Henry VI Noble, Pinecone-Mascle issue (1431-32), Tower mint, MS67

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, annulet by sword arm, pinecone stops in legend, mascle after REX in abbreviated Latin legend, h EnRIC. DI. GRA. REX<> AnGL Z FRAnC. DnS. hIyB, note HIB misspelt, 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. TRAnCEnS. PER<> mEDIVm. ILLORVm. IBAT, note no I in third word, weight 6.92g (Schneider 322/-; N.1457; S.1824). Graded by NGC MS67, the finest know example, extremely rare and with an excellent provenance.

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 Henry Seymour Guinness Collection, Sotheby, 21^st April 1920.

Ex Richard Cyril Lockett, English part III, Glendining, 4^th - 6^th November 1958, lot 3092.

Ex Ridgemont Collection, Spink Coin Auction 69, 20^th April 1989, lot 145.

Ex Sotheby, 24^th April 1997, lot 623.

Ex Spink Coin Auction 1012, 2^nd December 2010, lot 888.