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1 Angel - Henry VII class IV
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1502-1504 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Angel (⅓) |
| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin (uncial) |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A large medieval ship is depicted in profile, its hull riding stylised waves rendered in multiple undulating lines at the base of the field. A prominent mast rises centrally from the vessel, from which extends a long diagonal bowsprit to the left. Centrally positioned on the ship and dominating the composition is a large quartered shield of royal arms — the fleurs-de-lis of France and the lions passant guardant of England arranged in the traditional quarterly fashion — surmounted by a long cross extending to the top of the coin. The surrounding legend in small square Gothic lettering is separated from the inner design by a beaded circle, with the mintmark of the greyhound's head initiating the inscription. |
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| Additional information |
Henry VII's class IV Angels belong to a period when the king was systematically overhauling English coinage standards, partly in response to chronic under-weight pieces that had degraded commercial confidence throughout the later fifteenth century. The .995 fineness was not generosity — it was a calculated move to make English gold internationally competitive with Florentine and Burgundian issues circulating in the same merchant networks.
The Angel by this reign had also acquired a formal role in the touching ceremony for scrofula, presented by the monarch to sufferers as a healing piece. Examples that passed through that ritual occasionally show piercing, though class IV pieces found intact command considerably more attention from serious collectors of late medieval English gold.