Henry VI, first reign (1422-61), gold Noble of six shillings and eight pence, Tower Mint, pinecone-mascle issue (1431-32), King standing in ship with upright sword and quartered shield, pinecone stops in legend, mascle after REX in abbreviated Latin legend, h EnRIC. DI. GRA. REX<> AnGL' xZx FRAnC DnS hIB, rev. h at centre, ornate cross with floriate lis terminals, crown over lion in angles, lis above lion's head in second quarter, all within beaded and linear tressure of eight arcs, large fleurs in spandrels, initial mark fleur de lis, pinecone stops with mascle after PER in abbreviated Latin legend, +IhC'.AVT. TRAnCIEnS. PER<> mEDIVm. ILLORV. IBAT, possible cone struck under last I, weight 6.93g (Schneider 325; Fr. 118; N.1457; S.1824). Fully round with clear details, graded by NGC MS65, extremely rare and with an old provenance.
NGC Certification 2119526-028.
One of only two examples graded of this extremely rare issue at NGC. Only one lower grade example recorded at PCGS.
The abbreviated Latin legends translate as on the obverse "Henry by the Grace of God, King of England and France and Lord of Ireland"; and on the reverse "But Jesus, passing through the midst of them, went His way" taken from the Bible.
The "pinecone-mascle" issue of gold and silver denominations is so-named on account of the use of these symbols in the stops of the legend upon these coins both sides which feature nearly always one mascle (diamond shaped device) and small pinecones with stalks. From the latest estimation based on contemporary and hoard evidence, this issue was minted for perhaps less than a year, from some time in 1431 until September of 1432, from which surviving accounts show certainly less than 2,500lb weight of gold was coined of which this was a proportion meaning the coinage was very small, certainly when compared to the vast "annulet issue" coinage of 1422-30.
Provenance:
Ex Spink Coin Auction 54, 20th June 1986, lot 547.
Ex Spink Coin Auction 81, 19th November 1990, lot 14.