Elizabeth I Gold coin sold for record amount

The coin, minted during the reign of the former Queen of Great Britain Elizabeth I, was sold at auction for a record price. The Ship Rial gold coin with a face value of 15 shillings, issued between 1584 and 1586, went off the Heritage auction for $372 thousand. This was reported on December 9 by Popular Science magazine.

The rial was usually issued in Scotland, but currently the coin is not minted in the United Kingdom. In the modern world, the rial is the standard currency used in Iran, Oman and Yemen.

Between 1584 and 1586, only a few ship-type coins were minted. As a rule, they were of poor quality. Scientists believe that the coins were issued in response to gold captured from Spanish galleons during the time of the English corsair Sir Francis Drake. The coin depicts Elizabeth I in a cassock and with a bow on a ship. She holds a scepter and an orb in her hands, which probably symbolizes the naval superiority of England at the beginning of the colonization of America and the victory over the Spanish armada in 1588.

The reverse side of the coin depicts a cross with floral patterns in the center, with a rose on the shining sun and crowned lions. The Latin text surrounding the central images reads: "IHS AVT TRANSIENS PER MEDIV ILLORVM IBAT" ("But Jesus, passing through the midst of them, went his own way"). According to the Mint Museum, this inscription has been printed on many Tudor half-stars and is a biblical reference to Luke 4:30.

"This is an incredible coin from an incredible collection, and it is only natural that it brought a record result. It is one of the most coveted and sought-after coins among British numismatic collectors, and one of the last coins minted in this medieval style. Such coins are incredibly rare, they are one of the greatest numismatic curiosities of the Elizabethan era," said Kyle Johnson, CEO of World and Ancient Coins at Heritage.

Earlier, on December 2, Popular Science reported that the value of the lost 1804 dollar, known as the "King of American Coins," could reach $5 million at auction. It was clarified that at the moment it is known about 16 copies of this coin. The last one was found recently, it belonged to the New York collector James Stack, who died in 1951.

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