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Sale 53
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Lot 2589
Great Britain. Pound of Twenty Shillings, ND. S.2534; Fr-214. Elizabeth I, 1558-1603. Mint mark, woolpack (1594-1596). Obverse: Bust of Queen facing left with elaborate dress and profusion of hair. Reverse: Crowned shield of arms with E and R to left and right. Carefully struck on an impressively large flan of around 39 mm diameter, this lustrous specimen has an unblemished and incredibly sharp and detailed portrait which would rival any numismatic representation of a Tudor monarch. It is also the much rarer variety where the mintmark is placed to the left of the Queen's portrait (it is normally to the right). Better than the specimen in the May 2008 Millennia Collection, this coin is superior to the Clarendon specimen, the Marshall specimen and other pieces which have appeared recently in the marketplace. The Slaney, Strauss and Eliasberg sales did not offer an example of an Elizabeth I Pound.
In a past sale it was noted that the Pound is 'perhaps the most attractive of all the gold coins of the Tudor period. Although the first English 'milled' coins were produced in a screw press (by Eloye Mestrelle) early in Elizabeth's reign, the Pound pieces were struck by hand using the old method. It is therefore surprising that what is essentially a crudely made coin has such a wealth of detail'.
The mint mark woolpack indicates that the coin was produced in the period 1594-1596. At this time Elizabeth was over 60 years old. As it became increasingly certain that she would not marry, her image changed. After the Armada she was portrayed as Gloriana, the eternally youthful 'Faerie Queene' of Edmund Spencer's poems. Her painted portraits and coinage portraits became iconic items which made her look more youthful than she was. Nevertheless she was loved by nearly all sections of the population and she enjoyed several years of calm before the end of her reign in 1603. She had vanquished the Spanish, preserved the Church of England brought relative prosperity and peace to her nation. Elizabeth was unquestionably one of England's greatest monarchs. In a new NGC 4 prong holder. NGC graded AU-58.
Estimated Value $17,500 - 20,000.
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| Realized $27,600 |
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