Sixpence was something to conjure with in the 16th century.  Unfortunately this coin is too late in the reign to be one of the handsome “mill sixpence” coins issued between 1561 and 1572.  They were the first English coins made with a screw press rather than hand-hammered. French mint-master Eloye Mestrelle imported the machinery from Paris and set up a mint workshop in the Tower of London. The quality of the coins was excellent, but production was slow compared to hand hammering and resistance from mint workers, fearing the loss of their jobs, eventually led to Mestrelle’s downfall and execution in 1578 for counterfeiting