Kings and Queens: Mary I - 2008 Unc. Cupro Nickel $1 Coin - BVI

2006 saw the release of the first six coins in the Kings and Queens series which charted four hundred years of British Monarchs from present day Queen Elizabeth II, who currently holds the record for ‘Oldest Reigning British Monarch’ to James I, who is most famous for foiling the Gunpowder plot in 1605. In 2007 another six coins were released which traced back British Monarchs from Virgin Queen Elizabeth I, who was so named since she never married, to William the Conqueror - the Norman warrior who defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings of 1066. Together, these twelve coins make up Part I of the Kings and Queens collection. Kings and Queens Part II continues our historical journey with a second set of twelve coins including George III who during his reign joined the realms of Great Britain and Ireland thus forming the United Kingdom; Queen Anne who under the Acts of Union 1707 became first sovereign of the Kingdom of Great Britain; Charles II, known as the Merrie Monarch because of the liveliness and hedonism of his court; Charles I who was executed for high treason following his defeat in the second Civil War; Mary I, nicknamed Bloody Mary for her persecution of Protestants; Henry VII, the first Monarch of the Tudor dynasty; Edward IV, a spectacular military leader who was never defeated on the field of battle; Henry IV who succeeded to the throne after Richard II was deposed; Edward III whose reign saw the evolution of the English Parliament; Richard I known as Richard the Lionheart because of his famous military reputation; King Canute, the Viking warrior who according to legend sat his throne of the beach and attempted to ‘hold back the tide’ to prove to his courtiers the limitations of a King and to complete the set, Alfred the Great, the only English King to be awarded the epithet ‘the Great’ for his defence of the Kingdom against the Danish Vikings. Each coin is beautifully hand crafted and depicts each Monarch as they would have appeared on coins during their reign and also uses the same lettering of the period. The obverse of each coin bears a fine effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley.