James I (1603-25). Fine gold Half-Angel of five shillings and sixpence, second coinage (1604-19), St Michael slaying dragon right, Latin legend and beaded borders surrounding, initial mark book (1616-17) struck over cinquefoil both sides, pellet and comma stops in legend.IACOBVS. D'. G'. MA'. BRI'. FRA'. ET. HI'. REX, Rev. ship sailing, no bowsprit, large quartered shield upon hull, mast above, I to left, rose to right, pellet stops in legend.A. DNO. FACTVM. EST. ISTVD., weight 2.29g (Schneider 20; N.2082; S.2617; Fr.233; KM.43). One slight crease and a little double struck in legend, otherwise a bold very fine and comparable in quality with the Schneider example, extremely rare mint mark. Estimate Value $14,500 - UP
Ex Richard Cyril Lockett, English part 3, Glendining, 4th-6th November 1958, lot 3316 and plate XXIV sold for £210, the same price as a gold Ship-Ryal two lots preceding and the higher priced of the two gold Half-Angels offered across all the English parts of the famed Lockett Collection. Ex David Duprée, collection bought by Spink and Son Ltd 1989.
The abbreviated Latin legends translate as on the obverse "James by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland"; and on the reverse "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes." A Psalm from the Bible. The nominal values of the gold coins were raised by 10% in an indenture of 18th May 1612 with Sir Richard Martin as Warden and his son Richard Martin as Master Worker, which caused a spike in fine gold production of just over £3,000 worth during that year which subsequently tailed off. By the time the initial mark book was used on the coinage for fine gold under mint marks book and crescent, it was just under £1,000 worth with book being the rarer of the two marks accounted for. Of the fine gold denominations surviving today with mint mark book, there is only one Rose Ryal in private hands and two Half-Angels we are aware of. There are a few Angels extant but that is all we have to show as scant survivors of this very small output of fine gold coins.