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Quiz about A History of the Coinage of England

A History of the Coinage of England Quiz

My hobby is metal detecting, and I have found coins from all periods of English history. I thought I would set you a nice quiz on the coins that our kings and queens have given us. Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by mikew41. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
mikew41

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
263,876

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Difficult

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
685

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. For over 500 years from 765 AD, the only coin minted in England was the silver penny. Which English king issued new values of coins in 1279? Hint

Richard II

Henry V

Henry III

Edward I

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which British king's name never appeared on English coins? Hint

John

Richard

Henry

William

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Question 3 of 10

3. Which English king introduced the first official gold coinage? Hint

Henry IV

Edward III

Edward VI

Richard III

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Question 4 of 10

4. Angels, Ryals, and Laurels are examples of which kind of coin? Hint

Silver coins

Fractional coins

Commemorative coins

Gold coins

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which British monarch's name appeared as GUILIELMUS on his coins? Hint

George III

James II

Charles II

William III

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Question 6 of 10

6. Which British king issued the "Declaration" coinage? Hint

Charles I

Charles II

John

James II

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which English monarch issued the first "Milled" (machine made) coinage? Hint

Anne

James I

Elizabeth I

Henry VIII

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which English monarch first minted the Sovereign? Hint

George III

Henry VIII

Henry VII

Elizabeth I

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Question 9 of 10

9. During which British monarch's reign was the first official token coinage issued? Hint

George III

William IV

Anne

Victoria

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Question 10 of 10

10. What is the highest face value of a coin ever issued in England? Hint

�1000

�5

�100

�10

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. For over 500 years from 765 AD, the only coin minted in England was the silver penny. Which English king issued new values of coins in 1279?

Answer: Edward I

Edward I introduced the "New Coinage" in 1279 to counter widespread forging. In addition to the penny, new farthings, halfpennies and a fourpence piece called a groat were issued.

2. Which British king's name never appeared on English coins?

Answer: John

King John's English coins still had Henricus as the monarch's name from the reign of Henry II. John's name did appear on his coinage minted in Ireland.

3. Which English king introduced the first official gold coinage?

Answer: Edward III

Edward III was envious of the gold coinage issued by King Philip de Valois in France and decided to mint some of his own.

4. Angels, Ryals, and Laurels are examples of which kind of coin?

Answer: Gold coins

The Ryal was worth 10 shillings. An Angel was worth 6s 8d when first issued, rising to 10 shillings by the reign of Mary. A Laurel was a 20 shilling piece of James I.

5. Which British monarch's name appeared as GUILIELMUS on his coins?

Answer: William III

Guilielmus is Latin for William.

6. Which British king issued the "Declaration" coinage?

Answer: Charles I

During the Civil War, Charles issued a coinage bearing the "Oxford Declaration" on the reverse promising to uphold "RELIG PROT LEG ANG LIBER PAR" ("The religion of the Protestants, the laws of England and the liberty of Parliament"). This blatant advertising didn't seem to work and he was beheaded in London on 30 Jan 1649.

7. Which English monarch issued the first "Milled" (machine made) coinage?

Answer: Elizabeth I

The first milled coins were made for Elizabeth by Eloye Mestrelle in 1561 but were not a success, as the machine process was still slower than minting coins by hand. He was dismissed from the job and subsequently hanged for counterfeiting in 1578.

8. Which English monarch first minted the Sovereign?

Answer: Henry VII

In 1489, Henry VII issued the first ever gold coin worth one full pound. From the design of the king enthroned in full majesty, the coin was named the Sovereign. Modern sovereigns were first issued by George III to replace the Guinea in 1817.

9. During which British monarch's reign was the first official token coinage issued?

Answer: George III

In 1816 British silver coins were produced with an intrinsic value substantially below their face value. Until then, a Shilling contained a shillings worth of silver. Today, depending on metal prices, the one penny piece is sometimes worth more than its nominal face value as scrap.

10. What is the highest face value of a coin ever issued in England?

Answer: �100

In 1987, the Royal Mint issued the Britannia series of gold bullion coins. There were 4 coins with face values of �10, �25, �50 and �100. It wouldn't be a good idea to spend one if you found it in your change. Even though the �100 coin is legal tender, it contains a full ounce of gold, making it worth much more than �100 on the bullion market!

Source: Author mikew41

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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