The pretender Perkin Warbeck (c. 1474 - executed 1499)

The pretender Perkin Warbeck (c. 1474 - executed 1499), medallic coin or jeton, c. 1494, probably Continental manufacture, mm. leopard passant gardant both sides, crowned arms of England between crowned lis and crowned rose, DOMINIE SALVVM FAC REGEM, rev., crown and rose over and below lis and leopard, 23.5mm, 3.90gms [60.186 grains] (MI 21/3; North 1758; S. -; C. Blunt, 'The Medallic Jeton of Perkin Warbeck', BNJ 25 (1949-51), pp. 215-216). An excellent example of this coin, good very fine, toned and extremely rare.

Perkin Warbeck, claiming to be Richard, Duke of York, the brother of Edward V, tried to invade England three times. He was finally captured near London and was executed in 1499. It is believed that around fifteen examples of the Warbeck coin are known, most probably emanating from the Burgundian Low Countries. They carry the royal arms of England and, although anonymous, have generally been accepted as being associated with Warbeck. The date, 1494, the legend, on one side a version of the writing on the wall at Belshazzar's feast (seemingly a threat to Henry VII) and on the other the Latin equivalent of 'O God, save the King' (a reference to the pretender) and the general resemblance of the obverse to a description of a seal of Warbeck's strengthen the attribution. The average weight of the extant examples is around 60 grains, in contrast to the 48 grain standard for the contemporary English Groat. As all surviving specimens were struck from single pair of dies, it suggests that they were not a serious exercise in finance, but they may well have been struck in the run up to Warbeck's 'invasion' of England in July 1495. The specimen now in the Fitzwilliam Museum was bequeathed to Cambridge University in 1589 (C E Blunt, BNJ 1950 pp.215-6).

Provenance: Ex T. Hollis, Sotheby, 14 May 1817 (lot 302); ex H R Willett, Collection of Patterns purchased privately by J. D. Cuff; J. D. Cuff, Sotheby's, 8 June 1854 (lot 958); ex E. W. Rashleigh, Sotheby, 21 June 1909 (lot 774); ex B. Roth, Sotheby, 19 July 1917 (lot 243); L. E. Bruun, Sotheby, 18 May 1925 (lot 546); T. B. Clarke Thornhill, Glendining, 24 May 1937 (lot 429); Spink Numismatic Circular, July 1942 (no.15405 - £40-0-0); Spink Auction, 31 March, 2004 (lot 56).