(1604-15) James I Penny, as found at Jamestown (but in better shape)

England. (1604-15) silver penny. James I. S-2661. VF-30 (NGC). A charming if diminutive silver coin from the early 17th century, a denomination recovered archaeologically at the original fort site in Jamestown. Even dusky gray toning was imbued over nearly a century spent in a paper envelope. The surface quality and sharpness are excellent. The reverse is slightly off-center to 2:00, but the obverse is ideally centered and features all legends. The specimen found at Jamestown did not fare so well, showing a substantial chip when it was found, but clearly little worn and interred fairly early in the life of the Jamestown fort. With the archaeological history attached to this denomination, it becomes an important inclusion in any collection that focuses on the earliest English coins that circulated in the American colonies.