Tudor monarchs: a coin-by-coin guide

The Tudor century (1485–1603) reshaped English coinage three times: a portrait revolution under Henry VII, a fiscal catastrophe under Henry VIII, and a long stabilisation under Elizabeth I. This guide walks each monarch in turn, with the diagnostic details that matter to detectorists in the field.

Henry VII (1485–1509) — the profile revolution

Early Henry VII coinage continues the medieval idiom: crowned facing bust, long-cross-and-pellets reverse, Latin legend. The breakthrough comes in 1504, when the testoon (shilling) introduces a realistic right-facing profile bust — the first true portrait on English coinage. The reverse shifts to a quartered royal shield over a cross.

Crown evolution within the reign:

• Open crown (earliest)
• Double-arched crown
• Double-arched crown with outer arch jewelled (latest)

Henry VII testoons are rare. The much commoner detector finds from this reign are pennies and halfpennies still using the late-medieval facing-bust convention.

Henry VIII (1509–1547)

Henry VIII produced four coinages in 38 years — the most complex Tudor reign for attribution. Briefly:

For the detailed sub-divisions, see how to identify a Henry VIII coin.

Edward VI (1547–1553)

Edward VI’s reign falls into two halves for the coinage. From 1547 to 1551 he continued striking debased coins in Henry VIII’s name (the “posthumous” issues). In 1551 he restored fine silverand struck his first coins in his own name — the shilling appears as a regular denomination here, and the standard returns to 0.925.

• Fine silver shilling, 1551–53: profile right bust of the young king, crowned, slim and boyish.
• Legend EDWARD VI D G AGL FRA Z HIB REX.
• Reverse: long cross fourchee over Tudor shield. The denomination is often a giveaway — a 32 mm fine silver coin from this window is an Edward VI restored-issue shilling.

Mary I and Philip & Mary (1553–1558)

Mary I’s solo reign (1553–54) shows a right-facing female bust, hair gathered under a small crown. No beard (obviously). Legend MARIA D G ANG FRA NEAP PR HISP.

After her marriage to Philip of Spain in 1554, the joint coinage introduces a unique design: twin busts facing each other, Philip on the left, Mary on the right, both crowned. The only English coinage with two facing busts. Legend PHILIPP ET MARIA D G REX ET REGINA. Modules vary by denomination, but the joint-bust shilling is the most-encountered detector find of the series.

Elizabeth I (1558–1603)

Elizabeth’s long reign is best discussed in its own guide — the initial-mark sequence allows year-window dating that nothing else in Tudor coinage matches. The headline diagnostics:

• Left-facing female bust, no beard, Tudor coiffure with pearl drops.
• Rose behind the buston third/fourth/fifth issues (1561–82); no rose before or after.
• Simple Tudor shieldon the reverse — lions and lis only, no Scottish lion or Irish harp.
• Initial mark dates the coin to within 1–3 years.

Full table of initial marks and the issue-by-issue rose-behind-bust details are in how to identify an Elizabeth I coin.

A monarch-by-monarch portrait fingerprint

Reverse design quick-glance

Most large-denomination Tudor silver from Henry VIII third coinage onwards uses some variant of a long cross fourchee over a quartered royal shield. The pre-1544 coinages still use the older long-cross-and-pellets design carried over from the medieval period. The transition gives one more useful diagnostic:

• Long cross with three pellets in each angleon Tudor silver → pre-1544 (Henry VII facing pennies, Henry VIII first/second coinage smaller denominations).
• Long cross fourchee over quartered shield→ 1544 onwards (Henry VIII third, Edward VI fine silver, Mary, Elizabeth, and continuing into Stuart).

Fabric checks

Three Tudor coinages have visibly distinctive fabric:

• Bright fine silver, weights match standard— most Henry VII, Henry VIII first/second, Edward VI 1551+, Mary, Elizabeth.
• Coppery / orange-tinged surface, debased feel — Henry VIII third coinage and Edward VI posthumous (most of 1544–1551).
• Crude flan, irregular strike, occasionally lozenge or octagonal shape— Civil War siege coins (Stuart, but flagged here because they sometimes get lumped in with Tudor by newer detectorists).