Sixpence of Elizabeth I

This hammered silver coin is a recent find from Cumbria. The finder, Fred Rattray, asked for full details.

The coin is a sixpence of Elizabeth I. It is dated 1569 above the shield on the reverse and has mint mark coronet on both sides.

Over the years I have seen a huge number of Elizabeth I sixpences as detecting finds. This has enabled me to assess which dates are scarce or rare and which are the most common. From my long experience (60+ years) I can say that the most common dates are 1567, 1568 and 1569, all with mint mark coronet.    

Valuation

Having said that Fred’s coin is quite common it has a significant plus point: its state of preservation. The vast majority of examples I have seen have been in Poor to Fair condition and often damaged in some way. This one is slightly weak in places but good enough to grade about VF for the issue. Therefore, instead of being worth £10-20, I’d price this Elizabeth I sixpence at £100-120.

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