Baldwin & Sons
Auction 88 8 May 2014
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BRITISH COINS, HAMMERED GOLD SOVEREIGNS, Edward VI (1547-1553), Fine Gold Sovereign of Thirty Shillings, Third Period (15 December 1550 to 6 July 1553), Southwark mint, crowned full figure of King seated facing on ornate throne, holding orb and sceptre, portcullis below extending to rim, ornate throne back with large pillars, 22 arc tressure and beaded circle surrounding, pellets in arcs, trefoils on cusps, initial mark ostrich head (1 January - 30 June 1551) at start of legend both sides, legend reads EDVVARD'x VI'x Dx xGx AnGLIE FRAnCIEx xZx hIBERnIExx REXxx, outer beaded circle surrounding, rev quartered shield of arms upon Tudor rose, surrounded by beaded and linear tressure of ten arcs, each cusp overlaid with alternating leaf and lis fleury device, two saltires in each spandrel, beaded circle surrounding, legend reads IhESV'x AVTEMx xTRAnSIEnSx xPERx xMEDIVMx xILLORVMx xIBATxx, outer beaded circle surrounding, 15.04g (Schneider 701; North 1926; S 2446). Has been lightly tooled on the dexter side of the obverse field where a previous piercing has been obscured, overall lightly gilt with bright highlights and a pleasant red hue, the detail of the design is still very clear, very fine and of extreme rarity, fewer than ten known to be extant in private hands.
ex The late Richard Whitbourn of Godalming, Sotheby, 2 February 1869, lot 230, where described as "mint mark dragon's head" and "pierced", sold for £7
ex, rev Edward John Shepherd (died 1874), Sothebys, 22 July 1885, lot 227, where described as "of excessive rarity, very well preserved but unfortunately pierced", sold for £17/5/- to the dealer Verity
ex Evelyn W Rashleigh of Stoketon, Saltash, Cornwall, Sothebys, 21-28 June 1909, lot 811 and plate XII, where described as "fine and exceedingly rare. It has unfortunately been pierced, but is now repaired.", sold for £23
ex The late Dr R T Cassal of Abertillery, Glendinings, 3-4 December 1924, lot 269 and plate 2, sold for £48, no mention of repair
ex The late Augustus Thellusson of St Peter's, Broadstairs, Part 1, Glendinings, 19-20 October 1931, lot 43 and plate II, sold for £56 to Seaby
ex Christopher Corbally Browne of Bishop's Stortford, Herts, Sothebys, 25 March 1935, lot 252 and plate III, only the obverse illustrated, sold for £70
ex Spink Numismatic Circular, September 1979, item 7936, marked sold and not illustrated
ex "Continental Collector", Spink Auction 38, 10-11 October 1984, lot 6
ex The Sheffield Collection, Spink-Noble Auction 43, Australia, 17-18 November 1993, lot 2688
ex St James's Auction 1, 13 October 2004, lot 433
ex The Golden Horn Collection, Stacks, New York, 12 January 2009, lot 4040
ex St James's Auction 14, 30 September 2010, lot 22
This was the earlier and finer of two types of gold Sovereign issued in the third period of King Edward's reign dating to 1551. This Sovereign was issued at a 30-Shilling face value, 23 carat and 3½ grains fineness (0.995 fine gold), reverting back to the original fine standard, weighing in at 240 grains (15.552g). These fine Sovereigns were issued from the Southwark mint for only six months, where Sir Edmund Peckham was the Treasurer, hence the use of the "ostrich" head as a mintmark, thought to be a rebus upon his surname. The whole coinage of the ostrich head mintmark consisting of Double-Sovereign, Sovereign, Angel and Half-Angel totalled approximately £2,778 which was miniscule compared to the quantity of other gold coinage issued in this entire reign. This figure represented a mere ½% of total known gold output for the reign (see Schneider tables 12 and 13). In The Tudor Coinage (published 1978), page 105, Christopher Challis suggests that the issue was perhaps for the use of the King himself, as there is a record in King Edward's Chronicle (8 July, page 135) of the King carrying some of this issue in his progress.
Estimate: £50,000-60,000
ex The late Richard Whitbourn of Godalming, Sotheby, 2 February 1869, lot 230, where described as "mint mark dragon's head" and "pierced", sold for £7
ex, rev Edward John Shepherd (died 1874), Sothebys, 22 July 1885, lot 227, where described as "of excessive rarity, very well preserved but unfortunately pierced", sold for £17/5/- to the dealer Verity
ex Evelyn W Rashleigh of Stoketon, Saltash, Cornwall, Sothebys, 21-28 June 1909, lot 811 and plate XII, where described as "fine and exceedingly rare. It has unfortunately been pierced, but is now repaired.", sold for £23
ex The late Dr R T Cassal of Abertillery, Glendinings, 3-4 December 1924, lot 269 and plate 2, sold for £48, no mention of repair
ex The late Augustus Thellusson of St Peter's, Broadstairs, Part 1, Glendinings, 19-20 October 1931, lot 43 and plate II, sold for £56 to Seaby
ex Christopher Corbally Browne of Bishop's Stortford, Herts, Sothebys, 25 March 1935, lot 252 and plate III, only the obverse illustrated, sold for £70
ex Spink Numismatic Circular, September 1979, item 7936, marked sold and not illustrated
ex "Continental Collector", Spink Auction 38, 10-11 October 1984, lot 6
ex The Sheffield Collection, Spink-Noble Auction 43, Australia, 17-18 November 1993, lot 2688
ex St James's Auction 1, 13 October 2004, lot 433
ex The Golden Horn Collection, Stacks, New York, 12 January 2009, lot 4040
ex St James's Auction 14, 30 September 2010, lot 22
This was the earlier and finer of two types of gold Sovereign issued in the third period of King Edward's reign dating to 1551. This Sovereign was issued at a 30-Shilling face value, 23 carat and 3½ grains fineness (0.995 fine gold), reverting back to the original fine standard, weighing in at 240 grains (15.552g). These fine Sovereigns were issued from the Southwark mint for only six months, where Sir Edmund Peckham was the Treasurer, hence the use of the "ostrich" head as a mintmark, thought to be a rebus upon his surname. The whole coinage of the ostrich head mintmark consisting of Double-Sovereign, Sovereign, Angel and Half-Angel totalled approximately £2,778 which was miniscule compared to the quantity of other gold coinage issued in this entire reign. This figure represented a mere ½% of total known gold output for the reign (see Schneider tables 12 and 13). In The Tudor Coinage (published 1978), page 105, Christopher Challis suggests that the issue was perhaps for the use of the King himself, as there is a record in King Edward's Chronicle (8 July, page 135) of the King carrying some of this issue in his progress.
Estimate: £50,000-60,000