LOT Heritage Rare Coin Galleries  /  2007 Jan New York World Coin Auction #425  / 

51604

Henry VII (1485-1509) gold Angel. S-2187. N-1698. Pheon

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money Start Price:1,800.00 USD Estimated At:2,500.00 - 3,000.00 USD
Henry VII (1485-1509) gold Angel. S-2187. N-1698. Pheon
<B>Henry VII (1485-1509) gold Angel.</B></I> S-2187. N-1698. Pheon (arrow) mm #53, struck 1505-09 at the very end of the reign. MS63 PCGS. An absolutely wonderful and fully round example, glowing with early 16-century mint bloom, the strike bold and the entire piece just delightful to view. All this aside, there is much that is fascinating about this coin. The obverse legend includes the curious, crook-shaped abbreviation after the Latin name of the king. A largely unexplained block-H styled anchor or perhaps lighthouse appears by the ship's bow to left in the waves. The Spink reference points out that St Michael as the angel is now clad in armor instead of in feathers (as on most previous gold Angels), and Peter Woodhead (<I>Herbert Schneider Collection,</B></I> volume one, page 44) calls it a "humanistic" image. Thus we have here a true Renaissance coin, one of the earliest in the British icon. But more curious is an unexplained, incuse "annulet" in the ship's left rigging field. Woodhead complains that little record of this era has survived, and none of the numerous Angels illustrated in the Schneider Collection seems to have this incuse annulet. Perhaps a clue comes from more information in this excellent reference book. The pheon mintmark was used from the end of November 1504 until April 1509 (Woodhead, comment opposite Plate 50), and new joint mint masters, Robert Fenrother and William Rede, took office at the end of November 1505 (Woodhead, page 46). It cannot be proven, but perhaps the mysterious incuse annulet was their mark of approval of the engraving of this marvelous Angel.<BR><BR><b>Shipping:</b> Coin/Currency (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.heritageauctions.com/common/shipping.php">view shipping information</a>)
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