England (1546-47) crown Fr-171

Heritage sale 3089, lot 31160

Heritage sale 3067, lot 31543. note the addition of a cross at 9 o'clock

The first specimen was lot 31160 in Heritage sale 3089 (Dallas, TX, January 2021), where it sold for $7,800. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Great Britain. Henry VIII (1509-1547) gold Crown of the Double Rose ND (1546-1547) MS64 NGC, Bristol mint, WS Monogram mm, Third Coinage. hЄnRIC (crook-shaped abbreviation) • VIII (rose) ROSA SInЄ: SPInA, crowned Tudor rose flanked by crowned h and crowned R / (WS monogram) D' • G' • AnGL' • (rose) FRAnC' • Z • hIB' • RЄX (rose), crowned royal shield flanked by crowned h and crowned R. A very highly coveted denomination within Henry's gold coinage, surpassed only by his "enthroned" and "St. George" sovereigns. Though generally not considered to be as rare as the issues naming his wives, the condition of the present offering quickly proves this piece to be the exception--proving to be the only certified example. As a point of comparison, the Schneider Collection contained only a single specimen struck from different dies. As such, likely amongst the finest known survivors, and a coin which certainly invites competition to acquire!" The second specimen was lot 31543 in Heritage sale 3067 (Long Beach, September 2018), where it sold for $1,260. The catalog description^[2] noted, "Great Britain: Henry VIII (1509-47) gold Crown of the Double Rose ND (1546-7) VF/XF, Bristol mint. WS mm on reverse only. An especially late gold issue of Henry VIII, produced in the last years of this iconic monarch's life. Characteristic for its 'double rose' depicted on the obverse (which gave the denomination its name), this denomination is charming for its stark Tudor imagery, clearly preserved and depicted on the present offering. Lightly circulated with some minor areas of weakness, the overall quality of detail is very high; there is a stable crack running through the center of the flan, through which daylight cannot be seen. A highly attractive piece of Tudor gold. From the Collection of a Berkshire Gentleman." Angels and half angels continued to be struck into the reign of Henry VIII but were raised in value in 1526, the half angel going from three shillings sixpence to three shilling nine pence. The gold crown (five shillings) and half crown (two shillings sixpence) were introduced but were found to be more practical when struck in silver. It only took a century for the English government to figure this out during the reign of Charles II. The obverse crowned initials appear to be "H-R" (Henry Rex).

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: gold, 60 grains, the first specimen 3.10 g.

Catalog reference: S-2309, N-1836, Schneider-640 var. (punctuation). The second specimen is S-2310, N-1836.

Source:

Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
Lobel, Richard, Mark Davidson, Allan Hailstone and Eleni Calligas, Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English and UK Coins, 1066 to Date, London: Coincraft, 1995.
Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
^[1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, Heritage Auction 3089: NYINC World & Ancient Coins Platinum & Signature Auction - Dallas, featuring the Cape Coral Collection of European Crowns and the Penn Collection, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2020.
^[2]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, 2018 September 6-11 Long Beach Expo World Coins & Ancient Coins Signature Auction #3067, Dallas: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2018.

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England (1546-47) crown Fr-171

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