1693 Sixpence – William and Mary

William and Mary ruled jointly as King and Queen. Their actual titles are King William III and Queen Mary II of England.

William III, also widely known as William of Orange, was sovereign Prince of Orange from birth. He was born in Binnenhof, South Holland, Netherlands.

Mary II (30 April 1662 – 28 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland. She was born at St James's Palace, London and was the eldest daughter of the Duke of York (the future King James II & VII), and his first wife, Anne Hyde.

Mary co-reigned with her husband, King William III, from 1689 until her death (When William continued as sole ruler).

The regnal years for William and Mary coins were:
1691:TERTIO; 1692:QVARTO; 1693:QVINTO (one extant); 1694:SEXTO.

On coins, their latin names of Gulielmus et Maria are usually used.

The Sixpence (half a shilling) was a British silver coin that was first minted 1551 and virtually continuously until decimalisation in 1971. They were often known as 'tanners'. They are small coins, the last minted had a diameter of about 19.4 mm.

Specifications:

• Year Minted: 1551-1970
• Diameter: 19.41 mm
• Weight: 2.83g (1816-1970)
• Edge: Milled
• Metal: 
  • 1551–1816: Silver
  • 1816–1920: 92.5% Silver
  • 1920–1946: 50% Silver
  • 1947–1970 Cupronickel. Zero Silver

In today's money they are 2½p. It doesn't sound much but at the time it was a weeks pocket money! It was a popular coin when in circulation and is now popular with collectors as it has a long history and many nice specimens can be obtained at affordable prices.

The Royal Mint is the designated place for the UK to mint coins. It dates back well over 1000 years and is a Government-owned company. 

Formed in the reign of Alfred the Great about the year 886, during the period 1279-1812 it was generally referred to as The Tower Mint as it was housed at the Tower of London. The Master of The Royal Mint has included famous figures such as Sir Isaac Newton.

Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK although it also produces medals and coins for other countries. It is currently located at Llantrisant, Wales.
The United Kingdom (UK) is the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is often refered to as Great Britain (GBR). It has a long, rich history.

The orignal coinage was Pounds, Shillings and Pence but since decimalisation on 15 February 1971, it is £1 = 100p, that is One Pound = 100 pence. The coinage of the UK is also a long history, the Royal Mint being established as long ago as 886AD when coins were hammered. Today there is perhaps 30 billion coins in circulation, and many (numismatic) collectors coins and sets are issued frequently in gold, silver and other metals.