Rare 22-carat gold Henry VIII coin which was the ‘origin of the pound’ set to go under the hammer

Rare 22-carat gold Henry VIII coin issued by Tower of London between 1538 and 1541 which was the ‘origin of the pound’ is set to go under the hammer for £50,000

  • The Sovereign gold coin is one of only five known examples on the market
  • It was minted at a time when Henry VIII was exerting his dominance having formed the new Church of England, and celebrating the birth of a son
  • The gold coin has been in several prominent private collections since the start of the 20th century


An extremely rare 22-carat gold coin from the reign of Henry VIII, considered the origin of the pound, is set to go under the hammer this month for £50,000.

The Sovereign gold coin, one of only five known examples on the market, was issued by the Tower of London between 1538 and 1541.

At the time, the six times married British monarch was exerting his authority having just made himself head of the Anglican church.

The front of the coin shows the King on the throne holding a sword and sceptre, with a Royal shield atop a Tudor rose on the reverse.

The gold coin has been in several prominent private collections since the start of the 20th century.

An extremely rare 22-carat gold coin from the reign of Henry VIII, considered the origin of the pound, is set to go under the hammer this month for £50,000

The Sovereign gold coin, one of only five known examples on the market, was issued by the Tower of London between 1538 and 1541

The Sovereign gold coin, one of only five known examples on the market, was issued by the Tower of London between 1538 and 1541

It is going under the hammer with auctioneers Spink & Son, of London, who say it was the largest gold coin in Tudor England. 

Gregory Edmund, coin specialist at Spink & Son, said the period in which the coin was minted was crucial for Henry in several ways. 

‘This was at the time that Henry VIII was making himself head of the new Church of England, confiscating monasteries and celebrating the birth of his wanted son Edward VI,’ Edmund said.

‘I can trace only five examples of this particular type of coin in commerce, and this example has a provenance through several notable collections as far back as 1927.

‘It is the biggest gold coin in Tudor England and the first English coin to depict a monarch in full regalia seated upon a throne – in effect demonstrating to high society and visiting merchants that the Tudors are well and truly in power.

‘The coin itself is the origin of our modern pound coin, although its present shape wasn’t hit upon until the later 19th century.’

The Sovereign coin was the 20 shilling coin of its day, which was converted into the modern pound coin in 1971 with decimalisation.

The auction takes place on July 7.

The coin was minted at a time when Henry VIII was exerting his authority having just made himself head of the Anglican church. Pictured a 1536/37 portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Hoblein

The coin was minted at a time when Henry VIII was exerting his authority having just made himself head of the Anglican church. Pictured a 1536/37 portrait of Henry VIII by Hans Hoblein