — 1601 to 1602 — placed its production squarely within the final, desperate phase of the Nine Years' War. The surrender of Hugh O'Neill at Mellifont came in March 1603, just months after these pieces were being struck. Coins of this issue circulated in an Ireland effectively under military occupation, moving through garrison towns and provisioning markets rather than any stable commercial economy.
The three KM subtype distinctions reflect die variations documented across the short run.