LONDON.- On 17th and 18th December 2014, Spink London will be holding their second December coin sale. It is held over two days with ancient Greek, Roman, Islamic and modern world coins on the first day, and Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, Tudor and Stuart English coins as well as a few Scottish and Irish coins, and modern British coins and medals on the second day.

But the stars of the show are the two superb gold Tudor Sovereigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII.

The gold Sovereign still issued every year by the Royal Mint was introduced by Henry VII from 1489 so called as the design showed the King in all his majesty – worth one pound as it still is nominally.

Victor of the Battle of Bosworth, Henry VII, 1485-1509, issued the auction highlight (Lot 540). This type III sovereign, a masterpiece of renaissance art, is being vaunted as one of the finest of the issue and is expected to far exceed the conservative estimate of £120,000-160,000. So rare is it that pieces of such quality and historic significance come up for sale; this lot can veritably be described as a landmark opportunity for collectors.

Equally impressive is the ‘fat face’ sovereign of Henry VIII’s third coinage (Lot 541), again conservatively estimated at £120,000-150,000. This piece boasts a remarkable provenance first being recorded in the 1854 Cuff sale and passing through eminent hands such as Lord Hastings, Bernard Roth, and finally the Ryan collection. Indeed this is the first time at auction since the Ryan sale, a gap of 64 years.

Another highlight of the sale is an Anglo-Frisian solidus (Lot 484) found in August 2014 by metal detectorist Ron Neesam. Clients who were able to view this exceptional piece in our show room in recent weeks have all been amazed by the sheer quality and remarkable state of preservation. Based on an original design (itself a copy of a Roman prototype) struck by Carolingian king Louis the Pious (814-840), the solidus was probably struck in the east of England and was lost, or possibly deposited, immediately after striking.