Richard II (1377-99), gold Noble of Six Shillings and Eight Pence, Tower Mint London, type 2b, French title omitted, King standing in ship with upright sword and quartered shield, trefoil of pellets over sail, legend and beaded circle surrounding, RIC ARDxx DEIxx GRAxx REXxx AnGL DnSxx hIBxx Zxx AQT, rev. R at centre of ornamental cross with lis terminals, crowns over lions in angles, all within a beaded and linear tressure, fleurs in spandrels, legend surrounding, +IhCxx AVTEmxx TRAnSIEnSxx PERxx mEDIVxx ILLORVxx ‘IBAT, weight 7.65g (Schneider 150; N.1304; S.1655). One light crease in lower half of coin, otherwise good very fine and pleasing.

This Noble was struck at the Tower of London and belongs to the type 2b classification which omits the French title in the legend and is of a more robust style. There is a trefoil of pellets depicted over the sail of the ship. It is not known how the types fit the chronology of the mint output and the earlier accounting periods are very long as the output is small. It is more likely this issue belongs to a later period in the reign probably in the mid 1380s-1390 when the output averaged some £25,000 of face value per year across the gold denominations.

Provenance:
Ex U.B.S., Switzerland, Sale 58, 27th January 2004, lot 2121.