How to identify an Elizabeth I coin
Elizabeth I struck six issues over 45 years. Read the initial mark, look for the rose behind the bust, and date the coin to a 1–3 year window.
Elizabeth I reigned for forty-five years, which gives her coinage one of the longest and best-dated chronologies of any English ruler. Almost every Elizabethan silver coin can be placed to within a two-year window using nothing more than the small heraldic device at the start of the legend — the initial mark. Here’s how to read one.
The bust
Elizabeth’s coinage portraits are always left-facing female busts, no beard, with elaborate Tudor coiffure and pearl drops at the ears and chest. The bust style evolves gently across the reign but doesn’t change as dramatically as Henry VIII’s did. What does change is whether there’s a rose behind the bust.
| Issue | Years | Diagnostic |
|---|---|---|
| First issue | 1559–1560 | Plain bust, no rose |
| Second issue | 1560–1561 | Plain bust, no rose |
| Third / fourth / fifth issues | 1561–1582 | Rose behind bust — this is the distinguishing feature |
| Sixth issue | 1582–1600 | No rose, reverts to plain bust |
| Seventh issue | 1601–1603 | No rose; the date often appears above the shield on the reverse |
The legend, when fully legible, reads ELIZABETH D G ANG FR ET HIB REGINA (Elizabeth, by the Grace of God, Queen of England, France and Ireland). Note the absence of MAG BRI— the Great Britain title is post-1603 Stuart only, and a useful cross-check if you suspect Tudor.
The reverse
Most Elizabethan denominations from sixpence upwards use a long cross fourchee over a quartered Tudor royal shield. The shield itself is the second of the great diagnostics: Elizabeth uses the simple Tudor shield— lions and lis only, alternating in the four quarters. No Scottish rampant lion. No Irish harp. If the shield on the coin in front of you has either, you are looking at a Stuart coin (James I or later), not an Elizabethan one.
Reading the initial mark
The initial mark (also called the IM or mintmark) is a small heraldic device punched at the start of the legend on both faces. Elizabeth’s engravers changed it every one to three years, which gives a fine chronological resolution. Here’s the Tower mint sequence:
| Initial mark | Years |
|---|---|
| Cross-crosslet | 1560 |
| Martlet | 1560–61 |
| Pheon | 1561–65 |
| Portcullis | 1566–67 |
| Coronet | 1567–69 |
| Castle | 1569–71 |
| Ermine | 1572–73 |
| Acorn | 1573–74 |
| Eglantine | 1574–78 |
| Latin cross | 1578–79 |
| Greek cross | 1580–81 |
| Sword | 1582 |
| Bell | 1582–83 |
| A | 1582–84 |
| Escallop | 1584–87 |
| Crescent | 1587–89 |
| Hand | 1590–92 |
| Tun | 1592–95 |
| Woolpack | 1594–96 |
| Key | 1595–98 |
| Anchor | 1597–1600 |
| O | 1600–01 |
| 1 | 1601–02 |
| 2 | 1602 |
Identifying an initial mark turns a vague “Elizabeth I sixpence” attribution into something far more specific. A coin with an eglantine mark and a rose behind the bust is 1574–1578. A coin with a tun mark and no rose is 1592–1595. The compact reign maps very cleanly to these symbols.
Denomination by module
Elizabethan silver covers a wider range than most detectorists realise. Module is the quickest way in:
| Denomination | Diameter | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Halfpenny | 10–11 mm | ~0.25 g |
| Penny | 13–15 mm | ~0.5 g |
| Halfgroat (2d) | 16–18 mm | ~1 g |
| Threepence | 18–20 mm | ~1.5 g |
| Sixpence | 24–26 mm | ~2.5–3.1 g |
| Shilling | 28–32 mm | ~6 g |
| Half-crown / crown | 35–42 mm | Heavier |
Sixpences are the single most common Elizabeth I find for UK detectorists. Shillings exist but are much scarcer. The smaller denominations — threepence, halfgroat, penny — turn up regularly on productive sites.
Quick identification flow
- Bust gender check. Beardless female with Tudor coiffure and pearl drops? Likely Tudor or early Stuart.
- Facing direction.Elizabeth faces left throughout her reign — consistent with most Tudor and Stuart female monarchs.
- Legend.
ELIZABETHwins. If you can seeMAG BRIit’s post-1603 Stuart, not Elizabeth. - Shield. Simple lions-and-lis Tudor pattern? Tudor (Henry VIII second coinage onwards, including all Elizabeth). Full Stuart arms with Scottish lion / Irish harp? Stuart.
- Rose behind bust?Yes → 1561–1582 (third–fifth issue). No → either pre-1561 or post-1582.
- Initial mark. Use the table above to date to a one-to-three-year window.
Mestrelle’s milled issues
Eloye Mestrelle struck experimental milled coinage at the Tower mint between 1561 and 1571 — the first English machine-struck issue and a century before milled coinage took over for good. The portraits are noticeably finer than hammered contemporaries, and the edge is more regular. Mestrelle issues are scarce as detector finds but worth recognising if you have one.
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