Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1/2 Angel - Henry VIII 1st coinage
| Issuer | Royal Mint (England) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1509-1526 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Angel (1/5) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a large ship under sail, its hull riding the waves, with a quartered royal shield of England and France (quarterly: first and fourth Azure three fleurs-de-lis Or for France ancient, second and third Gules three lions passant guardant Or for England) displayed prominently on the side of the vessel. A large cross rises from the masthead, dominating the upper portion of the design and extending toward the inner circle. The circumscription in Gothic uncial lettering reads PER CRUCEM TUAM SALVA NOS XPC REDEMPTOR, a devotional invocation meaning 'By Thy cross save us, O Christ our Redeemer,' separated by cross stops. The entire composition is enclosed within a plain inner circle and exhibits the characteristic irregular flan and bold relief of early Tudor hammered gold coinage. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | pЄR'xCRVCЄ'xTVAM'xSALVA'xNOS'xXPC'xRЄDЄmTOR' |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Henry VIII's first coinage (1509–1526) retained the weight and fineness standards established under his father, a deliberate conservatism that reflected the new king's early reliance on Henry VII's fiscal infrastructure. The Angel series itself had been introduced by Edward IV in 1465 as a replacement for the Noble, and the half denomination followed shortly after. By Henry VIII's accession, the type was already over four decades old — inherited policy rather than original design thinking.
Spink 2266 is among the scarcer half-Angel entries for the reign, with surviving examples frequently showing die fatigue in the field areas, a consequence of the relatively low production volumes compared to the full Angel.