St. James's Auctions
Auction 49 5 Oct 2021
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James I, second coinage (1604-1619), rose ryal, mm. rose, king enthroned, wearing crown and mantle, holding orb and sceptre, portcullis below, rev. shield of arms at centre of rose, wt. 13.29gms. (S.2613), certified and graded by NGC as Extremely Fine Details, Repaired
The largest coin of late medieval and renaissance England, the ryal evolved from the 'fine' sovereigns of the Tudors during the reign of James I. Numismatists now know the coin as the rose ryal, due to the large rose dominating the reverse, however it was originally called a thirty shillings. As the largest English gold coin of its time, it was popular in trade, and few people outside of the commercial and banking professions would have seen it. As such, mintage was small but fairly steady.
As with other large gold coins, by the 1700s, most pieces had been melted, or preciously stashed away by collectors. The high gold content in the pieces also drove smelting – purity for ryals and angels was 0.995 fineness, while smaller denominations were around 0.917.
The message conveyed through the coinage also changed. The former ANGL was replaced by MAG BRIT (introduced for the second coinage in 1604), reflected the unity present under James I. When Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, died and left England without a clear heir, James VI of Scotland became James I of England. It is famously said that Elizabeth I tried to stop the execution of her cousin Mary Queen of Scots, but she was reportedly unable to do so as the warrant for her death was already signed. When Elizabeth herself died, it would be her cousin's son who would inherit the throne. Perhaps the change to the legend under James I also reflects the union of the crowns of England and Scotland to the traders who would have handled such coins.
(4000-6000 GBP)
The largest coin of late medieval and renaissance England, the ryal evolved from the 'fine' sovereigns of the Tudors during the reign of James I. Numismatists now know the coin as the rose ryal, due to the large rose dominating the reverse, however it was originally called a thirty shillings. As the largest English gold coin of its time, it was popular in trade, and few people outside of the commercial and banking professions would have seen it. As such, mintage was small but fairly steady.
As with other large gold coins, by the 1700s, most pieces had been melted, or preciously stashed away by collectors. The high gold content in the pieces also drove smelting – purity for ryals and angels was 0.995 fineness, while smaller denominations were around 0.917.
The message conveyed through the coinage also changed. The former ANGL was replaced by MAG BRIT (introduced for the second coinage in 1604), reflected the unity present under James I. When Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, died and left England without a clear heir, James VI of Scotland became James I of England. It is famously said that Elizabeth I tried to stop the execution of her cousin Mary Queen of Scots, but she was reportedly unable to do so as the warrant for her death was already signed. When Elizabeth herself died, it would be her cousin's son who would inherit the throne. Perhaps the change to the legend under James I also reflects the union of the crowns of England and Scotland to the traders who would have handled such coins.
(4000-6000 GBP)