Digital museum showcasing the collection of worldwide legends over the years! 千古不朽博物館展示多年來收藏的世界傳奇故事!
Henry IV
light coinage
gold ¼ noble
亨利四世
金¼貴族輕幣
Item number: A374
Year: AD 1412-1413
Material: Gold
Size: 18.7 x18.1 x 0.4 mm
Weight: 1.65 g
Provenance: Noonans 2022
This gold coin is a light coinage of ¼ noble, minted in London during AD 1412-1413, under the reign of King Henry IV. The obverse features a central quartered coat of arms of the House of Lancaster within a tressure, adorned with lis on cusps, trefoils, and annulets surrounding the coat of arms, all enclosed within an inner beaded circle. The legend around the script reads “hENRIC,” while the remaining legends are unclear but should read “DI GRA REX AnGL Z F,” translating to “Henry by the Grace of God King of England and France.” The reverse displays a Floriate cross with lis in the center and leopards in the angles, all within a tressure inside an inner beaded circle. The legend around is also unclear but should read “EXALTABITVR IN GLORIA,” translating to “He shall be exalted in glory.”
Nobles minted during the reign of King Henry IV (AD 1399-1413) are categorized into two types: the “Heavy Coinage” weighing 120 grains (7.8 grams), minted in Calais and London, produced until AD 1412, and the subsequent “Light Coinage” weighing 108 grains (7.0 grams), minted exclusively in London during AD 1412-13. Strikes from Calais are distinguished by a flag at the stern of the ship.
Within two weeks of deposing his cousin Richard II, Henry IV instructed the master of the mint on October 14, AD 1399, to commence coin production. The urgency to resume minting was driven by both economic and propaganda imperatives. Due to the Statute of Purveyors of AD 1352, which prohibited alterations to the coinage basis without parliamentary consent, the established weight standards for each denomination remained unchanged.
However, Henry IV encountered a similar issue as during the reign of Richard II— the value of the weight of precious metals in the coinage exceeded its denomination, resulting in decreased circulation of money and consequent negative impacts on the economy. To address this issue, in November AD 1411, during a parliament presided over by the Prince of Wales, a decree was issued to reduce the weight of the penny from 18 to 15 grains, effective from Easter Day AD 1412. This adjustment facilitated renewed coin production at the mint, albeit resulting in only marginal profits for the king.
物件編號: A374
年代: 公元 1412-1413年
材料: 金
尺寸: 18.7 x18.1 x 0.4 mm
重量: 1.65 g
來源: 諾南斯 2022
這枚金幣是亨利四世統治時期(公元 1412-1413)在倫敦鑄造的¼貴族輕幣。正面的中央展示了蘭卡斯特王朝的紋章,被盾牌包圍,周圍有菱形、三葉草和指環,全部位於內部珠飾圓圈內。環繞的銘文為「hENRIC」,其餘的字樣不明確,但應該包括「DI GRA REX AnGL Z F」,翻譯為「蒙上帝之恩,英法國王亨利」。背面展示了中心有菱形的花卉十字架,角落有豹子,同樣位於內部珠飾圓圈內。環繞的文字亦不清晰,但應該是「EXALTABITVR IN GLORIA」,翻譯為「他必在榮耀中升高」。