Great Britain (1603-04) sovereign Fr-226

Ponterio sale 176, lot 20125

Stack's Bowers 2021 NYINC sale, lot 20272

The first specimen was lot 20125 in Ponterio sale 176 (Chicago, August 2013), where it sold for $28,200. The catalog description^[1] noted, "GREAT BRITAIN. James I, 1603-1625. Sovereign, ND (1603-04). Thistle. First Coinage. First bust. Half-length bust right in plain armor holding orb and scepter. Rv. Crowned square top quartered shield flanked by ‘I’ and ‘R’. A second example. Sharply struck, but there is well-hidden flan lamination concealed in the arm. The portrait, crown, and eye details are superior for the type. The surfaces are uniformly bright from a light wiping. Extremely Fine. Ex: Spink, 1991." The second specimen was lot 20272 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (Newport Beach, CA, January 2021), where it sold for $26,400. The catalog description^[2] noted, "GREAT BRITAIN. Sovereign (20 Shillings), ND (1603-04). London Mint; im: Thistle. James I. PCGS AU-53 Gold Shield. Second bust with decorated and ornate armor. The single finest certified of the type on the PCGS population report, none finer. A VERY RARE and highly sought after type exhibiting strong features with good definition of the intricate details and even wear displaying lovely soft sunset hued patina that radiates from the devices. A very pleasing to the eye survivor of this early British large gold type that seldom appears on the market worthy of a premium bid from advanced collectors. Accompanied by an old Seaby envelope that suggests this piece was purchased circa 1981." This type was accompanied by a half sovereign (ten shillings), a gold crown (five shillings) and a gold half crown (2½ shillings), all expensive. With the accession of James I we drop the "England" as the country name and adopt the current "Great Britain."

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: gold, 180 grains, the first specimen 169.6 grains, the second specimen 11.03 g.

Catalog reference: S-2608; North-2065; Fr-226; KM-20. The second specimen is S-2609; Fr-226; N-2066; Fr-226.

Source:

Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
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.
^[1]Ponterio, Richard, and Bruce Roland Hagen, Ponterio sale 176: The Thos. H. Law Collection of English Gold Coins, Irvine, CA: Stack's Bowers, LLC, 2013.
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.
^[2]Orsini, Matt, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The January 2021 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Oro del Nuevo Mundo and Matt Orsini Collections, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2020.

Link to:

Great Britain (1603-04) sovereign Fr-226

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