Noble (English coin)

Nobel is the name of first coined in 1344 medieval English gold coin, which asserted itself as Leitmünze in the North Sea and Baltic trade by the end of the 14th century. The fineness of the Nobel was 995/1000, its original weight of 8.86 grams was lowered to 1411 to 7.0 grams. The nominal value of the Nobel was 6 shillings and 8 pence ( half and quarter Nobel accordingly).

The Nobel was the first time in 1344 under King Edward III. (1327-1377) issued to commemorate the victory over the French fleet at the Battle of Sluis (1340 ). For this reason, the obverse of the coin shows the king in the boat on the waves (so-called ship Nobel). The ship Nobel replaced the Florin, an English gold coin worth six shillings, which was issued only in 1343.

Under Edward IV (1461-1483) the coinage of the ship Nobel 1465 has been set and issued the so-called Rosenobel as a new gold coin in a slightly modified form. He points to the front as an allusion to the House of York, who came to the English throne by Edward IV, in addition a five-petalled rose on the side wall of the vessel.

In England, the Nobel I. (1558-1603) was coined yet under Elizabeth. On the continent he was nachgeprägt due to its popularity as a stable store of value trade coin, especially in the Burgundian Netherlands. Its wide distribution in Western Europe can be seen, among others, the fact that even the end of the 17th century were missing Münzgewichte on the type of rose Nobels in barely a larger coin scales.