Very Rare Posthumous Issue Gold Half Sovereign of King Henry VIII Under His Son Edward VI

Henry VIII (1509-47), Posthumous issue (1547-51) under Edward VI (1547-53), gold Half-Sovereign of Ten Shillings struck in 20 carat gold, Southwark Mint, facing crowned robed figure of boy King Edward on ornate throne, with orb and sceptre, rose below, 8 type legend in name of his late father, with Roman lettering and beaded border surrounding, initial mark E (April 1547- January 1549), HENRIC; 8; DEI; GRA; AGL; FRA; Z. HIB; REX., rev. crowned quartered shield of arms, with crowned lion and dragon supporters, E below shield, HR on banner below, legend with Roman lettering and beaded borders surrounding, saltire stops, initial mark retrograde E, IHS; AVTE; TRANSIENS; PER; MEDIVM; ILLOR; IBAT., weight 5.55g (Schneider 666; N.1866; S.2394). Red tinged tone, weakly struck in parts otherwise very fine and very rare with DEI GRA legend.

By the time the boy King Edward VI came to the throne the coinage was in such a poor state after suffering the ravages of his father’s debasement, that Edward refused to put his name or at first his portrait to the coinage. Only subtle changes to lettering styles and punctuation coupled with the mint marks reveals the sequence of the posthumous coinage in the name of Henry VIII. The 20 carat gold Half-Sovereign herewith does carry the full seated portrait of the boy King and due to the continuing demand for gold, a great number of coins still needed to be struck providing work for two mints within the Tower of London and Southwark which had opened in September 1545 where this coin emanates from.

Sir John York was the Under-Treasurer at Southwark Mint and the E mark was the initial letter of his surname in Latin which is Eboraci for York. Accounting records show that £153,285 worth of gold was struck with this mark.

Once Edward’s name appears back on the gold coinage the fineness had also been restored to 22 carat for Half-Sovereigns and the Southwark Mint subsequently shuts in August 1551.

Provenance:
Ex Ira and Larry Goldberg, Hollywood USA, Auction 32, 19th September 2005, lot 2884.