Threehalfpence piece of Elizabeth I

Peter Vernon sent in this coin on behalf of a colleague, who had asked if he could have a valuation on his find.

The coin is a threehalfpence piece of Elizabeth I, which will be about 15mm in diameter but it is shown greatly enlarged. On both sides the mint mark is an ermine and the date above the shield on the reverse is 1572.

Valuation

Threehalfpence pieces are found less frequently than most of the other small denominations of Elizabeth I, so this counts as a good detecting find. What makes it really good is the obverse, which is in truly outstanding condition; it is well and centrally struck and would grade good VF. This is one of the best obverses I have seen on a small coin of Elizabeth I.

Sadly, the reverse is nothing like as good. There is little circulation wear but it is very badly struck. The hammerman appears to have struck it once and then shifted the die and struck it again. It’s not often that one side of a coin is so good whilst the other side leaves a great deal to be desired.

Had the reverse been as good as the obverse I’d have said £200+ but the badly struck reverse will have a significant impact on the commercial value of the coin. However, the obverse is so nice that a collector should still be willing to pay at least £75 for this threehalfpence piece.

Valuation Service

If you would like your coin identified or valued, please read about my valuation service and contact me