Coins and Historical Medals

Henry, Prince of Wales, c. 1636, a silver draughtsman’s or gaming counter consisting of, on the obv., a counter from a set imitating the style of S. de Passe, viz. full-length figure standing right and holding lance, within garter inscribed illustr henricus princeps uualliæ, lion and unicorn in borders, 30mm (MI –), on the rev. a unicorn left on a small shield in an elaborate foliage border with putti to left and right and a cherub’s head facing below, 36mm; the obverse counter is set in a silver ring, the larger reverse plate attached with four rivets, overall diameter 42mm, 31.07g/12h (cf. Spink Auction 194, lot 8). About very fine, a most unusual item, almost certainly contemporary and quite probably UNIQUE £300-£400

Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (1594-1612), eldest son of James I, is remembered today as ‘an ideal Renaissance prince’. He spent heavily on buildings and gardens at St James’s and Richmond Palaces, yet was also passionately interested in military affairs and horses. He and his brother Charles, later to become Charles I, were the first members of the royal family to develop an interest in coins. His unexpected death at the age of 18 was keenly felt.