Coins, Historical Medals & Paper Money

Richard III (1483-1485), Half-Angel, type 2b, mm. boar’s head no. 2, no French title, rev. o crvx ave..., 2.53g/9h (Webb-Ware dies 1/1; SCBI Schneider 492; N 1678; S 2153). On a full flan, very fine with all important details clear, extremely rare
£10,000-15,000

Provenance: Found 19 miles from Bosworth Field, Leicestershire.

Richard III was born in October 1452, the younger brother of Edward IV. In a country torn apart by the Wars of the Roses, he became an adept and experienced soldier at a young age. As every schoolboy knows, on Edward’s death in 1483, he usurped the throne and is believed to be responsible for the disappearance and death of his two young nephews, the so called ‘Princes in the Tower’ and rightful heirs to their father’s crown.

As one of England’s most infamous monarchs, whose reign lasted a mere 26 months, the coinage of Richard III is both rare and highly sought after. The current half-angel is a recent metal-detecting find and one of just a handful known. Bearing the boar’s head mint-mark, it was probably struck between July 1483 and June 1484. The important Schneider collection of British gold coins boasts no less than 22 Richard III angels, which are rare in their own right, but only two halves, one struck from the same pair of dies as the current coin.

With a find spot close to Bosworth Field where the final battle of the Wars of the Roses ended in Richard’s violent death and the establishment of the House of Tudor, this is a coin of historical and numismatic importance far in excess of its small size