Henry VII (1485-1509) "Fine Gold" Sovereign of 20 Shillings ND (1492) AU50 NGC, Tower mint, Cross fitchée mm, Type I (Schneider), Group II (Spink), Fr-149, S-2173, N-1689, Schneider-548. 15.23gm. (cross fitchée) hЄnRICVS • DI • GRΛCIΛ • RЄX • ΛnGLIЄ • ET • FRΛnC • DNS I BΛR (saltire and double saltire stops), seated Henry VII on throne with narrow back, lis in background / (cross fitchée) IhC ΛVTЄM : TRΛnSIЄnS • PЄR • MЄDIVM : ILLORVM : IBΛT nЄ (trefoil and double trefoil stops), large royal shield set atop a Tudor rose within floral tressure. One of the most storied rarities in all of British numismatics, whose historicity in nearly unrivaled throughout more than 500 years of English coinage and which has remained largely elusive to even the most advanced collectors of the series. The first of five distinct Sovereign types which bear decorative differences in the treatment of the throne and reverse shielded rose, the piece at hand is one of the most difficult to locate. While Henry's silver and gold Angel coinage is more ubiquitous and seen with relative frequency, those expansive Sovereign issues struck by the first Tudor monarch would stay largely unattainable, produced intermittently and in small quantities throughout his lasting reign and come to market only sporadically, always to significant fanfare. Scholars propose the occasional use of this issue for diplomatic purposes in connection with significant historical events, which may account for their small mintages and survivorship across Henry's long reign. Of the incredibly small certified population for the type, our representative is the sole occupant for Type 1, altogether missing from Farouk, Pittman, and Terner, and ranks just behind the Tyrant example, a later type that has been seen on the market at least six times in the last ten years. In fact, the only other example of this type we've found illustrated outside of institutional collections was plated in Herbert Schneider's collection. Vibrant golden expanses wholly elevate this unfathomable survivor, whose state of preservation impresses from even afar. Struck only slightly off-flan, this seems par for the course on these earlier types, ultimately doing little to obscure the fully legible struck devices. The opportunity to own a specimen of this magnitude occurs infrequently at best, and with the continually expanding market for supreme British rarities, we expect placement in only the most advanced collections of British numismatics. Ex. Royal Mint Collection; Thomas Law Collection (Stack's Bowers Auction 176,August 2013, Lot 20047); R. Duncan Beresford-Jones Collection (Spink Auction 29, June 1983, Lot 22); R.C. Lockett Collection (Glendining, October 1956, Lot 1667); J.P. Morgan; Sir John Evans; John Alfred Wigan and Edward Wright Wigan Collection, 1872 HID09801242017 © 2023 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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