The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Two sides of a gold coin with an inscription circling an image on both sides (see "Inscriptions" field). On the left, is Elizabeth I in profile with a crown, long hair, and ruffled collar. On the right, "E" and "R" flank a crowned coat of arms divided into four sections. The upper left and lower right sections feature three stylized fleur-de-lis lilies and the remaining sections three elongated and barely discernable lions.

Halfcrown: Elizabeth I (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse)

1560–61

England, Elizabeth I, 1558-1603

gold
Diameter: 1.7 cm (11/16 in.)
The Norweb Collection 1969.182
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

This small coin, a halfcrown, would have been more accessible to ordinary citizens and their chance to see a portrait of the queen.

Description

A rare coin, the portrait of the queen is very well executed. There are two types of this coin that feature a bust of the queen. They vary considerably, this one being less ornate than the second, 1969.184. Elizabeth I chose a Latin phrase, SCVTVM FIDEI PROTEGET EAM, translated as The Shield of Faith Shall Protect Her to appear on the reverse of some of her coins, befitting her precarious position.
  • -1969
    Mrs. Emery May Holden Norweb (1895-1984), Cleveland, OH, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1969-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, and Emery May Norweb. English Gold Coins, Ancient to Modern Times, On Loan to the Cleveland Museum of Art from the Norweb Collection. [Catalog. 1968. p. 41
  • Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).
    English Gold Coins: Ancient to Modern Times. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1963).
  • {{cite web|title=Halfcrown: Elizabeth I (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse)|url=false|author=|year=1560–61|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.182