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1 Sovereign - Henry VII Group IV, lis/dragon
| Issuer | Royal Mint (England) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1493-1495 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | The Royal Arms of England and France quarterly — France Ancient (semé of fleurs-de-lis) in the first and fourth quarters, England (three passant guardant lions) in the second and third — displayed upon a large Tudor double rose, the petals of which form a lobed frame around the central shield. The rose is surmounted by a royal crown and flanked by elaborate floral and foliate ornaments, with a dragon supporter visible to the right and a lis mintmark to the upper left, consistent with the Group IV classification. The surrounding legend in Gothic uncial lettering conveys the Vulgate passage from Luke 4:30, separated from the inner device by a beaded circle. |
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| Mintage | ND (1493-1495) - mm. Lis (105) / Dragon (118) |
| Additional information |
Henry VII's sovereign was itself a new denomination when it appeared in 1489 — the first English coin struck at the full pound value of twenty shillings. Group IV represents an early refinement of the type, with the lis/dragon privy mark combination allowing specialists to pinpoint production to a narrow window within the first decade of Tudor rule. These were not coins that circulated in any ordinary commercial sense; at twenty shillings, a single sovereign exceeded a laborer's monthly wage, and surviving examples typically show remarkably little wear for precisely that reason.
North 1692/1 distinguishes this subtype within a series where die classification remains the primary tool for attribution, since documentary mint records from this period are fragmentary at best.