England (1544-47)-S 1/2 crown Fr-172
This specimen was lot 62 in Sincona sale 75 (Zürich, May 2022), where it sold for 3,000 CHF (about US$3,642 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted, "Grossbritannien | Königreich. Henry VIII. 1509-1547. Gold 1/2 crown n. d. (1544-1547), Southwark. Third coinage. Mintmark S. NGC MS63. Leicht dezentriert. (Slightly off-center.)" This product of the Southwark mint was tariffed at 2½ shillings. None of Henry's gold coinage is common today but this may be the most available. The largest silver coin of the reign was the testoon, which was equal to a shilling. Spink comments, "Gold, which fell to 23 c[arat] in 1544, 22 c. in 1545, and 20 c. in 1546, was much less debased than silver...."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.958 fine gold, 25 grains (1.61 g), this specimen 1.55 g.
Catalog reference: Spink 2313, Fr-172.
- 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]Richter, Jürg, SINCONA Auction 75, SINCONA British Collection - Part 2, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2022.
Link to:
- (1544-47) halfgroat
- (1544-47) groat
- (1544-47) testoon
- (1544-47) quarter angel
- (1544-47) half angel
- (1544-47) gold half crown, pellet in annulet mintmark
- (1544-47) gold crown
- (1544-47) angel
- (1544-47) half sovereign
- (1544-47) sovereign, London mint
- (1544-47) sovereign, Southwark mint
- Coins and currency dated 1544