The Rose Ryal is a
gold coin
A gold coin is a coin that is made mostly or entirely of gold. Most gold coins minted since 1800 are 90–92% gold (22karat), while most of today's gold bullion coins are pure gold, such as the Britannia, Canadian Maple Leaf, and American Buf ...
of the
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various History of Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, ...
issued in the reign of
King James I
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...
and is now very rare. The coin is really a two-ryal coin worth thirty shillings (i.e. 1½
pounds) and is a development of the earlier fine sovereign of
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
.
The Rose Ryal, so called because the rose appearing on the reverse, was introduced during James I's second coinage (1604-1619). The design of this first issue shows on the obverse the king enthroned with a
portcullis beneath his feet, surrounded by the legend
IACOBUS DG MAG BRIT FRAN ET HIBER REX ("James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland King"). The reverse shows the royal arms over a rose surrounded by the legend
A. DNO FACTUM EST ISTUD ET EST MIRAB IN OCULIS NRIS ("This is the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes", from
Psalm 118
Psalm 118 is the 118th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in the English of the King James Version: "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever." The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the He ...
).
During James' third coinage (1619–25) a new-style rose ryal was issued. On the reverse is the royal shield, with the value "XXX" over the shield and the whole surrounded by roses, lions, and lis, surrounded by the legend
A. DNO FACTUM EST ISTUD ET EST MIRAB IN OCULIS NRIS, while the obverse shows a redesigned version of the enthroned king with a
portcullis beneath, surrounded by the legend
IACOBUS DG MA BRI FR ET HI REX.
{{Coins of England
English gold coins
Coins of England