Half noble of Henry IV

This hammered gold coin came in from Darren Clarke. When it first came out of the soil it was buckled and bent but Darren had it straightened out by a person skilled in the restoration of gold coins. A valuation was requested for the owner of the land from which it was unearthed.

The coin is a half noble of Henry IV, which was struck during the light coinage of this king. On the obverse there is an annulet and a trefoil on the side of the ship. On the reverse there is a trefoil in the lower right hand quarter and a in the centre is a letter h with a pellet to the left. Therefore, this is an example of number 1716 in the Standard Catalogue. In English Coins 1180-1551 Lord Stewartby lists it as class P.

On the obverse the king’s face and the shield of arms are both weak. This weakness might be the end result of the coin having been straightened. A few scratches also show up on the obverse. Strictly speaking, the obverse would grade Fine but the reverse is better. A plus point is the size of the flan, which is full and unclipped.

Valuation

This is an exceptionally rare coin but in today’s market its commercial value depends upon its overall condition. It cannot be stressed too strongly the main factor today in relation to the value of any coin is its state of preservation; whilst there is a ready market for specimens in good condition, the same coins in the lower grades can struggle to attract a buyer, even when catalogue and previous sale prices are heavily discounted.

If I was cataloguing this coin for sale at auction then after taking into consideration its rarity and state of reservation I would set the pre-sale estimate at £3,000-3,500 and would expect the hammer price to be within that range. It might sell for more but much would depend on competition between prospective buyers in the saleroom.

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