Lot 4380
Great Britain. Crown, 1551. S.2478; Dav-8245. Edward VI, 1547-1553. Fine Silver issue. King on horseback, right, date below. The first dated English coin! Reverse: Long cross quarters shield of arms. Well struck design, nicely centered and with a good edge. Lightly toned, and a lovely large flan. The remarkable Slaney collection had a sharper specimen than this, but it sold for some 42,000 British Pounds (about $76,000 at the time). Most examples of the Edward VI silver Crown are around Fine in grade, and may are worse. In our opinion conservatively graded. PCGS graded VF-35.
This compares well with the Cheshire Collection specimen where the coin's background was described as this: 'King Edward (the third Tudor king) was only 14 when this coin was minted, son of Henry VIII by Jane Seymour, in fact Henry's only son. Henry's obsessive desire for a male heir of course caused the great schism between the catholic church and himself, leading to the establishment of the Church of England. Edward's health had been fragile since birth, and he died of tuberculosis in July 1553. He had no time to make his mark on the world, except perhaps, numismatically, for his coins are classic works of Renaissance art, and this, his silver crown, became the very first in a long line of beautifully engraved, emblematic, large silver issues of England and later Great Britain.
Estimated Value $7,000 - 8,000.
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