In the interval between 1461 and 1470, while Edward IV was on the throne, two changes had been made in the weight and value of the nobles, and a new coin, called from its device an angel, had been introduced. At the restoration these alterations were adopted, and an indenture was made on the 7th of March, 1470-71, with Sir Richard Tonstall, master of the mint, in the same terms as those of the fifth year of Edward IV. According to this the nobles were now to weigh 120 grains each, as they had done before the reduction of their weight in 1412, but they were to be current, not for 6s 8d as before, but for 10s. The angel was to be current for 6s 8d, and was to weigh 80 grains. Half and quarter nobles were also authorized, and angelets, or half angels.
No nobles or half nobles of this coinage have yet been discovered.
ANGELS. These have for type, obv. the Archangel Michael, with a glory round his head, and expanded wings, trampling with his left foot on the dragon, and piercing him through the mouth with a spear, the other end of which ends in a cross-crosslet which marks the termination of the legend. Rev, upon a ship, with two ropes to the mast from the stern, one from the prow, and concealing part of the side of the ship, is a shield bearing the arms of France and England quarterly, surmounted by a large broad cross, which conceals the lower part of the mast, at the top of which is the topcastle, and, above that, a cross crosslet; h to left of cross, lis to right. This type is the same as that which had been introduced by Edward IV, except that h and a lis are substituted in the field of the reverse for E and a rose; and the topcastle and cross-crosslet take the place which on Edward IV’s earliest angels is occupied by the rays of the sun, his own peculiar badge. The angels of Henry VII are distinguished from those of Henry VI by having h and a rose in the field, and also by their mint-marks. The Rs in the legends of Henry VI’s angels often look more like Bs. The legend is an abbreviation of Per crucem tuam salva nos Christe redemptor.
1. HENRICVS DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANCIE. Small trefoil before Henricus and after every word. Rev. PER CRVSE TVA SALVA NOS XPC REDET. MM pierced cross at beginning of legend, two small trefoils after Per, one after Nos. MB. 2 Legends as the last bat FRANC, REDE’TOR. Trefoil between words on both sides, MM on both sides, at end of legend, pierced cross. MB. 3. Legends as the last but CRVCSE. Trefoil between words on both sides except after Per, and one before Henricus and between E and T in Rede’tor. MM pierced cross at end of obverse legend. MB. 4. HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC. Trefoil before Henric and after every word. Rev, as 2. MB. 5. Same as the last, but no trefoil after Di, nor after Per, Tua, or Salva; MM plain cross at beginning of legend on rev. Rud. n. 14. 6. Obv. as 4. Rev. PER CRVSE TVA SALVA NS XPC REDEMTOR. MM plain cross at beginning of legend, trefoil after Cruse and Ns. MB.
BRISTOL. 7. Legends as 1 but DEI, FRANC. Small trefoil before Henricus and after every word on obv. except Rex, two after Franc. Rev. MM pierced cross before legend, two dots after Per, trefoil after Nos, trefoil at each side of shield, B, for Bristol, under the ship. (32) MB. 8. Obv. as last but legend HENRICV DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS. Rev. PER CRVCE TVA SALVA NOS XPC REDETOR. No MM, trefoil after Cruce, Tua, Nos, and Rede, nothing at sides of shield, B under the ship. EVANS. The mint at Bristol, which had been disused for a long time, was re-established by Edward IV about the year 1465. See post, p. 68. Very rare.
ANGELET. Type as the angels. HERIC DEI GRA REX ANGL Z FR. Trefoil between words except after Dei. Rev. 0 CRVX AVE SPES VNICA. Trefoil each side of the X in crux, and after ave, two after unica, three between the V and N in unica. MM lis at end of legend. (33) Rud. iii. 16. MB. Ext. rare.
QUARTER NOBLE. We assign to this coinage the following quarter noble, because it has for MM a crown, a MM which is found upon no other coin, gold or silver, of any of the Henries, but which occurs on several coins, both of gold and silver, of Edward IV struck after his fourth year, and probably about the time of Henry’s short restoration. It also differs from the other quarter nobles of Henry VI by having a pellet instead of a lis in the centre of the reverse, and by having the French title in the obverse legend, which title also appears on several of the quarter nobles of Edward IV. Except in the particulars mentioned its type is the same as that of the previous quarter nobles of Henry VI, and different from those of Edward IV, but the reason of this is obvious. Henry, upon his restoration, adopted the devices upon Edward’s angels, in which there was nothing peculiarly appropriate to the Yorkist as distinguished from the Lancastrian faction; but the device which Edward had placed upon the reverse of his nobles and half and quarter nobles consisted of his own badge, the rose and sun united. It was impossible, therefore, for Henry to adopt this; and if nobles were to be coined at all, as by the indenture with Sir R. Tonstall they were directed to be, it was necessary to recur to the old type; and the following coin proves that this was actually done. Obv. HENRIC x DI x GRA x REX x ANGL x Z x FRA No MM. Rev. : EXALTABITVR : IN : GLORIA : MM crown. Pellet in centre of cross. (34) MB. Weight 25 grs. The proper weight of a quarter noble at this time was 30 grains. Before the fifth year of Edward IV, the proper weight was 27 grs., but this coin seems to have lost decidedly more than 2 grains by wear. Ext. rare.
Henry VI, like his predecessors, used no mint but those of London and Calais for his coins of the English type, except during his short restoration, when a few coins were, as we have seen, struck at Bristol. Some of his earlier coins are common, but those of the restoration are very rare. At Capt. Murchison’s sale, in 1864, a Bristol angel was sold for £10, and the angelet for £30. 10s.
No nobles or half nobles of this coinage have yet been discovered.
ANGELS. These have for type, obv. the Archangel Michael, with a glory round his head, and expanded wings, trampling with his left foot on the dragon, and piercing him through the mouth with a spear, the other end of which ends in a cross-crosslet which marks the termination of the legend. Rev, upon a ship, with two ropes to the mast from the stern, one from the prow, and concealing part of the side of the ship, is a shield bearing the arms of France and England quarterly, surmounted by a large broad cross, which conceals the lower part of the mast, at the top of which is the topcastle, and, above that, a cross crosslet; h to left of cross, lis to right. This type is the same as that which had been introduced by Edward IV, except that h and a lis are substituted in the field of the reverse for E and a rose; and the topcastle and cross-crosslet take the place which on Edward IV’s earliest angels is occupied by the rays of the sun, his own peculiar badge. The angels of Henry VII are distinguished from those of Henry VI by having h and a rose in the field, and also by their mint-marks. The Rs in the legends of Henry VI’s angels often look more like Bs. The legend is an abbreviation of Per crucem tuam salva nos Christe redemptor.
1. HENRICVS DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANCIE. Small trefoil before Henricus and after every word. Rev. PER CRVSE TVA SALVA NOS XPC REDET. MM pierced cross at beginning of legend, two small trefoils after Per, one after Nos. MB. 2 Legends as the last bat FRANC, REDE’TOR. Trefoil between words on both sides, MM on both sides, at end of legend, pierced cross. MB. 3. Legends as the last but CRVCSE. Trefoil between words on both sides except after Per, and one before Henricus and between E and T in Rede’tor. MM pierced cross at end of obverse legend. MB. 4. HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC. Trefoil before Henric and after every word. Rev, as 2. MB. 5. Same as the last, but no trefoil after Di, nor after Per, Tua, or Salva; MM plain cross at beginning of legend on rev. Rud. n. 14. 6. Obv. as 4. Rev. PER CRVSE TVA SALVA NS XPC REDEMTOR. MM plain cross at beginning of legend, trefoil after Cruse and Ns. MB.
BRISTOL. 7. Legends as 1 but DEI, FRANC. Small trefoil before Henricus and after every word on obv. except Rex, two after Franc. Rev. MM pierced cross before legend, two dots after Per, trefoil after Nos, trefoil at each side of shield, B, for Bristol, under the ship. (32) MB. 8. Obv. as last but legend HENRICV DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC DNS. Rev. PER CRVCE TVA SALVA NOS XPC REDETOR. No MM, trefoil after Cruce, Tua, Nos, and Rede, nothing at sides of shield, B under the ship. EVANS. The mint at Bristol, which had been disused for a long time, was re-established by Edward IV about the year 1465. See post, p. 68. Very rare.
ANGELET. Type as the angels. HERIC DEI GRA REX ANGL Z FR. Trefoil between words except after Dei. Rev. 0 CRVX AVE SPES VNICA. Trefoil each side of the X in crux, and after ave, two after unica, three between the V and N in unica. MM lis at end of legend. (33) Rud. iii. 16. MB. Ext. rare.
QUARTER NOBLE. We assign to this coinage the following quarter noble, because it has for MM a crown, a MM which is found upon no other coin, gold or silver, of any of the Henries, but which occurs on several coins, both of gold and silver, of Edward IV struck after his fourth year, and probably about the time of Henry’s short restoration. It also differs from the other quarter nobles of Henry VI by having a pellet instead of a lis in the centre of the reverse, and by having the French title in the obverse legend, which title also appears on several of the quarter nobles of Edward IV. Except in the particulars mentioned its type is the same as that of the previous quarter nobles of Henry VI, and different from those of Edward IV, but the reason of this is obvious. Henry, upon his restoration, adopted the devices upon Edward’s angels, in which there was nothing peculiarly appropriate to the Yorkist as distinguished from the Lancastrian faction; but the device which Edward had placed upon the reverse of his nobles and half and quarter nobles consisted of his own badge, the rose and sun united. It was impossible, therefore, for Henry to adopt this; and if nobles were to be coined at all, as by the indenture with Sir R. Tonstall they were directed to be, it was necessary to recur to the old type; and the following coin proves that this was actually done. Obv. HENRIC x DI x GRA x REX x ANGL x Z x FRA No MM. Rev. : EXALTABITVR : IN : GLORIA : MM crown. Pellet in centre of cross. (34) MB. Weight 25 grs. The proper weight of a quarter noble at this time was 30 grains. Before the fifth year of Edward IV, the proper weight was 27 grs., but this coin seems to have lost decidedly more than 2 grains by wear. Ext. rare.
Henry VI, like his predecessors, used no mint but those of London and Calais for his coins of the English type, except during his short restoration, when a few coins were, as we have seen, struck at Bristol. Some of his earlier coins are common, but those of the restoration are very rare. At Capt. Murchison’s sale, in 1864, a Bristol angel was sold for £10, and the angelet for £30. 10s.