The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 20, 2024
Half Pound: Elizabeth I (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse)
1558–1560
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
The technology of the French screw press allows greater detail to be viewed, such as the queen's bejeweled dress and long locks flowing out of her crown and down her back.Description
This is a fine example of a rare piece, produced by a new process. In about 1560 an attempt was made to introduce coins made with the French screw press. The coins are called mill money, a term derived from the use of water and horse mills used to supply power. The machinery included a rolling press, driven by the mill, a cutting punch, and a screw press for stamping the design on the coin. While the screw press coins are far superior to hammered coins in the point of accuracy of shape and weight, the workmen at the mint put up every possible objection because they were afraid their livelihood was in danger. Eloye Mestrell, who brought the press over from France, was a scoundrel who had once worked for the Paris mint. He was an easy prey to hostility and finally ended up on the gallows, having been convicted of counterfeiting. No more is heard of the screw press until the reign of Charles I when a greater Frenchman, Nicholas Briot, was given employment in the government mint. The workmanship on these milled coins of Mestrell was excellent and the coins are beautifully detailed.- -1969Mrs. Emery May Holden Norweb (1895-1984), Cleveland, OH, gifted to the Cleveland Museum of Art1969-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. 46Emmison, F. G. Elizabethan Life. [Vol. 1], [Vol. 1]. Chelmsford: Essex County Council, 1970.Mikolic, Amanda. Hunting for a Unicorn Horn: Narwhal Tusks in Medieval Monsters. The Cleveland Museum of Art The Thinker Blog on Medium, September 6, 2019. medium.com
- 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=Half Pound: Elizabeth I (obverse); Crowned Shield of Arms (reverse)|url=false|author=|year=1558–1560|access-date=20 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.187