Baldwin's of St. James's
Auction 54 9 Dec 2020
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British Coins, Henry VIII (1509-1547), second coinage (1526-1544), sovereign, mm lis/sunburst and lis, Tower Mint, crowned figure of king facing and seated on narrow throne, flanked by two pillars, portcullis at feet, holding ornate sceptre in r. hand and orb in left, saltire stops in legend, rev. shield of arms at centre of full-blown rose, double tressure, saltire stops, wt. 15.40gms. (S.2267; N.1782; Schneider 570/1), good very fine or better, struck on a full broad flan with legends entirely clear but slightly off-centre on reverse, indistinct small details yet overall an even strike, unusually unblemished surfaces for the grade level, old-time gold toning, very rare
*ex Glendining (19 June 1974), lot 8 (£4,000);
ex Spink Auction 3017 (12 November 2003), lot 11; ex Dr
Paul Broughton Collection, Spink Auction 16014 (22 March 2016), lot 429
This important historical issue was the largest of Henry VIII's golden money. Its inviting design reflects a mastery of Tudor art. Even the minutest of details have been carefully rendered, from the folds in the king's dress to the crosses on the backrest of his throne. The reverse, with its religious legend and its shield of arms within the famous Tudor rose motif beautifully outlined with a festoon of encircling ornaments, completes the regal assertions of the obverse legend and alludes to the divine right of kings-the absolute authority of the monarch. The Lis mm was used variously throughout the reign, at the Tower several times during the Second Coinage period: 1529-32, 1538-41, and finally 1544-47. The sunburst mark was applied to this denomination 1537-38, which suggests that this specimen was struck in the late 1530s and no later than 1541. The huge value of the coin ensured that it would circle around the higher tiers of the feudal society within the kingdom, in effect asserting that anyone who may have considered challenging the crown should surely think twice. But such golden promises (literal and figurative) of Henry's early years withered under his vicious handling of all matters pertaining to the crown, and led to the introduction of various acts of treason and supremacy against all who would challenge his authority. The legal treatises of the 1530s in the main pertained to his battle with the Papacy over his marriages and divorces. All during this time, Henry's income declined and his need for money intensified, culminating in the infamous Dissolution of the Monasteries during the second half of that decade, and by the end of 1539 Henry had plundered more than 560 monastic sites, including the confiscation of gold and silver plate, likely the source of the gold used to mint this particular specimen. A mere handful of his early gold coins survived the ravages of their era.
(45000-55000 GBP)
*ex Glendining (19 June 1974), lot 8 (£4,000);
ex Spink Auction 3017 (12 November 2003), lot 11; ex Dr
Paul Broughton Collection, Spink Auction 16014 (22 March 2016), lot 429
This important historical issue was the largest of Henry VIII's golden money. Its inviting design reflects a mastery of Tudor art. Even the minutest of details have been carefully rendered, from the folds in the king's dress to the crosses on the backrest of his throne. The reverse, with its religious legend and its shield of arms within the famous Tudor rose motif beautifully outlined with a festoon of encircling ornaments, completes the regal assertions of the obverse legend and alludes to the divine right of kings-the absolute authority of the monarch. The Lis mm was used variously throughout the reign, at the Tower several times during the Second Coinage period: 1529-32, 1538-41, and finally 1544-47. The sunburst mark was applied to this denomination 1537-38, which suggests that this specimen was struck in the late 1530s and no later than 1541. The huge value of the coin ensured that it would circle around the higher tiers of the feudal society within the kingdom, in effect asserting that anyone who may have considered challenging the crown should surely think twice. But such golden promises (literal and figurative) of Henry's early years withered under his vicious handling of all matters pertaining to the crown, and led to the introduction of various acts of treason and supremacy against all who would challenge his authority. The legal treatises of the 1530s in the main pertained to his battle with the Papacy over his marriages and divorces. All during this time, Henry's income declined and his need for money intensified, culminating in the infamous Dissolution of the Monasteries during the second half of that decade, and by the end of 1539 Henry had plundered more than 560 monastic sites, including the confiscation of gold and silver plate, likely the source of the gold used to mint this particular specimen. A mere handful of his early gold coins survived the ravages of their era.
(45000-55000 GBP)