Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V & Richard III
Henry VI (first reign: 1422-61) Read
about Henry VI
Hammered Gold
WAu-9098:
Henry VI
Medieval Hammered Gold Noble in High Grade.
Henry VI, first reign, annulet issue, 1422-30. London mint.
Obverse: annulet by sword arm, trefoil stops, lis
after hENRIC.
Reverse: annulet stops, mullet after IhC,
single annulet in one spandrel with lis in the
remaining seven. S.R. 1799, North 1414, Whitton Heavy 4b, Schneider 1-275. Henry VI was born December
6, 1421 in
Windsor, Berkshire and died May 21 or 22, 1471 in London.
He reigned from 1422 to 1461 and then from 1470 to 1471. He was a pious
and studious recluse whose incapacity for government was one of the causes of
the Wars of the Roses. Old tickets here. A most impressive coin. £6,975
Provenance
ex
Royal Mint
ex CNG
ex
Spink
Hammered Silver
Groats
WMH-9090:
Choice Henry VI Hammered
Silver Medieval Groat - a Mule. Leaf-trefoil
issue of 1436-8. Initial mark Cross Fleury obverse (the
correct mark for issue) and Cross Patonce reverse (a mark for 1427-34). London mint, S.R. 1897.
Leaf on breast, trefoil inner reverse legend - nothing
like the reverse of the annulet-trefoil sub issue of 1430. As good as the S.R. plate
coin. Almost daily I'm contacted
by people questioning pricing by showing me the S.R. Coins of England
prices. I actually have a saved
paragraph which I now just copy and paste in reply as it really is that
frequent an issue. Let's try and put
this to bed once and for all:
a) Sovereign Rarities,
rightly so, tend to use high grade, best-known coins as their plate coins. Those plate coins, together with anything
similar, if sold would obviously achieve a much higher price than the S.R. VF
price.
b) Sovereign Rarities
knowingly under price in their guide to stimulate the market. Show me where to buy a 1651
gold unite in true VF grade for £7,000 and I'll snatch your hand off, as would
everyone in the know.
c) When S.R. auction
quality coins, they virtually always hammer at over their own price guide, and
don't forget the 30% buyer's commission on top.
I've never seen them correct their pricing in subsequent issues.
d) To be fair to S.R.,
the book they produce is just a guide.
It really shouldn't be deitized into something
that it was never intended to be.
e) Like every other
dealer, my pricing is a moderate percentage on top of the price that I have had
to pay and, also like every other dealer, I do not use
S.R. Coins of England when I buy any coins.
f) For those still
bewitched by Sovereign Rarities Coins of England, here's a S.R. 1897 coming
up for auction in March. Note the estimate and don't forget to add on their 30%
buyer's commission.
An extremely attractive coin with the added bonus of the interesting dual
initial marks. £385
Halfgroats
WMH-7767:
Henry VI
Medieval Hammered Silver MULE Half Groat.
First reign: a mule of an Annulet issue of 1422-30 obverse
and a Rosette-Mascle issue of 1430-31 reverse.
Calais mint. In case you're wondering what right England had in
minting coins from Calais, the answer is that England owned Calais from the
reign of Edward III until Mary's reign in 1558; the paperwork the paperwork to
finally give up Calais being finalised under Elizabeth 1st in the Treaty of Troyes. Some say it
was a vanity project by the English and it probably was to a point (it
certainly cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue
collected in England to maintain Calais as an English possession, not to mention the loss of lives,
most famously the Battle of Agincourt. ), but the port of Calais was really
important to England in terms of transport and trade. Initial mark Plain Cross. S.R. 1840-1 / 1862. Sold with a couple of old tickets. An interesting coin. £225
WMH-9155:
High Grade
Henry VI Hammered Silver Medieval Halfgroat. First reign, Annulet issue of 1422-30, Calais mint. Initial mark Plan cross. S.R.1840. Obverse: large annulets either side of
the neck, good solid portrait and legends with some die issues on the final
part of the legend (...Z FR). Reverse:
two small annulets in opposite quarters with a large annulet separating POSVI
DEVM. The town
of Calais in what is now Northern France was under English rule
from 1347 until 7 January 1558, being a bit of a
vanity statement for the English monarchs in their claim on the French crown.
It cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue collected in England to maintain Calais as an English
possession. The mint closed in 1440
after really only producing limited coinage under Edward III, a tiny amount of
gold under Richard II and Henry IV, a miniscule quantity of farthings under
Henry V and some of the earlier coinage of Henry VI. A seriously impressive coin with
much eye-appeal. £275
Provenance:
ex Tim
Owen (his older ticket)
WMH-9251:
Henry VI Medieval
Hammered Silver Halfgroat. First reign, Rosette-Mascle issue of 1430-31 only. Calais mint: S.R. 1862. A veritable proliferation
of Rosettes with just a single Mascle each side. In case you're wondering what right England
had in minting coins from Calais, the answer is that England owned Calais from
the reign of Edward III until Mary's reign in 1558; the paperwork to finally
give up Calais being finalised under Elizabeth 1st in the Treaty of Troyes. Some say it
was a vanity project by the English and it probably was to a point (it
certainly cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue
collected in England to maintain Calais as an English possession, not to
mention the loss of lives, most famously the Battle of Agincourt), but the port
of Calais was really important to England in terms of transport and trade. Henry VI was born December
6, 1421 in
Windsor, Berkshire and died May 21 or 22, 1471 in London.
He reigned from 1422 to 1461 and then from 1470 to 1471. He was a pious
and studious recluse whose incapacity for government was one of the causes of
the Wars of the Roses. A very nice example.
£295
Pennies
WMH-7590:
Henry VI
Medieval Hammered Silver Penny. Rosette-mascle issue of 1430-31. From the Calais mint - the town of Calais in what is now Northern France was under English rule
from 1347 until 7 January 1558, being a bit of a
vanity statement for the English monarchs in their claim on the French crown. It
cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue collected in England to maintain Calais as an English
possession. The mint closed in 1440
after really only producing limited coinage under Edward III, a tiny amount of
gold under Richard II and Henry IV, a miniscule quantity of farthings under
Henry V and some of the earlier coinage of Henry VI. Initial mark Cross Patonce.
S.R. 1865.
An exceptionally nice grade coin. £195
WMH-7917:
Henry VI Hammered Silver
Penny. Rosette-Mascle issue, 1430-31
only. Clear mascles both sides, clear
rosette reverse. Calais mint. Initial mark Cross Patonce.
S.R. 1865. The
town of Calais in what is now Northern France was under English rule
from 1347 until 7 January 1558, being a bit of a
vanity statement for the English monarchs in their claim on the French crown. It certainly cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue collected in England to maintain Calais as an English
possession, not to
mention the loss of lives, most famously the Battle of Agincourt. The mint closed in
1440 after really only producing limited coinage under Edward III, a tiny
amount of gold under Richard II and Henry IV, a miniscule quantity of farthings
under Henry V and some of the earlier coinage of Henry VI. S.R. 1859. A lovely grade coin which is born out by the 0.97g
weight. £225
WMH-8084:
Henry VI Medieval Hammered
Silver Penny. Pinecone-Mascle issue of 1431-32/3,
rare Durham mint - CIVI TAS DVnO
LMI, S.R. 1883. Not on most collectors' radar but
never-the-less, a rare coin which is seldom seen for sale. £235
WMH-9292: Henry VI Medieval Hammered
Silver Penny. Rosette-mascle issue of 1430-31. York Episcopal mint under Archbishop
Kemp. Saltires by the king's hair - the rarer and somewhat elusive class D. No rosettes in the legends showing a late,
perhaps final coinage under rosette-mascle. S.R.1867. Henry VI was born December
6, 1421 in
Windsor, Berkshire and died May 21 or 22, 1471 in London.
He reigned from 1422 to 1461 and then from 1470 to 1471. He was a pious
and studious recluse whose incapacity for government was one of the causes of
the Wars of the Roses. Generally a poor
issue for pennies which makes this coin stand out in terms of the quality of
Henry VI's portrait.
Sold with a ticket stating, amongst other things, that
the coin was found in Lincolnshire.
£185
Halfpennies
WMH-7336:
Henry VI
Hammered Silver Long Cross Halfpenny. Annulet issue of 1422-30, London
mint. Two revere annulets. S.R.
1848. Nice grade for issue –
remember you’re looking at a much magnified image. £85
Other
WJC-9342: (10) Henry VI : 1616-38
Silver Simon de Passe Token. Machine-pressed silver tokens or counters
depicting the monarchs of England, issued in sets (thought to be thirty six), composed
either of pieces of different monarchs or repetitions of the same type. Thought to be primarily
used as markers or counters "for reckoning and for play". The dies were very cleverly sunk to give the
impression of a hand-engraved silver token.
Some of these counters were executed early in the 1616-38 period by
Nicholas Hilliard, jeweller; goldsmith and engraver to Elizabeth 1st and
afterwards to James 1st. In 1617,
Hilliard received a patent granting him the monopoly for twelve years of all
the engraved portraits of the King and the Royal Family. He subsequently sold licences to other
engravers to execute these counters, one of which was to Simon de Passe and his brother, both of whom excelled in the art of
engraving. This sub-licence to the de Passe brothers was issued late in the reign of James
1st. Collectively, these tokens are all
termed De Passe tokens for convenience. £175
Provenance:
From a collection put together over a great many years;
dispersed by Spink.
Edward IV (1461-70) - 1st Reign Read
about Edward IV.
See also the Irish
section for Edward IV hammered coinage.
Hammered Gold
WAu-7555:
Edward IV
Hammered Medieval Gold Ryal or Rose Noble.
Light Coinage of 1464 – 1470 only, London mint, small
fleurs in spandrels, initial mark Crown, S.R.
1951. This coin, issued in 1465, whilst
unambiguously attractive in design, was a bit of a disaster. It superseded the old Noble because this was
now considered a clunky and old fashioned denomination at 6s. 8d. The new Ryal or
Rose Noble denomination was nice and user-friendly at 10 shillings. However, it wasn’t. The noble had been around for so long that
6s. 8d. had actually become the professionals’ standard fee. Whilst these professionals wouldn’t have
minded being the beneficiary of a not inconsequential pay rise virtually
overnight, the people who employed these individuals were most certainly not up
for that. Thus the new 10 shilling Ryal
or Rose Noble denomination was itself superseded just 5 years later by the gold
Angel and everyone was happy because the Angel circulated at, wait for it,
exactly the same as the old Noble - 6s. 8d, or at least it did until Henry VIII
got involved when, somewhat counter-intuitively, it increased to 7s. 6d in his
Second Coinage! At virtually full weight
and VF grade, this is a lovely example of an iconic English late Medieval
hammered gold coin. £6,850
Hammered Silver
Groats
WMH-8005: Edward IV RARE MINT
Hammered Medieval Silver Groat.
Provincial COVENTRY issue, light coinage, 1464 – 1470: this mint was only
operational for x72 days right at the start of the
Light Coinage, so c.1464. Quatrefoils by neck, C on breast, S.R. 2008. Strongly toned with virtually no clipping,
excellent reverse mint signature and really, of the four examples I have had in
the last 30 years, up there with the best.
Much rarer than S.R.
suggest. Ex Tim Owen on one of his
1990's pre-pink tickets, so good provenance.
A very good example indeed of this sought after mint. £595
WMH-7867:
Edward IV
Hammered Silver Medieval Provincial Mint Groat. First reign, light coinage
of 1464-70. CIVI
TAS COV TRE reading - the very rare Coventry mint, S.R. 2008.
Initial mark Sun (not a mule of rose/sun as described
on the old ticket), C on breast, and quatrefoils by the neck. This mint was only operational for x72 days right at the start of the Light Coinage. After those few short days, the mint
closed. A rare coin. £435
WMH-8028: Edward IV RARE MINT Hammered
Medieval Silver Groat. Provincial COVENTRY issue, light coinage, 1464 – 1470: this mint was only
operational for x72 days right at the start of the
Light Coinage, so c.1464. Quatrefoils by neck, C on breast, S.R. 2008. Strongly toned with only minimal clipping,
excellent reverse mint signature and really, of the four examples I have had in
the last 30 years, the best - even better than the ex Tom Owen coin as this one
has an exceptionally clear initial mark.
Much rarer than S.R.
suggest. A very good example indeed of
this sought after mint. Don't be fooled
into thinking these are common coins just because I have three - I actively
seek out the singular and unusual coinage, rarely buying the commonplace unless
it's cheap. Find another elsewhere! £645
Pennies
WMH-8085:
Edward IV Medieval
Hammered Silver Penny. First reign, heavy coinage, local dies,
Durham mint - CIVI TAS DVn
OLI. Unclipped and generous of flan
which, bearing in mind the proclivity for clipping and the predilection for
Episcopal mints to issue pennies on not much better than halfpenny flans at
this point in history, is little short of remarkable. £245
Halfpennies
WMH-7561:
Edward IV
Medieval Hammered Silver Halfpenny. House of York.
First reign, Light Coinage of 1464-70. London mint.
Trefoils by neck, initial mark Long Cross Fitchee,
1469-70. Might not look it but this is a
very good example with all indicators as well as discernable legends
present. £85
WMH-9064: Excessively Rare Edward IV
NORWICH Hammered
Silver PROVINCIAL Mint Halfpenny. First reign,
1461-70. Norwich
mint. Quatrefoils by the neck, initial mark Sun,
just about discernable on the obverse, and a previously unrecorded extra pellet
to one reverse quarter. S.R. 2074A.
Obverse: EDWAR[D] DI GRA REX, reverse: CIVI TAS
nO[R WIC]. The
Norwich mint, along with the Coventry, Bristol and York mints, termed the
Royal Mints, were opened in 1465 to aid with the recoinage of that year. Whilst York and Bristol went on producing
provincial coinage up until the early 1470's, Coventry and Norwich were shut down almost
immediately, after just two months production.
The full & half Ryals together with the
full & half groats were the main output with no pennies being issued from
Norwich (or Coventry) and only a peppercorn issue of halfpence - just enough to
negate the slight need for fractions in the economy. Collectors will be aware that generally all
halfpennies from this period are rare, indicating that probably through
inflation, the fractions were in no way as important and therefore as essential
in everyday transactions as they were earlier under Henry III. With respect to the extra pellet in the
reverse quarter, Lord Stewartby (English Coins
1180-1551, published by S.R. 2009) gives all Royal mint halfpence of this period the
classification of either V or VI. He
states: "A few halfpence of type VI have an extra pellet in one quarter
within the group of three, as in some of the earlier larger silver of this
type." Norwich only issued type VI
halfpence, according to Stewartby at the time of
publication, but to date, none have been published with the extra pellet from
the Norwich mint. Coincraft is a reference I have a great deal
of respect for but in their introduction to the Edward IV first reign halfpenny
section, they completely forgot that Norwich even existed - the
coins really are that rare. To be fair,
Coincraft did go on and list Norwich in the same section - see here. Building on the work of Lord Stewartby, the formidable Withers pair, along with the help
of the acclaimed Dave Greenhalgh, in the outstanding Galata Guide to Small Change, 1279 - 1660, published in
2023 under Galata Press, give
us an entire in-depth section on the Norwich Halfpence - see here. A good portrait, reasonably clear lettering,
just about enough of the initial mark extant to say with a degree of certainty
Sun rather than the otherwise suggested Rose, excellent devices, the unique reverse
extra pellet - even though the coin is clearly damaged, it is a most important
addition to the virtually non-existent population of this mint-type
combination. Unique. £795
Other
WJC-9343: (11) Edward IV : 1616-38
Silver Simon de Passe Token. Machine-pressed silver tokens or counters
depicting the monarchs of England, issued in sets (thought to be thirty six),
composed either of pieces of different monarchs or repetitions of the same type. Thought to be primarily
used as markers or counters "for reckoning and for play". The dies were very cleverly sunk to give the
impression of a hand-engraved silver token.
Some of these counters were executed early in the 1616-38 period by
Nicholas Hilliard, jeweller; goldsmith and engraver to Elizabeth 1st and
afterwards to James 1st. In 1617,
Hilliard received a patent granting him the monopoly for twelve years of all
the engraved portraits of the King and the Royal Family. He subsequently sold licences to other
engravers to execute these counters, one of which was to Simon de Passe and his brother, both of whom excelled in the art of
engraving. This sub-licence to the de Passe brothers was issued late in the reign of James
1st. Collectively, these tokens are all
termed De Passe tokens for convenience. £185
Provenance:
From a collection put together over a great many years;
dispersed by Spink.
WJC-9344: (12) Edward IV : 1616-38 Silver
Simon de Passe Token. Machine-pressed silver tokens or counters
depicting the monarchs of England, issued in sets (thought to be thirty six),
composed either of pieces of different monarchs or repetitions of the same
type. Thought to be
primarily used as markers or counters "for reckoning and for play". The dies were very cleverly sunk to give the
impression of a hand-engraved silver token.
Some of these counters were executed early in the 1616-38 period by
Nicholas Hilliard, jeweller; goldsmith and engraver to Elizabeth 1st and
afterwards to James 1st. In 1617,
Hilliard received a patent granting him the monopoly for twelve years of all
the engraved portraits of the King and the Royal Family. He subsequently sold licences to other
engravers to execute these counters, one of which was to Simon de Passe and his brother, both of whom excelled in the art of
engraving. This sub-licence to the de Passe brothers was issued late in the reign of James
1st. Collectively, these tokens are all
termed De Passe tokens for convenience. £185
Provenance:
From a collection put together over a great many years;
dispersed by Spink.
Henry VI **RESTORED** (1470-71) Read
about Henry VI
WMH-9095:
CHOICE High
Grade Henry VI RESTORED Medieval Hammered Silver Groat. Initial mark Restoration
Cross, London mint, S.R. 2082.
This second bite of the cherry for Henry VI only lasted from October 1470
through to April 1471 - actually just under six months - after which Edward IV
resumed normal service as king of England again. Henry was timid, shy, passive,
well-intentioned but averse to warfare and violence and so we might postulate
that he was not best pleased at inheriting the famous Hundred Year War from his
father. His pacifist nature led to England losing much of the French lands
but on a personal note, it was even worse.
Henry was deposed on 4 March 1461 (the untimely end to his first
reign) by Richard's son, who took the throne as Edward IV. Henry was captured
by Edward's forces in 1465 and imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Henry was restored to the throne in 1470, not through anything Henry
did; rather an error of judgement on Edward's side, but Edward retook power in
1471, killing Henry's only son and heir-apparent, Edward of Westminster, in
battle and imprisoning Henry for a second time.
Ultimately, this did not end well as Henry died (probably murdered) in
the Tower April 1471. This coin, which was
slabbed and graded by NGC as "About Uncirculated 53", was one we sold
last year for a smidgeon under £2,000.
If you look this coin up on the extensive NGC database, it states the
coin is "TOP POP", meaning top of the population; the best of all the
S.R. 2082 coins seen by NGC. This coin,
although not quite in the same league as the slabbed coin, is really not that
far away. It is certainly a close
second. Find better (not you, Mike - I
sold you the better one!) An outstanding coin.
£1,375
Edward IV (1471 - 83) - 2nd Reign Read
about Edward IV.
Groats
WMH-9267: Edward IV Medieval
Hammered Silver SECOND REIGN Groat.
Second reign, 1471-83, London mint. Initial mark Pierced Cross with central
pellet (1477-80), Rose after DEVM, no fleurs on cusps
over the crown and on the breast. Class
XX, a very difficult coin to source (see extract from Ivan Buck's MEDIEVAL
ENGLISH GROATS here),
one that Coins of England sadly don't mention, rather instead lumping several
classes together under the umbrella of S.R.2098 due to size and manageability
constraints. Although not in the same
league as the Henry VI Restored reign, Edward's second reign issues are all uncommon
with this particular example being elevated further still. £595
WMH-9279: Edward IV Late Medieval
Hammered Silver Groat. The rarer
second reign, 1471-83. Initial mark Pierced Cross / Pierced Cross & Pellet mule
(1477-80). London
mint. Type XVII (obv) / XVIII (rev) with fleurs on
the cusps and no other marks - S.R.2098.
The reverse die is early due to the pellet being in the upper left hand
quarter - later dies for this type XVIII have the single initial mark pellet on
either of the bottom two quarters. It is
never seen in isolation in the upper right quarter. The letter R still looks like a B and the
letter A's are unbarred. Type XVIII is
the first type to dispense with the trefoils, which are not seen again, although
this obverse die is a type XVII - you can see there is a transition occurring
from trefoils to fleurs. Although not in the same league as the Henry VI
Restored reign, Edward's second reign issues are all uncommon compared to those
of the first reign. Toned. A nice coin £385
WMH-9354: Edward
IV Medieval Hammered Silver Rarer Second Reign Groat. Initial mark Heraldic Cinquefoil, 1480-83, London mint. Class XXI, S.R.2100. Although not in the same league as the Henry VI
Restored reign, Edward's second reign issues are all uncommon compared to those
of the first reign. High grade - exhibiting many of the characteristics of being a hoard coin. 
£385
Edward V (1483: x2 months)
WJC-9345: (13) Edward V : 1616-38
Silver Simon de Passe Token. Machine-pressed silver tokens or counters
depicting the monarchs of England, issued in sets (thought to be thirty six),
composed either of pieces of different monarchs or repetitions of the same
type. Thought to be
primarily used as markers or counters "for reckoning and for play". The dies were very cleverly sunk to give the
impression of a hand-engraved silver token.
Some of these counters were executed early in the 1616-38 period by
Nicholas Hilliard, jeweller; goldsmith and engraver to Elizabeth 1st and afterwards
to James 1st. In 1617, Hilliard received
a patent granting him the monopoly for twelve years of all the engraved
portraits of the King and the Royal Family.
He subsequently sold licences to other engravers to execute these
counters, one of which was to Simon de Passe and his
brother, both of whom excelled in the art of engraving. This sub-licence to the de Passe brothers was issued late in the reign of James
1st. Collectively, these tokens are all
termed De Passe tokens for convenience. £475
Provenance:
From a collection put together over a great many years;
dispersed by Spink.
Richard
III (1483 - 85) Read about Richard III
Pennies
WMH-9174: Richard III Hammered Silver Very Late Medieval Penny. An Episcopal coin struck under Bishop Sherwood of Durham: S on the king's breast, D in the
reverse centre. S.R.
2169. The coin may at first
glance appear to be clipped - [RI]CARD is discernable
from the lower portions of the lettering only - but it probably isn't. Lord Stewartby
(English Coins 1180 – 1551 by Spink, 2009) states: “The flow of ill-struck and
often illegible pence from the northern Episcopal mints continued
unabated. (Archbishop) Thomas Rotherham
of York was literally arrested by Richard
III in June 1483, but was soon released.”
The lower ranked Bishop Sherwood, just 70 miles north up the A1 in Durham, was doing very similar things to
that of Thomas Rotherham. The production
of short flan, underweight coins (ie face value one penny but actual silver
content some way below that) would obviously be financially lucrative for the
person or persons doing it; not so much for the king or the country. These powerful clergymen would appear to have
gotten away with just that as the practice continued throughout Richard’s very
short reign. A decent
portrait of the rather unsavoury Richard III, whose body was recently
discovered in a Leicestershire car park.
Looking at the very few examples of Richard III pennies going through
mainstream auctions this year, they seem to be hammering at about this figure
so with their 30% buyer commissions on top, prices in excess of £1,000. Rare. £875
WMH-7975:
Richard III
Hammered Silver Very Late Medieval Penny.
An Episcopal issue struck under Archbishop Rotherham of York.
T to the left of the neck, upright key to the right;
quatrefoil on the reverse. Initial mark given as Rose on both the Steve Mitchell and Tim Owen
tickets - S.R. 2167. The coin may at first glance appear to be
clipped. It is not. Lord Stewartby
(English Coins 1180 – 1551 by S.R.,
2009) states: “The flow of ill-struck and often illegible pence from the
northern Episcopal mints continued unabated.
(Archbishop) Thomas Rotherham of York was actually arrested by Richard in June 1483, but
soon released.” The production of short
flan, underweight coins (ie face value one penny but actual silver content some
way below that) would obviously be financially lucrative for the person doing
it. Archbishop Rotherham would appear to
have got away with just that as the practice continued throughout Richard’s
very short reign. A high
grade coin with an excellent portrait of the rather unsavoury Richard III,
whose body was recently discovered in a Leicestershire car park. Ex Spink ticket in the hand of Steve Mitchell
(1980 and a ticket price that will amaze you), ex Tim Owen (bought 2015 for
£900) collection. A
rare coin but in this high grade for issue, with such a wonderful depiction of
Richard III, excessively rare.
£1,750
WMH-8022: Ultra Rare Richard III Medieval
Hammered Silver Penny. Class 2b, regnal name RICARD, initial mark Boar's Head, London mint, S.R.
2165. An incredible rarity - see Coincraft's
assessment here - of a coin that was once thought unique. Lord Stewartby in
his seminal publication English Coins 1180 - 1551, published by
Spink in 2009, stated "The only recorded London penny in the name of
Richard III, with the same damaged cross-ends [he was referring to S.R. 2164 so different coins but same
single altered die], has mintmark BH2". You can see the damaged cross-end of the die
on this coin. There are currently only
half a dozen extant examples in total, both in private hands and public
institutions, that is BOTH S.R. 2164 with
EDWARD reading and S.R. 2165, and I
believe that's a somewhat generous estimation.
Instinctively, we all think of Richard III halfgroats as the "Holy
Grail" but in actual fact, this London penny, together with the EDWARD
penny, both trump the halfgroat - in fact the London pennies are the rarest of
all Richard III silver coins and, with the possible exception of the gold half
angel, the rarest of all Richard III coins, although clearly not the most
expensive. Image here with old sales ticket. It is interesting to note that the overall
quality of the die (remember, it's a single die for both S.R. 2164 and 2165), especially considering
it's London, was perhaps not what we'd historically expect of London although
clearly London was far from being the centre of the universe for this
Plantagenet House of York monarch. This
London penny issue would appear to have been a rushed exercise, with dies
executed by someone far from being at the top of their profession, and then
almost immediately afterwards, for whatever reason, ended. Although clearly having north of England ties, Richard did spend time in London at Crosby Hall in Bishopsgate. His reign came just after a deep recession
(1450-75) which ended primarily with a new era in foreign trade: the
London-Antwerp cloth trade, which was especially important to the king's
finances. There were London halfgroats through to gold angels to fuel trade,
there were reasonable quantities of Richard III London halfpennies in
circulation for the common man to exist on a day-to-day basis - but there were
no London pennies.
Why? A coin not without its
issues - pierced and wavy flan - but a coin you will
not, and will likely never have in your collection unless you take this
one! Probably the rarest coin ever
offered on this site. £3,350
Halfpennies
WMH-7975: Richard III Hammered
Silver Very Late Medieval Round Halfpenny.
No marks by neck, initial mark Sun & Rose 2, London mint. S.R. 2171. There are no halfpence in Richard's name for
Sun & Rose 1. Initial mark Sun &
Rose 2 was in operation from the very end of the reign only. Richard III: the infamous Richard of Gloucester,
brother to Edward VI. Upon Edward IV's
premature death in April of 1483, Richard "removed" the dead king's
12 year old heir to the throne - the would-be Edward V - to the Tower together
with his younger brother, Richard Duke of York.
In the absence of the princes, Richard was proclaimed King. A high grade for issue coin with an excellent portrait
of the rather unsavoury Richard III, whose body was recently discovered in a
Leicestershire car park. I probably don't have to point out to anyone reading
this just how incredibly rare the halfpence issues of Richard III are. Coincraft, a reference work I've a great deal
of time and respect for, are not prone to any kind of hyperbole. Under Richard III, they simply state: "Richard
III halfpennies are extremely rare in any grade." To put that into some sort of context for
you, Coincraft say of the Richard III halfgroats (and when was the last time
any of us saw one of them?!) that the issue is only "... very
rare in any condition." In summary, a clear regnal name, a clear initial mark, a very good
portrait of the infamous Richard III, and as rare as they come. £1,775
WMH-9159 : Richard III - Spectacular
Portrait - Very Late Medieval Hammered Silver Halfpenny. Type III (final issue) with new lettering,
initial mark Sun & Rose 2. London mint.
S.R.2171. There
are no halfpence in Richard's name for Sun & Rose 1. Initial mark Sun & Rose 2 was in
operation from the very end of the reign only.
Richard III: the infamous Richard of Gloucester, brother to Edward
VI. Upon Edward IV's premature death in
April of 1483, Richard "removed" the dead king's 12 year old heir to
the throne - the would-be Edward V - to the Tower together with his younger
brother, Richard Duke of York.
In the absence of the princes, Richard was proclaimed King. A high grade for issue coin with an excellent portrait
of the rather unsavoury Richard III, whose body was recently discovered in a
Leicestershire car park. I probably don't have to point out to anyone
reading this just how incredibly rare the halfpence issues of Richard III
are. Coincraft, a reference work I've a
great deal of time and respect for, are not prone to any kind of
hyperbole. Under Richard III, they
simply state: "Richard III halfpennies are extremely rare in
any grade." To put that
into some sort of context for you, Coincraft say of the Richard III halfgroats
(and when was the last time any of us saw one of them?!) that the issue is only
"... very rare in any condition." A rare opportunity. £1,950
Provenance:
ex
John Man (his ticket),
2015
ex HistoryInCoins....sold 2015
ex
Scottish collection
Other
WJC-9347: (15) Richard III : 1616-38
Silver Simon de Passe Token. Machine-pressed silver tokens or counters
depicting the monarchs of England, issued in sets (thought to be thirty six),
composed either of pieces of different monarchs or repetitions of the same
type. Thought to be
primarily used as markers or counters "for reckoning and for play". The dies were very cleverly sunk to give the
impression of a hand-engraved silver token.
Some of these counters were executed early in the 1616-38 period by
Nicholas Hilliard, jeweller; goldsmith and engraver to Elizabeth 1st and
afterwards to James 1st. In 1617,
Hilliard received a patent granting him the monopoly for twelve years of all
the engraved portraits of the King and the Royal Family. He subsequently sold licences to other
engravers to execute these counters, one of which was to Simon de Passe and his brother, both of whom excelled in the art of
engraving. This sub-licence to the de Passe brothers was issued late in the reign of James
1st. Collectively, these tokens are all
termed De Passe tokens for convenience. £475
Provenance:
From a collection put together over a great many years;
dispersed by Spink.
