Rose Ryal
Encyclopedia
The Rose Ryal is a gold coin
Gold coin
A gold coin is a coin made mostly or entirely of gold. Gold has been used for coins practically since the invention of coinage, originally because of gold's intrinsic value...

 of the Kingdom of England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...

 issued in the reign of King James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...

 and is now very rare. The coin is really a two-ryal coin worth thirty shillings and is a development of the earlier fine sovereign of Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

.

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
Portcullis
A portcullis is a latticed grille made of wood, metal, fibreglass or a combination of the three. Portcullises fortified the entrances to many medieval castles, acting as a last line of defence during time of attack or siege...

beneath his feet, surrounded by the legend IACOBUS DG MAG BRIT FRAN ET HIBER REX -- James by the grace of God King of Great Britain France and Ireland. 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.

During James' third coinage (1619-1625) 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 -- James by the grace of God King of Great Britain France and Ireland.
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