London half noble of Richard II

The owner of the land on which this hammered gold coin was found did not want the finder’s name to be published. However, I was asked to provide a full ID and a valuation.

The coin is a London half noble of Richard II. On the obverse the legend reads RICARD D G REX AnGL Z F D hYB Z AQ with double saltire stops between all the words and letters. Above the ship’s sail is a single saltire.

On the reverse there is a letter R in the centre and lis-type trefoils in the spandrels of the tressure. As is the case with the obverse, all the stops are double saltires.

The preceding information adds up to this Richard II half noble being am example of class Ib. In the Standard Catalogue it is listed as one of the varieties of number 1665.  The reduction in the weight of gold coins during the next reign (Henry IV) led to the clipping many of those struck for Richard II. However, this coin appears to have a full flan so it is in a better state of preservation than most of the Richard II half nobles that have come onto the market during recent years.   

Valuation

There could be a couple of small dents on the reverse, which also show up on the obverse. Overall, the coin would grade about VF and it is rare. If sold at auction I’d expect the hammer price to be around £3,200. If the ‘dents’ are just discoloration spots it might fetch even more.

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