Roma Numismatics Ltd
Auction XXII 7-8 Oct 2021
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Great Britain, Plantagenet. Henry V AV Noble. London mint, 1413-1422. Class G. ҺЄꞂRIC' ∗ DI' • GRΛ' • RЄX • ΛꞂGL' Z FRΛꞂC' • DꞂS • ҺУB', king standing facing within ship, holding sword and quartered shield, within beaded border / IҺ'C ∗ ΛVTЄᙏ • TRΛꞂSIЄꞂS • PЄR • ᙏЄDIV' • ILLORV' • IBΛT, ornamental cross with lis terminals and H within centre, crowns over lions over trefoils in quarters, within beaded and linear tressure, trefoils in spandrels. Schneider 263-4; North 1375; SCBC 1747; Spink 12027, lot 35 = Heritage 3081, lot 32189; Friedberg 109. 6.87g, 32mm, 3h.
Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; there are two examples of this variant (mullet [i.e. star] after ҺЄꞂRIC on the obv. and IҺ'C on the rev.) in the Schneider collection and seemingly only one other on CoinArchives.
Acquired from Roderik Richardson, with original dealer's ticket (£17,500).
The Noble, first produced in 1344-1346 under Edward III after the failure of the gold penny and florin and proving in contrast to be a great success, changed little in design over the course of its history, passing through the reign of several kings until its final issue during the first reign of King Edward IV in 1461-70.
Of the kings who issued the Noble, Henry V came the closest to realising the title given to the ruler on most iterations of this coin's obverse - 'King of England and France, Lord of Ireland'. His military victories over an unstable France, for which he is best known (notably including the Battle of Agincourt in 1415), meant that he was able in 1420 to force on the French the Treaty of Troyes, an agreement that he would be regent of France while Charles VI of France was alive, and then inherit the throne upon the latter's death, and furthermore that he would marry Charles VI's daughter, Catherine of Valois. Henry's death in 1422, however, meant that this dream of a unified France and England would not be realised.
The depiction of the king within the ship on the Noble's obverse, when it was first issued under Edward III, was a reference to the King's victory at the naval Battle of Sluys in 1340, in one of the first engagements of the Hundred Years' War. It was paired with the following reverse legend, a slightly-altered quote from the Gospel of Luke (4:30): "Jesus autem transiens per medium illorum ibat" - "but Jesus, passing through the midst of them, went on his way". This part of the Gospel refers to Jesus' safe passage through a crowd of outraged Pharisees who had driven him from Nazareth with the intention of throwing him off a cliff, and is thus a (slightly strained) reference to Edward's successful passage to France through a crowd (he was outnumbered at Sluys) of hostile forces. Later issuers of the Noble saw little need to alter the design of such an internationally popular coin, even as the victory in Sluys was outshone by later developments.
Good Extremely Fine. Extremely Rare; there are two examples of this variant (mullet [i.e. star] after ҺЄꞂRIC on the obv. and IҺ'C on the rev.) in the Schneider collection and seemingly only one other on CoinArchives.
Acquired from Roderik Richardson, with original dealer's ticket (£17,500).
The Noble, first produced in 1344-1346 under Edward III after the failure of the gold penny and florin and proving in contrast to be a great success, changed little in design over the course of its history, passing through the reign of several kings until its final issue during the first reign of King Edward IV in 1461-70.
Of the kings who issued the Noble, Henry V came the closest to realising the title given to the ruler on most iterations of this coin's obverse - 'King of England and France, Lord of Ireland'. His military victories over an unstable France, for which he is best known (notably including the Battle of Agincourt in 1415), meant that he was able in 1420 to force on the French the Treaty of Troyes, an agreement that he would be regent of France while Charles VI of France was alive, and then inherit the throne upon the latter's death, and furthermore that he would marry Charles VI's daughter, Catherine of Valois. Henry's death in 1422, however, meant that this dream of a unified France and England would not be realised.
The depiction of the king within the ship on the Noble's obverse, when it was first issued under Edward III, was a reference to the King's victory at the naval Battle of Sluys in 1340, in one of the first engagements of the Hundred Years' War. It was paired with the following reverse legend, a slightly-altered quote from the Gospel of Luke (4:30): "Jesus autem transiens per medium illorum ibat" - "but Jesus, passing through the midst of them, went on his way". This part of the Gospel refers to Jesus' safe passage through a crowd of outraged Pharisees who had driven him from Nazareth with the intention of throwing him off a cliff, and is thus a (slightly strained) reference to Edward's successful passage to France through a crowd (he was outnumbered at Sluys) of hostile forces. Later issuers of the Noble saw little need to alter the design of such an internationally popular coin, even as the victory in Sluys was outshone by later developments.