Henry VIII (1509 - 1547) Read about Henry VIII

 

 

Hammered Gold

 

WAu-7311:  Henry VIII Hammered Gold Crown of the Double Rose.  Third coinage, initial mark none / WS monogram, 1544-47, Bristol mint.  S.R. 2310.  Ex Spink (various tickets here).  Slightly wavy flan with minor edge splits.  A very popular coin and invariably a minimum of £5K in today’s market.  This one priced very competitively at £4,295

 

WAu-9099:  Henry VIII with WIFE Hammered Gold Crown of the Double Rose.  Second coinage, 1526-44, circulated at five shillings, 22 ct gold.  London (Tower) mint.  hK both sides, initial mark Lis, S.R. 2274.  Struck to commemorate the king's marriage to Katherine of Aragon.  This was the king's first wife.  Katherine was originally betrothed to Henry's elder brother, Arthur, when she was 3 years old.  They married when she was 16, but was widowed just a few months later.   It took Henry another 7 years to marry Katherine although to be fair, he was only 18 when he married Katherine!  The Irish Harp coinage of Henry VIII celebrates some wives but not Katherine of Aragon - she can only be found on this English gold coinage.  Quick quiz: which wives, if any, are not represented on either the English or Irish coins?  Old tickets here.  A pleasing solid VF grade.  £4,850

Provenance

ex Royal Mint

ex Spink

 

WAu-9192:  Henry VIII with Katherine of Aragon Hammered Gold Crown of the Double Rose.  Second coinage, 1526-44, circulated at five shillings, 22 ct gold.  London (Tower) mint.  Extra image here.  hK both sides, initial mark Lis, S.R. 2274.  Struck to commemorate the king's marriage to Katherine of Aragon.  This was the king's first wife.  Katherine was originally betrothed to Henry's elder brother, Arthur, when she was 3 years old.  They married when she was 16, but was widowed just a few months later.   It took Henry another 7 years to marry Katherine although to be fair, he was only 18 when he married Katherine!  The Irish Harp coinage of Henry VIII celebrates some wives but not Katherine of Aragon - she can only be found on this English gold coinage.  The marriage was annulled in 1533 so we have a short window of 1526-33 for this coin to have been struck although it will be nearer the start of that period for obvious reasons.  Ticketed by Spink as Bold VF in grade but of much more significance is the mounting.  It is typical of Victorian mounts - the coin held loose (although in a snug fit), sandwiched between two convex crystal glass panels, all held in place with an outer rim of gold.  The loop is marked 0.375 which gives us a likely date of post 1854, but not too much after that date based on it being very "High Victorian" in style.  Around this time in London, much development and building work was being undertaken around the River Thames area.  London Bridge was the general area where a now famous Victorian hoard of Tudor coinage was discovered by workmen.  Examples of this type of mount with this period of coin are well documented as having originated from this particular hoard.  Regulation was far less stringent 150+ years ago so these hoard coins when unearthed would probably have been legally sold on to some enterprising individual who clearly mounted a few for sale to the tourists, probably sold a few to collectors of the day and may well have melted the rest down to be used as bullion.  An extremely interesting coin, both in its 1520's connection to Henry VIII and his first wife, but also with the Victorian part of its history - this is literally History in a Coin, which sounds like it should be the name of a website, at least if you pluralise it!  Can be removed from the mount if so desired, and will show no mounting marks due to the nature of the Victorian work, or can be admired as-is, either in your cabinet or even around the neck on a suitable gold chain.  A rare offering indeed.  £3,950

Provenance:

ex 1800's London Bridge Hoard

ex Spink

 

 

 

Hammered Silver

 

Groats

 

1st Issue:

 

WTH-8137:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Early Groat.  First coinage of 1509-26, initial mark Portcullis, portrait of his father, Henry VII.  London mint, S.R. 2316, a single issue unless you count the Tournai groat, one of which find its way onto this site in the next few weeks.  The initial photograph is atrocious, giving the coin a leaden appearance that is completely unjustified.  See here for a more representative camera-phone image, although even that isn't great.  Some coins just don't like having their picture taken!  £525 

 

 

 

2nd Issue:

 

WTH-7976:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Tudor Groat - Laker Bust B.  Second coinage, initial mark Rose (Henry's symbol; the Mary Rose was Henry VIII's flagship), 1526-44.  The crown is within the inner circle and indeed does not reach it - the much rarer Laker Bust B.  S.R. 2337D.  I have had dozens and dozens of Henry VIII Later Bust D coins over the years and very few, if any, of the other types.  As such, because I'd had no reason to ever look it up, I hadn't quite appreciated how ridiculous the S.R. pricing was / is / will no doubt continue to be.  How Laker Bust B can be virtually on a par with Laker Bust D in terms of pricing, according to S.R. at least, is the very definition of incredulity.  Ex Tim Owen.  £945

 

WTH-7280:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Groat.  Second coinage, 1526-44, Laker bust D, S.R. 2337E.  London (Tower) mint.  Immediately after this issue in 1544, overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland finally took their toll on the economy and The Great Debasement (1544–1551), a currency debasement policy, was introduced.  Consequently, coinage within that period was hardly recognisable as silver – in fact this is where the term, “Old Copper Nose” originated.  Sold with a detailed information slip (grades this coin as nVF) and a collector’s cabinet ticket.  £295

 

WTH-7753:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Tudor Groat.  Second coinage, London mint.  Initial mark Lis, Laker bust D, S.R. 2337E.  A very nice example.  £495

 

WTH-7890:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Groat with Excellent Provenance.  Second coinage, London mint.  1526-44.  Laker bust D, initial mark Lis, S.R. 2237E.  What elevates this coin is the provenance, which goes all the way back to those very early post WW2 years - May 1948 to be precise.  Ex H.M. Lingford collection.  £425

 

 

 

Posthumous Issue

 

WTH-6816:  Edward VI (in the name of Henry VIII) DURHAM HOUSE Hammered Silver Groat.  Posthumous issue, im Bow, bust 6.  S.R. 2405.  A very hard Durham mint issue that on the rare occasions it does turn up is always problematic.  Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland finally took their toll on the economy and The Great Debasement (1544–1551), a currency debasement policy, was introduced.  Consequently, coinage within that period was hardly recognisable as silver – in fact this is where the term, “Old Copper Nose” originated.  £219

 

WTH-5954:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Bristol Groat.  Posthumous issue struck under Edward VI, 1547-51 from the rarer Bristol mint (CIVITAS BRISTOLIE).  Initial mark TC (Under Treasurer Thomas Chamberlain) which is far and above the rarest of the two Bristol variations – W.S. coins (Under Treasurer William Sharrington) were part of the third coinage and the posthumous coinage whilst Thomas Chamberlain coins were just the tail end of the posthumous period.  Those of you familiar with Bristol groats will be aware that around 19 out of 20 such groats will be the WS initial mark.  Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland finally took their toll on the economy and The Great Debasement (1544–1551), a currency debasement policy, was introduced.  Consequently, coinage within that period was hardly recognisable as silver – in fact this is where the term, “Old Copper Nose” originated.  £385

 

WTH-7036:  Henry VIII (struck under Edward VI) Hammered Silver Groat.  Posthumous issue, im E, bust 6.  S.R. 2404.  Southwark mint.  Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland finally took their toll on the economy and The Great Debasement (1544–1551), a currency debasement policy, was introduced.  Consequently, coinage within that period was hardly recognisable as silver – in fact this is where the term, “Old Copper Nose” originated.  £255

 

WTH-7270:  Henry VIII (Edward VI) Hammered Billon Silver Groat.  Posthumous coinage of 1547-51.  Initial mark Grapple (reverse only), Tower mint, bust 6.  Ex R. Carlyon-Britton.  Superb provenance.  Overspending by Henry VIII to pay for his lavish lifestyle and to fund foreign wars with France and Scotland finally took their toll on the economy and The Great Debasement (1544–1551), a currency debasement policy, was introduced.  Consequently, coinage within that period was hardly recognisable as silver – in fact this is where the term, “Old Copper Nose” originated.  £285

 

 

 

Halfgroats

 

2nd Issue:

 

WTH-7136:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Tudor Halfgroat.  Second coinage, 1526-44.  Episcopal issue – struck under Archbishop Warham of Canterbury.  S.R. 2343.  Ex Rymer collection, ex Spink.  £335

 

WTH-7534:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Tudor Halfgroat.  Profile issue, second coinage, S.R. 2343.  Canterbury mint, initial mark Cross Patonce / Uncertain Mark.  Struck under Archbishop Warham.  £265

 

 

 

Pennies

 

2nd Issue:

 

WTH-7331:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Sovereign Penny.  Second issue, initial mark Star.  An Episcopal issue struck under Bishop Tunstall of Durham, 1530-44.  S.R. 2354.  Well centred, full flan, rare thus.  £215

 

WTH-7786:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Tudor SOVEREIGN Penny.  Second coinage, Episcopal mint – Bishop Tunstall at Durham.  1530-44.  S.R. 2354.  Full flan (quite a rare feature on sovereign pennies) and ex Lingford collection with his original ticket.  £250

 

 

3rd Issue:

 

 

 

Halfpennies

 

1st Issue:

 

WTH-6645:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Half Penny.  Initial mark Portcullis, 1st issue coin struck at London.  S.R. 2334.  Nice grade.  £95

 

 

2nd Issue:

 

WTH-7536:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Tudor Halfpenny.  Second coinage, S.R. 2356.  London mint, initial mark Lis.  About “as struck” and with the rare to see initial mark.  Choice.  £175

 

WTH-7784:  Henry VIII Hammered Silver Tudor Halfpenny.  Second coinage, 1526-44, Canterbury Episcopal mint struck under Archbishop Thomas Cranmer.  S.R. 2358.  High grade and ex Lingford collection with his original ticket.  £280