Elizabeth I

Silver half groat or twopence coin of Elizabeth I with a mint mark of a hand on the reverse, which was used between 1589 and1592. Obverse: ‘E D G ROSA SINE SPINA’, crowned bust of the queen facing left with two pellets behind. Reverse: ‘CIVITAS LONDON’, square shield on cross fourchée. This coin was found during the excavations of the Rose theatre on Bankside. Most of the official coins found on the site were uncovered in the remains of the more expensive galleries where the wealthiest audience members would have sat. It cost one penny to enter the theatre, where you could stand in the yard to watch the performances. It cost a second penny if you wanted to sit in the galleries and a third penny to enter the exclusive seating areas with the best views and cushions.

The Rose was first built in 1587 and was one of four purpose-built playhouses on the south bank of the Thames in London (the others were the Globe, the Hope and the Swan). It was demolished in 1606. Archaeologists discovered the remains of the Rose in 1988. Reference: Bowsher, J. & Miller, P. (2009), 'The Rose and the Globe - playhouses of Shakespeare's Bankside, Southwark. Excavations 1988-90’, MOLA Monograph 48.