Edward IV gold Half-Ryal, York mint, E in waves, NGC MS64

Edward IV, first reign (1461-70), gold Half-Ryal of five shillings, light coinage (1464-1470), York Mint, armoured King standing facing in ship, holding sword and quartered shield, flag with letter E at stern, rose on hull of ship, E in waves below for Eboracum [York], legend surrounds E DWΛRD.: DI.: GRΛ.: REX'.: ΛnGL'.: .:FRAnC, rev. rose over a radiate sun over ornate cross with lis terminals, crowned lions in angles, beaded and linear tressure of eight arcs surrounding, small trefoils in spandrels, Latin legend and beaded borders surrounding, initial mark lis, * DOMINE NE IN FVRORE AVO' ARGVAS ME*, weight 3.76g (Schneider 424; N.1558; S.1963). Toned, struck from a sharp obverse die with excellent overall detail, reverse pleasing, parts of the legends a little soft, graded by NGC as MS64.

NGC Certification 6681930-002 - currently the joint second finest graded across both services.

The abbreviated Latin legends translate as on the obverse "Henry by the Grace of God, King of England and France"; and on the reverse "O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine anger" a Psalm taken from the Bible.

The Royal Mint at York was mandated to strike gold coinage from July 1465 though the accounts of the output for the period from then until the end of September 1469 are missing and we only have a record of the last 12 months of output for this reign at York. For all the denominations issued in gold from the 20^th September 1469 until the 29^th September 1470 only 88 pounds in weight of gold was coined which would equate to some £1,980 in a year. This is known to be c.£1,200 worth less than was issued at Bristol in the same period but probably larger than Norwich or Coventry judging by survival rate till today as the accounts of both latter mints do not survive. London Tower Mint by comparison produced some £46,000 worth of gold in the same period of time and of course survive in much larger numbers today.

Provenance:

Ex Tradewinds Collection, Classical Numismatic Group, 19^th September 2012, lot 1507.