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1 Shilling - Edward VI 3rd period, Fine silver issue
| Issuer | England |
|---|---|
| Year | 1551-1553 |
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| Currency | Pound sterling (1158-1970) |
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| Obverse description | Facing crowned bust of King Edward VI, rendered in the Tudor portrait style, with a Tudor rose to the left of the effigy and the Roman numeral denomination XII to the right, all within a beaded inner circle. The king wears a jewelled crown and richly ornamented robes. A Latin legend encircles the design, separated from the portrait by the inner beaded border. |
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| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | EDWARD`. VI: D`. G`. AGL`. FRA`. Z: hIB`. REX: XII (Translation: Edward the Sixth by the Grace of God King of England France and Ireland) |
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| Additional information |
Edward VI's fine silver shilling of 1551 was part of a deliberate recoinage ordered to repair the catastrophic damage done by Henry VIII's great debasement, which had reduced silver coinage to as little as 25% fineness by 1544. The .925 standard restored here was a political act as much as an economic one — Northumberland's regency government needed to stabilize trade and recover credibility with Continental merchants who had learned to distrust English coin by weight rather than face value.
The 1551 issue was the first English shilling to bear a dated legend, making it a landmark in the administrative history of the mint rather than just a metallurgical reset.