Henry VI of England, 1427

Duplessy 444; Elias 276; Friedberg 300/17, PCGS graded MS-62

Following the deaths of Henry V of England and Charles VI of France, the infant Henry VI became the King of France under the terms of the Treaty of Troyes (1420), although this was strongly disputed by the disinherited Charles VII. In 1431, the young Henry VI was actually crowned Henri II of France and became the only English monarch to wear both the crown of England and of France. However, his father’s victories in France soon slipped through his fingers and economic and political problems mounted in England. At last, the situation devolved into civil war, Henry’s imprisonment on the Tower of London, and the beginning of the Wars of the Roses (1455-1487). The present angelot d’or (“little gold angel”) was introduced by Henry VI in 1427, before his power in France collapsed. It depicts the Archangel Gabriel behind the arms of France and England and was intended to serve as a 3/5 fraction of the salut d’or.

Rouen, 24 May 1427, 2.27g, (leopard) hE?RICVS FRANCORV ET ANGLIE REX, angel standing facing with outstretched wings supporting the arms of France and England. Reverse: (leopard) XPC VI?CIT XPC REG?AT XPC IMP?RAT, Latin cross , a lis and leopard to either side.

Ex Heritage (8 January 2018), 32194