{"id":1087,"date":"2026-06-03T22:58:58","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T12:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/?p=1087"},"modified":"2026-06-04T17:46:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T07:46:44","slug":"collection-focus-edward-vi-in-the-name-of-henry-viii-silver-penny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/?p=1087","title":{"rendered":"Collection Focus: Edward VI (in the name of Henry VIII) \u2014 Silver Penny"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A transitional Tudor penny struck shortly after the death of Henry VIII, during the early reign of Edward VI. Although minted under Edward, the coin continues to use Henry\u2019s name and portrait, reflecting the brief period before new dies were prepared. This example is a detector find with honest wear and two stress cracks, but retains clear diagnostic features including the front\u2011facing bust and the CIVITAS LONDON reverse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"523\" src=\"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/England-Penny-Edward-VI-Henry-VIII-both-1024x523.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1088\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/England-Penny-Edward-VI-Henry-VIII-both-1024x523.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/England-Penny-Edward-VI-Henry-VIII-both-300x153.jpg 300w, https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/England-Penny-Edward-VI-Henry-VIII-both-768x392.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/England-Penny-Edward-VI-Henry-VIII-both.jpg 1131w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Coin Details<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Monarch:<\/strong> Edward VI (in the name of Henry VIII)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reign:<\/strong> 1547\u20131550<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Denomination:<\/strong> Penny<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mint:<\/strong> Tower (London)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Obverse:<\/strong> Front\u2011facing crowned bust of Henry VIII; legend originally <em>HENRIC 8 D G AGL Z FR<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reverse:<\/strong> Long cross fourch\u00e9e with three pellets in each quarter; <em>CIVITAS LONDON<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Metal:<\/strong> Silver (0.925)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Diameter:<\/strong> 15 mm<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weight:<\/strong> 0.84 g<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Catalogue:<\/strong> Spink 2417 \/ 2419 \/ 2422 \/ 2424 (mintmark lost)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Historical Notes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following Henry VIII\u2019s death in January 1547, the mint continued to strike coins in his name while new portrait dies for Edward VI were being prepared. These posthumous issues are stylistically distinct: the portrait is cleaner and more refined than the crude, debased busts of Henry\u2019s late Third Coinage, yet still unmistakably Tudor in character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The obverse shows a <strong>front\u2011facing bust<\/strong>, a portrait style used only on a narrow range of Tudor pennies. The reverse carries the familiar <strong>CIVITAS LONDON<\/strong> legend, confirming the Tower Mint. The mintmark, normally placed before CIVITAS and before HENRIC, is completely absent due to wear and two stress cracks in the flan \u2014 typical of hammered silver that has been bent in the ground and later straightened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because the mintmark is the sole distinguishing feature between the four Tower\u2011mint facing\u2011bust pennies of this period, the coin must be catalogued as <strong>S.2417 \/ 2419 \/ 2422 \/ 2424<\/strong>. This is the standard attribution used by museums and the Portable Antiquities Scheme when the mintmark is lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Condition &amp; Grading<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This example shows the typical circulation wear expected of a hammered penny that remained in use for many years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Surfaces:<\/strong> Even grey\u2011silver tone with stable wear; no harsh cleaning.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Obverse:<\/strong> Bust visible; crown outline present; legend mostly lost.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reverse:<\/strong> Long cross and pellets clear; <em>CIVITAS LONDON<\/em> readable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flan:<\/strong> Two stress cracks from historical bending; edges irregular but stable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Overall Grade:<\/strong> About Fine (aF) for the type<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>US Equivalent:<\/strong> F12<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A solid, problem\u2011free detector find with honest wear and good remaining detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Verdict<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a Tudor collection, this penny is a fascinating transitional issue \u2014 struck under Edward VI but still bearing Henry VIII\u2019s portrait and titles. The front\u2011facing bust is a scarcer and more desirable style, and the coin retains enough detail to be an attractive and historically meaningful example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the wear and flan cracks, the essential features are present: the portrait, the long cross, and the CIVITAS LONDON legend. It is exactly the kind of circulated hammered penny that tells the story of its era, bridging the end of Henry\u2019s reign and the beginning of Edward\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A worthy and characterful addition to your English hammered silver series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Further Reading<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/spinkbooks.com\/collections\/coins-medals\/products\/coins-of-england-and-the-united-kingdom-2024\">Spink Standard Catalogue of British Coins<\/a><\/em> \u2014 Tudor section<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/finds.org.uk\/database\/search\/results\/q\/henry+viii+penny+edward+vi\">Portable Antiquities Scheme<\/a><\/em> \u2014 Edward VI pennies in the name of Henry VIII<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.britishmuseum.org\/collection\/search?keyword=Tudor%20penny\">British Museum Collection<\/a><\/em> \u2014 Tudor hammered silver<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A transitional Tudor penny struck shortly after the death of Henry VIII, during the early reign of Edward VI. Although&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1088,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,131,136],"tags":[108,112],"wf_post_folders":[],"class_list":["post-1087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-edward-vi-1547-1553","category-coins","category-england-coins","tag-penny","tag-silver"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/England-Penny-Edward-VI-Henry-VIII-both.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1087"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1104,"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1087\/revisions\/1104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1087"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gbc.31pendleton.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwf_post_folders&post=1087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}