Edward the Black Prince gold Pavillon D'Or

Edward the Black Prince (1362-72), gold Noble Guyennois à l'E or Pavillon d'Or, second issue (c.1363-4), Bordeaux Mint, robed Prince standing over two opposing lions, flowers in hair, pointing finger and holding upright sword, four feathers surrounding bending right, all within Gothic portico and tressure of arcs, Latin legend and beaded borders surrounding, double voided quatrefoil stops, additional voided quatrefoil at start of legend, *ED'** PO** Gn'S** REG AnGL'** PnCS** A*, rev. Gothic E at centre of cross quernée, lis and lion in angles, large trefoils in spandrels, Latin legend and beaded borders surrounding, +Dn'S** AIVTO** Z** P.TECIO** mE** Z** I'IPO** SPAVIT** COR** mEVm** B, 4.49g (Elias 154b; Schneider 53; AGC 161A 1/a; S.8126). Lightly toned, well centred though a tad weak in parts, otherwise good very fine and rare.

The gold Noble Guyennois à l'E was the most prolific of the Edward the Black Prince gold coins and perhaps one of the most Gothic and beautiful in its design with the pavilion around the King on the reverse such coins were formerly known as Pavillons d'Or. Four ostrich feathers surround the Prince which is symbolic to the Black Prince's adoption of the ostrich feather as his crest, as he was also Prince of Wales. The story of how the ostrich feather was adopted harks back to the Battle of Crecy in 1346 when the 16 year old Prince commanding the English forces met the French Army under John "The Blind" (1310-46) with 500 of his best knights from Bohemia and Luxembourg. The French suffered very heavy losses and upon hearing of this rather than retreat, John commanded his knights to link their horses together with his in one last ditch charge at the English. The whole troop bar two survivors were slaughtered, and legend relates the following day the surviving rider-less horses were found still tied together. Edward was so impressed as a 16 year old commander by this heroic chivalric action, that he adopted John The Blind's ostrich feather crest as his own.

This is thought to have inspired the origin of the crest of the Prince of Wales today, which has three ostrich feathers with the German motto "ich dien" meaning I serve.

Provenance:
Ex A. H. Baldwin, Fixed Price List, Summer 2013, item GAL012.