For many years, there has been a mismatch between the Edward VI base shilling, 2nd and 3rd issue obverse types in the Standard Catalogue Coins of England and the definitive source on the series, Joe Bispham’s The Base Silver Shillings of Edward VI (BNJ 55, 1985). Bispham’s bust 5 never made it into the catalogue, and the Spink Plate coins for busts 4 and 5 were inconsistent with Bispham’s original work. This article addresses the ambiguity with large, clear images of the bust types and their appropriate labels, following as closely as possible the original numbering. The intention is to provide a clear reference for identification of the main types. For completeness, the rare, Bristol-engraved ‘bust 3Br’ is also included.
Finally, the article concludes (in the appendix) with a table of known obverse and reverse types with their associated mintmarks, including the many mules produced during the years 1549 to 1551.
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