Elizabeth I (1558-1603), First Tentative Issue, Crown Gold, Half-Pound, 1 January 1561 - 31 August 1565, Tower, + ELIZABETH : D . G . ANG . FRA . ET · HI . REGINA •, crowned bust 3C left, wearing decorated bodice, rev. + SCVTVM : FIDEI : PROTEGET : EAM •, crowned square-topped shield, dividing E-R, 5.09g [79.0grns], 7h, m.m. cross crosslet (Schneider I, 738; Brown & Comber G5/G6; North 1982; Spink 2520), nick behind crown, and crimped with further a small flan split below truncation, a trace of doubling, otherwise about very fine, a decidedly wholesome example from this increasingly sought-after series