Beautiful Mary Ship Ryal

312, Lot: 27. Estimate $200000. Sold for $270000. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

TUDOR. Mary. 1553-1554. AV Ryal (35mm, 7.63 g, 11h). Tower mint; im: pomegranate/–. Dated 1553. º mΛRIΛ º (pomegranate) º D’ º G’ ΛnG’ º FRΛ’ º Z º hIB’ º RЄGInΛ º m º D º L III, Mary, armored and holding sword in right hand, left hand on Royal shield, standing facing in ship, adorned with rose, sailing right; M on flag set on stern / Λ (double annulet) DnO’ º FΛCTV’ º ЄST (double annulet) ISTVD º Z º ЄST º mIRΛBI’ º In (double annulet) OCVL’ º nRI’ º, floriated cross with lis at end of each limb and rose on sun in center; in angles. crowned lion passant left; all within tressure of eight arches. Schneider 709 (same obv. die); North 1957; SCBC 2489; G. Hoberman, The Art of Coins and Their Photography (Spink, 1981), pp. 125–6 and 198 (this coin). Near EF, old red toning, tiny knock in field on obverse. Well struck. Extremely rare, less than ten specimens in private hands, of which this is one of the finest.

From the Clearwater Collection. Ex Dix, Noonan, Webb 93 (26 September 2011), lot 1588; Dr. E.C. Carter Collection (purchased en bloc by Baldwin’s, 1950); William Luard Raynes Collection (Glendining, 15 February 1950), lot 109.

A classic rarity in the English series, the Mary Ship Ryal is admired for its depiction of serene majesty. Mary guides the ship of state back to the calm waters of the old order and the Roman Catholic Church. Beautiful and elusive, this coin inhabits the most advanced and renowned collections.