James I Gold Rose Ryal of Thirty Shillings (Third Coinage, 1619–1625)

Historical Context

Following the accession of King James VI of Scotland to the English throne in March 1603 as James I, the English monetary system adapted to reflect the personal Union of the Crowns. While the administrations, treasuries, and parliaments of England and Scotland remained separate until the Acts of Union in 1707, Jacobean coinage introduced unified heraldic quarterings and the royal title proclaiming rule over Great Britain.

England operated a bimetallic currency incorporating two legal standards of gold: crown gold (22 carats or 91.67 percent fine) and fine gold, traditionally termed angel gold (23 carats 3½ grains or 99.48 percent fine). Under James I, the premier fine-gold denomination was the thirty-shilling piece, known as the rose ryal or sovereign of fine gold.

In the early seventeenth century, the rising continental valuation of gold relative to silver induced extensive arbitrage and outward smuggling of English coin. To halt this bullion drain, a royal proclamation was issued on 23 November 1611 raising the legal tariff of all current English gold coins by ten percent (two shillings in the pound). Under this measure, the thirty-shilling rose ryal was retariffed to thirty-three shillings, the unite to twenty-two shillings, and the angel to eleven shillings. These awkward sums disrupted everyday commercial transactions and accounting records.

To restore rational integer denominations without depreciating current coin, the Crown instituted a major currency reform via a proclamation on 31 July 1619 and the Tower Mint Indenture of 20 August 1619, inaugurating the Third Coinage (1619–1625). The reform reduced the physical gold weight of newly struck denominations by one-eleventh (approximately 9.09 percent). The crown-gold unite was replaced by the laurel at twenty shillings, while the fine-gold rose ryal returned to its traditional face value of thirty shillings (£1 10s). Its statutory weight was adjusted downward from 213⅓ grains to 196 4/11 grains troy (approximately 196.364 grains or 12.724 grams), coining 29⅓ pieces (£44 face value) per troy pound. To prevent confusion in daily circulation, an explicit Roman numeral mark of value was added directly above the reverse shield.

Obverse: Iconographic Composition

The obverse composition preserves the late medieval Tudor-Stuart tradition of depicting the sovereign enthroned in majesty. King James I is shown crowned and facing the viewer, clothed in imperial closed robes with an ermine cape and collar. In his right hand, the monarch holds the royal sceptre positioned upright, while his left hand supports the globus cruciger resting on his left knee.

The royal throne stands upon a platform, beneath which rests a portcullis with dependent chains. Inherited as a dynastic badge from the Beaufort and Tudor lineages, the portcullis served as a persistent symbol of sovereign defensive strength and royal authority. The field is enclosed within an inner beaded circle. Across the series, the throne architecture displays two distinct diagnostic treatments: early issues feature an elaborate high square back diapered with heraldic roses and fleurs-de-lis, whereas later issues present an unornamented flat panel back.

Obverse: Epigraphy and Inscriptions

The obverse legend is rendered in classical Roman capitals, reflecting the Renaissance typographic influence introduced under Chief Engraver William Holle.

• Script: Latin (Roman capitals).
• Language: Latin.
• Standard Reading: IACOBVS D : G : MA : BRI : FR : ET HIB : REX
• Transliteration: IACOBVS D[ei] G[ratia] MA[gnae] BRI[tanniae] FR[anciae] ET HIB[erniae] REX
• Translation: "James, by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland".
• Documented Lettering (Comparison specimen CMA 1969.190.a): ★ IACOBVS • D : G : MA : BRI : FR : ET HIB : REX (with initial mark spur rowel).

The legend begins at approximately the 1 o'clock position following the initial mintmark and traces the circumference within an outer beaded border, broken at the 6 o'clock position by the portcullis below the throne. Interpunct treatment varies between dies, typically utilizing single pellets, double vertical pellets, or colons.

Reverse: Iconographic Composition

The reverse design departed completely from the Second Coinage rose ryal, which had displayed the royal arms placed across a broad expanded Tudor rose. The Third Coinage substituted this emblem with a large square-topped heraldic shield charged with the post-1603 royal quarterings of Great Britain:

1. First and fourth grand quarters: France modern (three fleurs-de-lis) quartering England (three lions passant guardant).
2. Second quarter: Scotland (lion rampant within a double tressure flory-counterflory).
3. Third quarter: Ireland (harp).

The shield is placed over a decorative cross fleury whose arms extend to the outer beaded circle. Placed prominently above the top edge of the shield in the upper field is the Roman numeral denomination XXX, representing thirty shillings. Between the concentric inner and outer beaded circles, the four quarters created by the cross fleury contain an alternating sequence of decorative heraldic charges: four fleurs-de-lis, four lions passant guardant, and four roses.

Reverse: Epigraphy and Inscriptions

The reverse legend expresses a pious scriptural motto that had traditionally appeared on English royal gold coinages since the reign of King Edward III.

• Script: Latin (Roman capitals).
• Language: Latin.
• Standard Reading: A DNO FACTVM EST ISTVD ET EST MIRAB IN OC : NRIS
• Transliteration: A D[omi]NO FACTVM EST ISTVD ET EST MIRAB[ile] IN OC[ulis] N[ost]RIS
• Translation: "This is the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes" (Psalm 118:23; Vulgate Psalm 117:23).
• Value Mark: XXX (30 shillings) stamped in the upper field immediately above the heraldic shield.
• Documented Lettering (Comparison specimen CMA 1969.190.b): ★ A • DNO • FACTVM • EST • ISTVD • ET • EST • MIRAB • IN • OC : NRIS •

The motto begins at 12 o'clock following the initial mintmark and is enclosed within a fine outer beaded rim. Lettering stops and contractions vary across die pairings, with words divided by central pellets or colons.

Typology and Documented Variants

The Third Coinage rose ryal is catalogued in standard references under North 2108 and Spink 2632. Struck at the Tower Mint in London between 1619 and 1625, the series is divided into chronological groupings defined by initial privy marks (mintmarks) and throne architecture:

• Spur Rowel (1619–1620): Initial mark is a pierced star (spur rowel), an emblem reserved exclusively for the reformed gold denominations under the August 1619 indenture. Dies feature an ornate diapered throne back adorned with roses and lis. Examples include Schneider II, no. 77; Cleveland Museum of Art 1969.190; and Museums Victoria NU 25631.
• Rose (1620–1621): Mintmark rose on both faces; ornate diapered throne back.
• Thistle (1621–1623): Mintmark thistle on both faces; ornate diapered throne back. Dies with thistle punched over the preceding spur rowel mark are documented.
• Lis (1623–1624): Mintmark fleur-de-lis on both faces. Most known specimens feature the ornate diapered throne back, though transitional dies bearing a plain back begin to appear.
• Trefoil (1624–1625): Mintmark trefoil on both faces. Characterized by a distinctive plain throne back, where the area behind the enthroned king is executed as an unornamented flat panel.

Scholarly Debates and Attribution Limitations

Chief Engraver Attribution

Numismatic scholarship credits the visual transformation of the Third Coinage to William Holle (also recorded as Hole or Halle). Appointed Chief Engraver at the Tower Mint on 29 May 1618, Holle broke the extended tenure of the Anthony family. Historical and archival studies demonstrate that Holle was responsible for executing the pattern models and punches for the redesigned 1619 gold issues, standardizing a refined Roman epigraphic style and introducing explicit denomination numerals across all denominations (XXX, XV, XX, X, and V). Following Holle's death in the summer or autumn of 1624, the office passed to John Gilbert and Edward Greene, coinciding with the transition to plain throne backs under mintmark trefoil.

Metrological Variation and Die Identification

Although the statutory standard mandated 196 4/11 grains troy (12.724 grams), surviving cabinet specimens routinely weigh between 12.05 grams and 12.60 grams. For example, comparison specimen CMA 1969.190 weighs 12.499 grams with a diameter of 43.0 millimeters, while Museums Victoria NU 25631 weighs 12.446 grams with a diameter of 39.0 millimeters. The records demonstrate differences in surviving specimen masses, but cannot by themselves determine whether a particular difference arose at the mint or through later wear or trimming. They do not provide a direct assay of either coin.

Attribution limitations remain regarding die linkages. While commercial auction specimens bearing mintmark spur rowel are frequently linked to the dies of Schneider II, no. 77, institutional pieces such as CMA 1969.190 have not been verified as die-identical in comprehensive peer-reviewed die studies. Any uninspected collection specimens must be evaluated independently for mintmark, throne architecture, and die status rather than assumed to match published institutional exemplars.

References

1. Cleveland Museum of Art: Thirty Shillings (Rose Ryal), 1619-1620 (1969.190). Accession 1969.190.a (obverse) and 1969.190.b (reverse), The Norweb Collection
2. Museums Victoria Collections: Coin - Rose-Ryal, James I, England, Great Britain, 1619-1620 (NU 25631). Registration NU 25631, Felton Bequest 1929
3. British Numismatic Society: Engravers of the Tudor and Stuart Periods (Henry Symonds, 1913). Numismatic Chronicle / British Numismatic Journal, records on William Holle (1618–1624)
4. The Royal Mint Historical Record: Third Coinage Indentures and Coinage of James I. Tower Mint Indenture of 20 August 1619 and mm. spur rowel
5. Sylloge of Coins of the British Isles 57: The Herbert Schneider Collection, Volume Two (Peter Woodhead, 2002). SCBI 57, English Gold Coins 1603 to the 20th Century, no. 77 (James I Rose Ryal mm. spur rowel)
6. The Gold Coins of England: Arranged and Described (Robert Lloyd Kenyon, 1884). pp. 139–147 (Third Coinage metrology and statutory weight calculations)