Henry VII Penny – sovereign type

This coin was sent in by Anthony Hopkinson, who asked for a full ID.

The type gained its name because the obverse design is similar to that on the large gold sovereigns of the same period. This penny was struck for Richard Fox when he was the Bishop of Durham. 

On the obverse Henry VII sits on a throne with a pillar at both sides. On the reverse there is a mitre (the headgear of a bishop) above the shield and a letter R to the left and a letter D (for Richard of Durham) to the right. The reference number in the Standard Catalogue is 2234. 

Sovereign type pennies are often struck off centre on flans too small for the dies. This specimen is cracked but is otherwise well struck on a nearly full flan. It’s also scarcer than some of the other pennies of Henry VII of the same generic type.