Obs. exc. Hist. Also 6 testoune, -yon, 6–7 -one, (Sc. -an, -ane), 7 -oone. [a. obs. F. teston (in Godef., Compl.) = obs. It. testone, augmentative of testa head: see -OON. See also TESTER3.]
1. orig. The French name of a silver coin struck at Milan by Galeazzo Maria Sforza (1468–76), bearing a portrait or head of the duke, and called in Italian testone; then of the similar coin struck by Louis XII. after his conquest of Milan, for currency in Italy, and by Francis I. (1515–47) for use in France. Both in Italy and France, the name was soon applied to equivalent silver coins without a portrait; but always to pieces heavier than the gros.
1545. Reg. Privy Council Scot., I. 2. All smaller peces sik as halff testanys and halff soussis be taken efter the quantite of the prices forsaidis.
1547. Boorde, Introd. Knowl., xxvii. (1870), 191. In syluer they [the French] haue testons, which be worth halfe a Frenche crowne; it is worth .ii. s. .iiii. d. sterlyng.
1579. J. Stubbes, Gaping Gulf, C vij. He [Monsieur] is not able to dropp halfe testons for king Phillip’s pistelas.
1617. Moryson, Itin., I. 185. I payed [in France] two testoones and a halfe for a paire of shooes. Ibid., 288. Those of Solothurn … coyne a peece of mony, which the Sweitzers call Dickenpfenning, and the French call Testoone, but it is lesse worth by the tenth part then the Testoone of France.
1686. trans. Chardin’s Trav. Persia, 7. This Money of theirs [the Dutch] … chiefly consists of Crowns, Half-Crowns, Testons or Eighteen-penny pieces, and pieces of Fifteen Sous.
1901. trans. Hugo’s Notre Dame, xxvii. 275. To gain a few testons in his turn [he] was parading round the circle.
2. In England, A name applied first to the shilling of Henry VII., being the first English coin with a true portrait; also to those of Henry VIII., and early pieces of Edward VI. It was declared in 1543 to be equal to 12 pence, but being of debased metal it sank successively to 10d., 9d., and 6d., and was recalled in 1548. Subsequently those still in circulation were rated even lower: see quotations 1560 and 1635.
There appear also to have been counterfeit testons, difficult to distinguish from the debased coinage of Henry VIII., and valued in 1560 at 41/2d. and 21/4d. Quot. 1562 refers to the red or ‘brazen’ color of the debased restons.
1543. Mint Indenture (P.R.O. Exchr. Accts. Bundle 306, No. 2). Shall make sixe maner of monys of sylver That is to saye oone piece of theym called a Teston running for xijd. of lawfull monye of Englande and there shalbe xlviij suche pieces of theym in the pownde weight of troye.
1548. Roy. Proclam. for calling in of Testons. The falsyng of his highnes coyne, nowe current, specially of the peces of xii.d. commonly named Testons.
1549. Latimer, 3rd Serm. bef. Edw. VI. (Arb.), 85. Thy syluer is turned into, what? into testyons? Scoriam, into drosse.
1560. Roy. Proclam., in Arch. Bodl. F., c. 11 lf. 30. For discernyng and knowyng of the basest Testons of two pence farthing, from thother Teston of foure pence halfpeny.
1562. J. Heywood, Prov. & Epigr. (1867), 189. Of Testons. Testons be gone to Oxforde, god be their speede: To studie in Brazennose, there to proceede. Of redde Testons. These Testons looke redde:… they blushe for shame.
1577–87. Holinshed, Chron., III. 1066/2. In the moneth of Iulie [1551] … he abased the peece of twelue pence, commonlie called a teston vnto nine pence.
1592. Sc. Acts Jas. VI. (1814), III. 527/1. Ordanis the inglis testane to haue cours heireftir wtin this realme vpoun the pryce of viii s. [Scotch].
1635. N. R., Camden’s Hist. Eliz., I. 36. Reducing the Teston of sixpence to foure pence, another Teston to two pence farthing, for more silver there was not in them.
1752. Carte, Hist. Eng., III. XVI. 229. This gentleman [Sir W. Sharington, an. 1549] had coined a vast quantity of testons, of a base alloy and under standard.
† b. A name for the sixpenny piece; = TESTER3.
1577. Harrison, England, II. xxv. (1877), I. 362. Six pence vsuallie named the testone.
1598. B. Jonson, Ev. Man in Hum., IV. i. You cannot giue him lesse then a shilling,… for the booke … cost him a teston, at least.
† c. Proposed name for a suggested new coin of the value of 1s. 3d. Obs.
1691. Locke, Lower. Interest, Wks. 1727, II. 90. The present Shilling and new Testoon, going for fifteen Pence.
1695. Lowndes, Ess. Amend. Silver Coins, 63. One other Piece which may be called the Testoon, or Fifteen Peny Piece.
3. Name of a Scottish silver coin bearing a portrait of Mary Stuart, issued in 1553, and weighing about 76 grains; also applied to coins of the same weight, without the portrait, struck in 1555.
1566. Reg. Privy Council Scot., I. 441. He sall … pay for his absence ane testane. Ibid. (1577), II. 616. His Hienes awin silver money of testanis and xxx, xx, and ten schilling pecis.
1583–4. Burgh Rec. Edinb. (1882), IV. 322. The payment of ane thowsand pund in Scottis fyue schilling testanes.
1621. Compt Bk. D. Wedderburne (S.H.S.), 171. Promisit him a mark for ilk testane he advances thairon.
4. The Portuguese testão or tostão, a silver coin first coined by Manoel I, c. 1500, and weighing 122 grains; now = 100 reis, weighing 51.6 grains, and worth about 21/2d. Also an obsolete Italian coin.
1598. W. Phillip, Linschoten (Hakl. Soc.), I. I. xxxv. 241. Pardaus Xeraphiins … which is as much as three Testones, or three hundred Reijs Portingall money.
1603. Florio, Montaigne, I. xlvii. (1632), 160. I saw the Prince of Sulmona at Naples … shew all manner of horsemanship: to hold testons or reals under his knees.
1676. W. B., Man. Goldsm., 114. Portugal Teston.
1706. Phillips (ed. Kersey), s.v., The Testoon of Portugal is worth 1s. 3d. Of Spain and Navarre 1s. 8d. or Switzerland 1s. 4d. Of Italy 1s. 4d.
1717. Berkeley, Tour Italy, Wks. 1871, IV. 524. The owner of the horse gave him a testoon.
1740. H. Walpole, Lett. to R. West, 16 April. What the chief princes [in Italy] allow for their own eating is a testoon a day.
