Edward III Quarter-Noble, Transitional Treaty period, lis over lion 4th quarter

Edward III (1327-1377), gold Quarter-Noble of one shilling and eight pence, fourth coinage, Transitional Treaty period (1361-63), quartered shield of arms in tressure of eight arcs, fleur trefoils in spandrels, pellets on cusps, legend and beaded borders surrounding, ЄDWR; R; ΛNGLIЄ x 7; DNVS; hY, rev. pellet in centre of ornate cross potent with lis terminals, annulet in each inner angle, lion in each outer angle, lion in fourth quarter with lis above, all within beaded and linear tressure of eight arcs, Latin legend and beaded border surrounding, pellet trefoils in spandrels initial mark cross pattée, ЄXΛLTΛBITVRxx Inxx GLORIΛ, weight 1.59g (Schneider 68; LAL dies a/4; Doubleday 191; Stewartby p.258 A2; N.1224; S.1501). Toned, well detailed, creased with a minute daylight perforation perhaps from the initial strike, definitive legends, bold fine and extremely rare.

The abbreviated Latin legends translate as on the obverse "Edward by the Grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland," and on the reverse "He shall be exalted in glory," a Psalm from the Bible.

The presence of the lis above the lion in the lower right hand quarter of the reverse was noted for the first time in print by the late Peter Woodhead when cataloguing the Schneider Sylloge and coin 68 which is an example struck from the same dies on a broad flan. Woodhead points out that L. A. Lawrence had illustrated an example of this die variety from his collection in his article plate XVI (XII) No.5 dies a/4, but had not commented on the presence of the lis over lion. W. J. W. Potter also did not comment about this in his 1964 article either, and subsequently it was also missed when the L. A. Lawrence coin came up for sale in the Doubleday Collection in 1972 lot 191. This coin would appear to be the third example known of this extremely rare variety.