1568 Great Britain Silver Sixpence of Elizabeth I PCGS XF40

Hand-Hammered Coins From The Elizabethan Era

This coin comes from a period of cultural movement in Great Britain known as the “English Renaissance,” characterized by advances in music including development of the madrigal and epic poetry like Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queen and notable achievements in drama by the likes of William Shakespeare and Ben Johnson.

The Remarkable Reign of the “Virgin Queen”

Struck more than 450 years ago during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, this silver “Sixpence” was struck by hand and is the only silver sixpence issued during Elizabeth’s 45 year reign. The daughter of King Henry VIII, Elizabeth firmly established Protestantism in England following the violent and oppressive attempts by her sister, “Bloody” Queen Mary, to roll back their father’s move to break with the Catholic Church. Under Elizabeth, England put its exclamation point to its status as a world power with its defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. Perhaps more importantly, she was able to maintain peace inside her previously divided country while fostering an environment where the arts flourished. Sometimes called the “Virgin Queen” because she never married, when Elizabeth died childless in 1603, the Tudor dynasty died with her.

Rare Graded Elizabethan Silver Sixpence

This Silver Sixpence was struck 1568 and features the bust of Queen Elizabeth I on the obverse with a Tudor rose in the field behind her head. The coin’s reverse shows the date above the square top shield of arms quartered by a floriated long cross. It also comes certified and graded by the Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS) as being in Extremely Fine-40 (XF40) condition. According to the current PCGS population report, only two of these coins have been graded and only one is graded higher.

It’s possible that the famous nursey rhyme, Sing a Song of Sixpence, originated during the Elizabethan Era. While the rhyme did not appear until the 1700s, the term was coined by William Shakespeare romantic comedy Twelfth Night published in 1602. In Act II, Scene 3 Sir Toby Belch tells a clown: “Come on; there is sixpence for you: let’s have a song!” You’ll be singing a happy tune, too, when you add this historic Silver Sixpence to your collection! Secure it now while you still can!