Heritage World Coin Auctions
NYINC Signature Sale 3030 5-6 January 2014
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Great Britain
Henry VII (1485-1509) gold Angel ND, S-2187, North-1698 (scarce), Pheon or Arrowhead mm (struck 1505-09), UNC Details "Rev Damage" NGC, fully lustrous on a particularly choice, jumbo, round flan, Saint Michael boldly detailed even in his face, the reverse equally crisp in detail with the ship's mast and sides, its huge rudder and ropes, the leopards and lis on the central shield, Henry's initial and Tudor rose, and the rough sea all boldly struck, also the legends almost entirely bold, rims broad and clean except for slight, ancient (likely mint-made) filing above and to left of the angel's halo. The engraving style changed towards the middle of this reign. The saint was altered to depict him standing with two feet holding down the dragon and he is now clad in a combination of feathers and armor, instead of the feathers seen on most previous Angels; Peter Woodhead labels it a "humanistic" image, which was used beginning in 1493. He also calls the dragon "less ferocious," while the SCBC sees the saint as "about to thrust Satan into the Pit with a cross-topped lance." The ship is also a bit more graceful. Compare this style, first used as England began to enter its Renaissance era, to the image of the angel and the dragon in this auction on the splendidly preserved Angel of Edward IV, engraved and minted a mere decade earlier. The mysterious, huge incuse Annulet placed smartly inside the two ropes above the ship's stern, called "damage" by NGC, gives every appearance of being mint made, when viewed under 9x magnification. It is lustrous and of identical texture to the surrounding field's gold. Woodhead complains that little of the mint record from this period has survived, but a clue to the possible purpose of this mysterious mark exists in the history of the mint's personnel. The Pheon initial mark was used only from the end of November 1504 until April 1509. The men responsible for engraving dies early in the reign -- John Shaw and Bartholomew Reed, joint masters -- had continued using styles of the previous reign from 1492 onward until their retirement on the occasion of the issuance of the last indenture of Henry VII, only November 22, 1505. The new joint master engravers were Robert Fenrother and William Rede, who remained in office a mere four years, being replaced on August 6, 1509, shortly into the reign of Henry VIII. As under Henry VII, the principal gold coins they made were Angels and Half-Angels. It cannot be proven but perhaps Fenrother and Rede placed this large Annulet within the ship's rigging as an expression of their approval of the engraving on this new style of Angel, bearing the initial mark used starting very near to the time they took office. If so, this must be considered to be a very special coin, a sort of specimen, possibly even a trial piece. Clearly, it never circulated. Whatever truth lies behind this unusual mark, here indeed is a wonderful Angel despite the assessment by the grading company -- a really outstanding Renaissance coin.
Estimate: 4000-6000 USD
Henry VII (1485-1509) gold Angel ND, S-2187, North-1698 (scarce), Pheon or Arrowhead mm (struck 1505-09), UNC Details "Rev Damage" NGC, fully lustrous on a particularly choice, jumbo, round flan, Saint Michael boldly detailed even in his face, the reverse equally crisp in detail with the ship's mast and sides, its huge rudder and ropes, the leopards and lis on the central shield, Henry's initial and Tudor rose, and the rough sea all boldly struck, also the legends almost entirely bold, rims broad and clean except for slight, ancient (likely mint-made) filing above and to left of the angel's halo. The engraving style changed towards the middle of this reign. The saint was altered to depict him standing with two feet holding down the dragon and he is now clad in a combination of feathers and armor, instead of the feathers seen on most previous Angels; Peter Woodhead labels it a "humanistic" image, which was used beginning in 1493. He also calls the dragon "less ferocious," while the SCBC sees the saint as "about to thrust Satan into the Pit with a cross-topped lance." The ship is also a bit more graceful. Compare this style, first used as England began to enter its Renaissance era, to the image of the angel and the dragon in this auction on the splendidly preserved Angel of Edward IV, engraved and minted a mere decade earlier. The mysterious, huge incuse Annulet placed smartly inside the two ropes above the ship's stern, called "damage" by NGC, gives every appearance of being mint made, when viewed under 9x magnification. It is lustrous and of identical texture to the surrounding field's gold. Woodhead complains that little of the mint record from this period has survived, but a clue to the possible purpose of this mysterious mark exists in the history of the mint's personnel. The Pheon initial mark was used only from the end of November 1504 until April 1509. The men responsible for engraving dies early in the reign -- John Shaw and Bartholomew Reed, joint masters -- had continued using styles of the previous reign from 1492 onward until their retirement on the occasion of the issuance of the last indenture of Henry VII, only November 22, 1505. The new joint master engravers were Robert Fenrother and William Rede, who remained in office a mere four years, being replaced on August 6, 1509, shortly into the reign of Henry VIII. As under Henry VII, the principal gold coins they made were Angels and Half-Angels. It cannot be proven but perhaps Fenrother and Rede placed this large Annulet within the ship's rigging as an expression of their approval of the engraving on this new style of Angel, bearing the initial mark used starting very near to the time they took office. If so, this must be considered to be a very special coin, a sort of specimen, possibly even a trial piece. Clearly, it never circulated. Whatever truth lies behind this unusual mark, here indeed is a wonderful Angel despite the assessment by the grading company -- a really outstanding Renaissance coin.
Estimate: 4000-6000 USD