continental imitations of the rose noble of edward iv / by anthony thompson

8/12/2019 Continental imitations of the rose noble of Edward IV / by Anthony Thompson

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THE BRITISH

NUMISMATIC JOURNAL

1 9 4 5 - 1 9 4 8

ncluding the

PROCEEDINGS OF THE

BR ITISH NU M ISM AT IC SOCIETY

for the years 1 9 4 5 - 1 9 4 8

EDITED BY

C. E. BL U N T AND C. A. W H IT T O N

V O L U M E X X V

T H I R D S E R IE S V O L U M E V

MCMXLIX


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C O N T I N E N T A L I M I T A T I O N S O F T H E

R O S E N O B L E O F E D W A R D I V

By

A N T H O N Y T H O M P S O N

V E R Y little is known in this country about the large class of rose

nobles bearing the name of Edward IV, but of larger module and

coarser exec ution th a n us ual. Th eir style and fabric, as well as the ir

average weight (about 1x6 grains), stamps them as of foreign manu-

facture, and they are called "Flemish" because there is a convenient

historical explanation for their issueEdward's seven months' exile

in Fla nd ers betw een O ctober 1470 an d A pril 1471. Th ey are held to

be Flemish because they resemble the pieces copied from Henry VI's

noble, who se origin is also assume d to be Flemish. Th e iden tification

of the rose nobles rests solely upon this resemblance, for there is, so

far, no documentary evidence in support of an emergency coinage in

FlandersDeschamps de Pas prints no document in his exhaust ive

studies of the Flemish issues of Charles the Bold which might indicate

that the Burgundian mints of Flanders were put a t Edward's dis-

posal.

1

Even the fun da m enta l point about the orig in of the " H e n r y "

nobles is by no means certain, for there is a suspicion that some of

them may have been coined at or near Cologne in the sixteenth

century.

2

In this country the "Flemish" rose nobles of Edward IV have

always been regarded (and rightly) as a side-line of English numis-

matics, but this att i tude neglects an important aspect of our numis-

matic historythe commercial value of the rose noble abroad, which

led to its imitation.

3

M ontagu saw this clearly when he pos tula ted

a continental issue of rose nobles, based upon Anglo-Flemish trade

relations, and continuing to circulate over a very long period.

4

He argued that as some of the Henry nobles (of similar style) were

found at Fischenich near Cologne (a hoard buried not earlier than

1624), both currencies could have circulated together during the

sixteenth century.

5

O ther hoa rds supp ort this contention, for out of

the large number containing English coins there are about half a

dozen in which Henry nobles and Edward rose nobles occur either

toge ther or sep ara tely . In th at of A m ersfoo rt, bu ried abou t 1560,

both currencies were represented, together with Burgundian nobles

of Philip the Fair,

6

while at Joncret in Hainaut, in a hoard deposited

about 1575-6,

7

there were six rose nobles and no Henry nobles.

Several other hoards show a mixture of Edward rose nobles (often

1

Revue Numismatique Franfaise

(N.S.), vi i (186 2), p p . 35 1 ff.

2

H . M o n t a g u i n

Num. Chron

.

3

xii i (1893), pp . 26 ff.

3

Bu t s e e S ne l l i ng ,

A View of the Gold Coin and Coinage of England,

p . 8 f o o t n o t e

(I),

w ho s us pe c t e d a c on t i ne n t a l i s s ue o f r o s e nob l e s f o r c om m e r c i a l pu r pos e s .

4

Montagu , op . c i t . , p . 34 .

5

M on t a gu , op . c i t .

6

Tijdschrift van liet Nederlandsch Genootschap voor Munt- en Penningkunde,

iv (1896),

p. 103.

7

Revue de la Numismatique Beige,

2

e

s6rie, t. i (1851), p. 92.

O


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184 Continental Imitations of the Rose Noble of Edward IV

accompanied by English angels) and the Dutch provincial rose nobles,

s tru ck a few yea rs late r (1575-89) . At T alm on t, in we stern Fran ce,

1

a single Henry noble was associated with three rose nobles, while in

an unnamed Dutch f ind dat ing f rom c.1580-90,2 on ly rose nobles were

pre sen t , again m ixed with D ut ch issues. Fr om th e evidence of these

hoards i t can be assumed that the English rose noble enjoyed a wide-

spread popu lar i ty in Fra nce and the Ne ther land s . I t migh t a lso be

argued tha t the popu la r i ty o f the "Henry" nob le had to some ex ten t

declined, but it is unsafe to generalize in this instance because the

investigators of continental hoards have invariably fai led to dist in-

guish copies from their originals, and so it is impossible to estimate

their comparative frequency. The distr ibution of the hoards does tel l

us one thing: the Henry and rose noble currencies are very l ikely to

be Flemish or Dutch in or igin, for the majori ty of the hoards in

wh ich th ey occur are f ro m the Low Countr ies . T he only com parable

f inds in England that I know of are those at Bisham Abbey

(Berks.),

3

where there was one Henry VI noble and six rose

nobles, none of which can be proved to be foreign imitations, and

at St . Alban s, where there were tw en ty- tw o rose nobles, none of

them copies, and no Henry nobles.

4

Rose nobles and H en ry nobles

(whether true or imitat ion) are more common in Scott ish hoards,

as one might expect f rom the close relat ions between that country

and France .

5

Confirmation of the popular i ty of the Henry and Edward coinage

dur ing the s ix teenth century is provided by the numerous p lacards

issued in the Nether lands, France, and Scotland, especial ly towards

th e end of th e cen tu ry . In th e la tt e r co un try rose nobles figure in a

list of 1598.

6

Like the foreign sterlings of an earlier period, imitations of the

English gold noble were a result of the continual illegal export of coin

f rom Eng land in the four teen th cen tu ry .

In spite of th e effor ts of E dw ar d I I I an d Rich ard I I to a t tra ct

bullion to the mint, quantities of gold nobles were exported and sold

at a prof i t abr oad to be recoined. Th e Du kes of Bu rgu nd y, whose

newly acquired Flemish dominions lay nearest to England, did not

scruple to coin nobles on the English standard, but of less intrinsic

w o r t h PI. A, i) . Th ese pests, arriv ing fro m th e alre ad y flourishing

trade-centre of Calais, caused great distress in England, until they

1

Revue Numismatique,

3

e

serie, t . i i i (1884), p. 271 f.

2

Bulletin Mensuel de Numismatique & d'Archeologie

(Bruss e l s , 188 3-4) , p . 50 .

3

Num. Chron.

( N . S . ) , xvi i i (1878), p . 304.

4 Num. Chron,

3

v i (1886), p . 173 (PL VII).

5

e .g . D u n b l a n e , 1 8 6 9 ;

Num. Chron. ( N . S . ) X

(1870) , pp . 204 and 240 f .

; Proc. Soc. Ant.

Scot, v i i i (1870), pp . 286 f f . , an d Glasg ow , 179 5 ; L in ds ay , Scotch Coins, A p p . 17, p . 264.

6

C o c h r a n - P a t r i c k ,

Records of the Coinage of Scotland,

p . 194 . I h av e n o t be en ab le to

c o n s u l t t h e f o l lo w i n g w o r k s e n u m e r a t e d b y S n e l l in g :

Edicts des Monnoyes Lesquelles out

cours par le Pays de Liege dez I'An 1477 jusques a I'An 1623 4 t o , L i e g e ; Der Cooplieden

Haud boucxkin,

i 2 m o , G h e n t , 1 5 4 6 ;

Het Thresoor oft Schat Van alle de Specien,

l2mo,

A n t w e r p , 1 5 8 0 ;

Ordonnances,

i 2 m o , P a r i s , 15 71 , 1 57 7, a n d P e t t e r D i i k m a n ,

Observationer

forna Swenskas och Gothers penningers Rachningz, Obs xxv,

i 2 m o , S t o c k h o l m , 1 6 86 .


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were driven out of currency by Henry IV's reduction in the weight of

his own gold coins in 1412. T he ha rm h ad been done, how eve r, an d

there is evidence that a coinage of imitations (other than the official

one of the Bu rgu nd ian D ukes) was growing up abroad . This m us t

hav e caused some inconvenience in the B urgu ndia n dominions as wel l

as in E ng lan d, for in O ctober 1433 Philippe le Bon issued an

Ordonnance referring to the imitation of deniers d'or "empra in te e t

fourme des deniers de nostredit Seigneur, ou assez semblables a

i ceu l x " \_sic\ by neighbouring countr ies .

1

The term denier d'or is

always used to describe the noble.

A few years before (in 1423), a money-changer of Malines, named

Clais Warin , had been arrested for receiving "monnaies fausses

con t re fa i t es e t de fendus"

2

[sic\. It is to this period that we must

assign th e first of the " H e n r y " nobles, copied fro m the A nnu let issue

of H en ry V I. E vi de nt ly th e Engl ish noble ha d become so popu lar as a

commercial currency

3

that merchants (or feudal rulers) had found i t

expedient to issue private and presumably i l legal coins.

4

It is certain that these copies enjoyed a l imited circulation in

England, for one of them was present in the Horsted Keynes f ind

buried about 1440

5

(cf.

P I

A, 2).

When Edward iV remodelled his coinage in 1465 he found i t

expedient to strike a new denomination in the style of the old noble

which ha d beco me so po pu lar ab roa d. Th e result was the rose noble

of higher value and weight, a coin even more popular than i ts pre-

decessor, an d e ve ntu ally one of the m ain currencies of no rth ern

Eu rop e. In these circu m stanc es i t is no t surprising to find th a t i t too

was extensively imitated.

A definition of this type of imitation was given by Serrure in 1847,

when he described the coins as contrefagons (counterfei ts) . He further

dist inguished between those bearing the name and t i t les of their

issuer, w he th er official or otherw ise (e.g. th e rose nobles of H ollan d,

Zeeland, Overyssel, &c., as well as nobles of Ghent) and those

indist inguishable from their prototype, but not ser iously under

weight.

6

B ot h classes are repr ese nted am ongs t the rose nobles to be

described.

Research by cont inenta l numismat is t s , amongst them Verkade,

Serrure, and Schulman, has establ ished that many contrefagons of

Eng lish gold coins (angels, rose nobles, an d a few sovereigns) w ere

issued either semi-officially, as in the case of some Friesland coins, or

1

D e s c h a m p s d e P a s i n

Revue Numisma tique,

1861, p . 47 2.

2

Ib id . , p . 461 .

3

E v i d e n c e o f t h e i r c i r c u l a t i o n i n e a s t e r n E u r o p e i s p r o v i d e d b y a h o a r d f r o m t h e

W a r s a w d i s t r i c t , w h i c h c o n t a i n e d H e n r y V n o b l e s. S e e S p i n k ' s

Numismatic Circular,

Nov. -Dec . 1914 , p . 682 , nos . 2461 and 2462.

4

I t s hou l d be no t e d t ha t i m i t a t i ons o f E ng l i s h go l d nob l e s w e r e i s s ue d by Wa l e r a n I I I

of L u xe m bu r g , Co un t of S t . P o l a n d L i g ny ( 1371- 1415) , f r o m h i s m i n t a t E l i nc ou r t

( Ca m br a i d i s t r i c t ) . T h e s e a r e p r ob a b l y t he e a r li e s t c op i e s kn ow n . S e e R i go l l o t i n

Revue

Numismatique,

1850 , pp . 203 f f . ; P o e y d ' A va n t ,

Monnaies Feodales,

i ii , p . 41 8; an d E ng e l

a n d S e r r u r e ,

Traite,

iii, p . 1075 f.

5

Num. Chron.

s

,

1929, p. 237.

6

Revue Beige de Num.,

t . i i i (1847), p . 261.


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privately and without sanct ion by municipal authori t ies , e .g . at

G orinchem in Ho llan d. Th e issue of these pieces coincides w ith the

beginning of the Dutch wars of Independence and the formation in

1575 of th e Un ite d P rovinc es. In view of th e close tr ad e connex ions

between England and the Netherlands, and the inf lux of Engl ish

volunteers in to the Dutch provinces, both of which contr ibuted to the

desire for a new coinage of English style, this is a subject which

direct ly concerns Engl ish numismatics.

In the preceding pages I have outl ined the evidence (such as i t is)

of documents and hoards relating to the probable date of issue of the

" F le m is h " s ty le rose nobles . I t t ends to a s ix tee n th-ce ntury date ,

an d a late one. I t re m ain s to be seen w he the r a close st u dy of the

coins themselves will confirm this idea.

It is easy enough to classify these pieces in a broad manner by their

stylethere are, for tunately , several wel l -defined groupsbut i t i s

m uch hard er to produ ce a sat is fac tory die-sequence. The comm on

de no m ina tor is, as will be seen pre sen tly, th e let tering , b u t even here

there are notable except ions.

First , I wil l take a typical example of a "Flemish" rose noble, and

describe i t :

Obv. CID/.-..-. W 7T RD-

. .

D P . - . 6 R 7 t . - . R 0 X

. .

T t n G I T I . -. RR7 T R

D R S IB . -.

Th e king sta nd ing in a ship, holdin g a swo rd and shield. A rose

on the ship 's side and 0 on a banner at the stern.

Rev. M.M. Crown. I fc D 7 W T

. .

T R f t n S I G t t S .-. P O R

. .

tf?dDIVm .-.

IKKORV- . -. IB T tT A rose up on a sun as on th e En glish rose

noble. [PI. A, 4.] W e ig h t: 116 gra ins.

If we analyse the details of this coin against those of the genuine

piece, it is ob viou s w here th e differen ces lie. T he co m pos ition of the

copy is poo r co m pare d t o t h a t of th e coin i l lustra ted on PI. A, 3, and

th e relief is ve ry low. Th e correct l ines are the re, bu t ap pe ar em pty

an d me aningless bec ause th ey are all of th e sam e te xt ur e. Th e rose

on the ship 's s ide is large and f lat , with no at tempt at moulding;

a reference to that on genuine pieces shows i t to be small and

re gu lar . I call thi s rose N o. 1 an d t h a t of th e cop y No. 2 [cf. Nos. 3.

and 4],

The portrait on the imitation is large and coarse, with an oval face

and a sprea d crown. I t com pares ve ry un fa vo ur ab ly w ith the head

on th e English dies. A no the r cha rac teris t ic of th e Flem ish series is

the w ay in wh ich the let ter

a

is inverted and used as a

Dand

0

at will.

The mater ial upon which a classif icat ion may be based can be

summarized as :

(a ) Style of po rtr ai t . O ut of a nu m be r of varie ties I ha ve chosen the

th re e m ost clearly defined. N um be r 1 (Fig. 1) is a small head

w ith he av y features , usual ly dou ble-st ruck. N um be r 2 (Fig. 2)

is larger, with a noticeable gap between the face and crown-

pun che s. N um be r 3 (Fig. 3) ha s alre ad y been m entio ned . It

has pellets for eyes. Be twe en the m , these three po rtr ai ts are


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enough for a quick identification of most of the Flemish rose

nobles.

(b) The shape of the rose.

(c) Th e longer swo rd, and th e form of th e king's sw ord-arm , w hich

is varied by i ts thickness and by the presence or lack of a point

of armour at the elbow.

(d) The le t ter ing .

The group which looks earliest in style consists of three pieces.

Taking the three coins, we find that they have smaller flans and

a mo re co m pa ct design th a n is usua l am ong st th e Flem ish dies. Th ey

hav e po rtr ai t no . 1 an d rose no. 1 (small) , while th e priv y m ar k, a sun,

is at the beginning of the obverse inscription.

1

It is thick er th a n the

English variety, and one of i ts eight rays is broken

[Cat. of Dies,

nos.

1

an d 2). On all th re e coins th e obverse die is ide ntic al

(0 1 = PI.

A,

5).

Th ere are thre e reverses (R 1- 3) . No. 1 has a crown m ar k with a

pellet each side. N o. 2 also ha s th e crown, b u t th e pellets are distri-

buted between the let ters of I B 7 JT .

N um be r 3 is pro bab ly the sam e die al tered. I t bea rs a sun as pr ivy

mark, but th is appears to be punched over another mark, perhaps the

crown . N o tra ce s of thi s are visible, b u t the re is a depression in

the metal round the sun, suggest ing that i t was punched in af ter the

former mark had been burn ished out

(PI.

A,

8).

Reverses 1 and 3 both have a pellet above the ft of IhCL

Th e lette rin g is un ifor m for the thre e coins, e s are norm al, bu t an

1

The sun mark occurs bo th a t the beginning ( i . e . be low the sa i l ) and a t the end of the

obve r s e l e ge nd on ge nu i n e ha l f - a n d qu a r t e r - r y a l s ; t he c om bi na t i on o f s un a nd c r ow n i s

(pace

B r o o k e ,

Engl. Coins,

p . 155) un kn ow n f o r t h e r ya l , t hou gh i t e x i s t s on ha l ve s a nd

q u a r t e r s : D u r l a c h e r ' s r y a l , w h i c h h e e x h i b i t e d a t a m e e t i n g of t h e R o y a l N u m i s m a t i c

S oc i e t y on 21 M a r c h 1895 , w a s un do ub t e d l y a n i m i t a t i on , a n d m a y be i de n t i c a l w i t h t he

Br i t i s h M us e um s pe c i m e n ( s e e

Proceedings, Num. Soc.,

for M arc h 1895) , Du r la ch er Sa le

(Sotheby) , 1899 , lo t 71 , and my ca ta logue of d ie va r i e t i e s , no . 1 ) .

G R O U P I

(PI .

A,

5 - 8 )


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in ve rte d 0 (Fig. 3) is used fo r D. T he 7? ha s sligh tly curv ed limb s

(Fig. 1) and the

C

is gen erally of th e fo rm sh ow n in Fig. 2. H ha s a

long tail (Fig. 4), and

R

is sm all w ith sq ua re fee t (Fig. 5).

Ws

are

correctly formed of two V-punches (Fig. 6).

Die-sequence of Group I

O 1 = S u n w i t h t r e f o i ls b e t w e e n c o m b i n e d w i t h R 1 = C r o w n w i t h a p e l l e t e a c h

D N S I B .

On e ou t of e igh t s ide an d one ab ov e

f l

in

I f t G

ra ys in the sun i s br ok en of f R 2 = Cro wn . Pe l le ts in IB T^ T

shor t . o n ly ; one ab ov e f t.

There is an obvious at tempt at a regular system of pr ivy marking

here. Th e trefoi ls on th e obverse are co nsta nt and m ay o nly be a

reproduct ion of the Engl ish dies, but the pel let system must have a

signific anc e of its ow n. I t sug gests an official or sem i-official issue,

and i t is noticeable that something very l ike i t occurs on some

El izabethan ryals ,

1

as well as on other coins of our series.

As an introduction to the next two groups i t will be convenient

to give some details of the way in which the rose noble was used in

the s ix teen th cen tury .

The involved state of the Netherlands currency under i ts Bur-

gundian rulers , and subsequent ly under Charles V, encouraged the

importat ion of foreign currencies, and consequent ly their imitat ion.

In 1497 and 1499 ^

w a s

recorded in placa rds issued in Flan ders th at

the country was fi l led with gold coin "faibles au poids ou contrefaites,

et par consequent , decriees".

2

In sp ite of ordonnances,

3

this state of

disorder continued, and Charles V was forced to prohibit a number of

issues between 1520 and 1525.

Foreign coins and imitat ions of them were imported and raised

above their real value, and people profited from the high prices at

which these were accepted by carrying on i l l ici t commerce and bring-

ing in prohibited coins.

The high prices abroad reacted unfavourably in England, as is

shown by the fol lowing proclamation issued by Henry VIII on

22 August 1526:

4

"Owing to the enhancement of value abroad money

was carried out of this realm by secret means, nobles, half nobles and

ryalls, and as a remedy it is proclaimed that al l gold current within

this realm sh all be of the sam e valu e as i t is in oth er ou tw ar d pa rts . . . . "

The proclamation goes on to fix the values of the French "Crown of

th e S un " an d H en ry 's new gold crown an d to fix the r at e of 44 shil lings

the ounce as the sum to be paid for gold of the fineness of the

sovereign, ryal , noble, an d half-n oble br ou gh t to th e m in t. This was

Ca rdinal W olse y's first at te m p t to deal w ith the difficult prob lem , and

in au gu ra te d his de ba sem en t policy. B y M arch 1542 value s of nobles,

half-nobles, and ryals had again been raised abroad, and an English

1

Cf . t h e e s c a l l o p - m a r ke d c o i n s de s c r i b e d i n

Num. Chron.

6

( i ; nos . I I I - I V ) , 1941 ,

p . 147 f.

2

Revue Beige de Num.,

1876, p . 62.

3

Ib id . , p . 82 f . See

Ordonnances,

15 A ug us t 1521 a n d 25 S e p t e m be r 1525.

4

Brit. Num . Journ.

1

x (1913 ), p. 139 .


9/33


proclamation prohibi ted their export and raised the value of the ryal

fro m u s . 6d. to 12s.

1

The same thing happened in Scot land, where rose nobles were

exten sively used. In 1526 Ja m es V followed H en ry V II I in raising

the values of his coins.

2

H is l ist includ es:

By 1544 values had again been raised, the Harry noble to 42s. and

the rose noble to 48s.

3

In 1546 certain English gold coins were prohibited in Scotland

because the y were " n a f yn e gold, ba t copper for the maist par t , and

of na fynnace" .

4

Am ongst those me nt ioned was a " R ia le " . As

Henry VIII is not known to have issued rose nobles for general

currency, th is passage may perhaps be taken as evidence for the

circulation of English forgeries or of foreign contrefagons.

5

Th e lat ter w ould be a na tur al resul t of the high values pu t upon the

rose noble, as people would be encouraged to issue light pieces and

impor t them in to England .

In this way it is possible to suggest a period for the beginning of the

contrefagon coinage m ore in keeping w ith i ts style th an an earlier d ate .

To be more precise, I shall (with reservations) put it at between 1526

and 1546.

Contrefagons of many sorts were issued, amongst which the rose

noble ine vita bly figure d. It w as double the weight of m ost of i ts con-

temporaries, and i ts f ine quali ty, both intrinsically and art ist ically,

ensured i ts acce ptance in m an y places. One cou ntry af te r another

adopted i t as a standard of currency, and Snell ing

6

lists a number of

sta tes w hich pu t it int o circulation. Cologne, Trier, and Ji i l ich were

amongst these, and they were followed by Denmark (where the Tolls

of the Sound were usually estimated in rose nobles),

7

Sweden, and

Norway, as wel l as the Hanseat ic communit ies who found i t essent ial

for their t ra de with Eng lan d and the N etherlan ds. I t ci rculated as a

t rade coin in Russia under the name of Korabel'nik o r " sh ip -co in"

during the reign of Ivan the Terrible (1547-84).

8

In these countries the si lver mark had always been used as the

1

Brit. Num . Journ.

1

x (1913 ), p . 152.

2

C o c h r a n - P a t r i c k ,

Records of the Coinage of Scotland

(1), p . 95 .

3 Ib id . , p . 96. ^ Ib id . , p . 85.

5

B r o o k e e x p r e s s l y c o n d e m n e d t h e H e n r y V I I I r y a l i n t h e B r i t i s h M u s e u m . I t s l e t t e r i n g

a n d t he op e n c r ow n s ugge s t a c o m pa r a t i ve l y m o de r n f o r ge r y ( se e G r ue be r , P I . x i v , 3 94 ;

Kenyon, p . 84 ; i t s we ight i s 117 gra ins ) .

6

Sne l l ing ,

A View of the Gold Coin and Coinage of England,

p . 8 , f oo t no t e

(I).

7

L o r e n t z e n ,

Museum Regium

(C op en hag en, 1710) , p . 2, Sec t . 5 , c . 12; Snel l ing, op . c i t .

T h e t e r m " R o s e N o b l e " , o r " R o z e n o b l e " is of f o r e ig n o r ig i n . E n g l i s h r e c o r d s g e n er a ll y

cal l i t the ryal .

8

S c h r o t t e ,

Worterbuch der Munzkunde,

p. 460.

1 . T h e [ F r e n c h ] C r o w n o f t h e S u n

2 . T h e A n g e l n o b l e

3 . T h e D o u b l e D u c a t [ S p a n i s h ] o r

x v n j s .

x x v i i j s .

H a r r y n o b le [ Fl em i sh ]

4. The rose noble

5 . T h e P o r t u g a l D u c a t

XXXV] s .

xlij s.

xli s.


10/33


"Coin of Account" , but i t appears that the rose noble was now pre-

fer red as a cur rency s tandard .

1

In the course of trade rose nobles and Henry nobles were bound to

be countermarked, and there are several such s tamps which require

exp lana t ion. Th e com mo nest are for the great Bal t ic trade-c entres

of Dantzig (a crowned double cross; PI. B, 1 and Figs , i and 2)

2

and

Rig a (a cross over ke y s;PI. B, 2an d Figs. 3 an d 4). These a re pro ba bly

both s ixteenth century, and appear on genuine and imitat ion pieces .

Th ere are m il i tary reasons for some of th e other ma rks . Th e double-

headed eagle of Groningen

PI. B, 4

and Fig. 5) dates from the siege

of that town by the Dutch t roops under Pr ince Maurice of Nassau in

1591,

3

whi le the much rarer mark of Ypres (a crowned Gothic

PI. B, 3 and Fig. 6) was used dur ing the blockade by the Spaniards

in 1583.

4

T h a t i l lus trate d is on the ob verse of a wo rn Calais noble of

Henry VI (Annulet issue).

Coins bearing the stamp of Riga include a genuine rose noble

PI. B, 2) and one of the sun-marked coins of group I (Cat. no. 2).

Some confusion has ar isen about the or igin of this mark; both Schul-

m a n

5

and Ives

6

accept i t as that of Riga, but the catalogue of the

Cassal Collection (sold at Sotheby's in 1924) described it as "Keys

in sal t ire between a sl ipped trefoil" and called i t the mark of Arch-

1

S n e l l i n g , View of Nobles Struck Abroad, p . 5 3 , w h e r e i t i s s t a t e d t h a t t h e B a l t i c

c o u n t r i e s a d o p t e d t h e n e w s t a n d a r d u n d e r t h e p a t r o n a g e of t h e T e u t o n i c k n i g h t s .

2

F i g . 2 is t r a c e d f r o m R e n t z m a n ' s i l l u s t r a t i o n of t h e a r m s of D a n t z i g in Numismatisches

Wappen Lexicon,

1877 , PL x v i , 222 .

3

C f. a Z e e l a n d n o b l e w i t h t h i s m a r k , i l l u s t r a t e d i n S c h u l m a n , Sale Cat., 1919, Pl. 11, 19.

4

V a n d e n p e e r e b o o m , Numismatique Yproise (Bru ssels , 1877) , p . 24 f .

5

S c h u l m a n , Sale Cat., 191 1, P l. 11, F ig . 78.

6

I v e s , Foreign Imitations of the English Noble, A m e r . N u m . S o c. , Num. Notes and Mon.,

no.

93 (1941)-

r


11/33


bishop Nevil l (?) , wh o acte d as guard ian to H en ry V I du ring the

Restorat ion of 1470-1.

1

It is tr ue th a t th e cross does look ra th er l ike

a slipped trefoil, but if we look closely at it there is no doubt that it is

m ea nt to be a cross pa tte e. I t s foot is too long and sq uar e to be

heraldical ly correct , and i ts o ther extremit ies are weakly st ruck; but

these are detai ls which the ar t is t could hardly be expected to engrave

accurately on so small a scale.

R e n t z m a n

2

gives the arms of Riga as a cross pattee over crossed

keys (Fig. 4). H ere the l imbs are correc tly ex pa nd ed .

Archbishop George Nevill is an unlikely person to have used a

countermark, al though i t would have been just possible for him to do

so as a temporary measure before new dies were ready for Henry 's

coinage.

3

As fa r as I can asc erta in, he ne ve r use d ke ys or a cross of an y

sort; his arms as Archbishop of York were the Salisbury (Nevill)

sal t i re combined with a label .

4

Finally, the style of the sun-marked coins (already shown to be a

foreign issue) suggests a date later than Edward IV's reign, and is

much more in accord with the countermark being sixteenth century,

and put on the t rade currency of Riga.

G R O U P I I

P I . B , 4 - 7 )

The next group of rose nobles is difficult to arrange in i ts proper

sequence, though i ts subdivisions are easily identifiable by style and

lette ring . A close an alys is of de tails sho w s: (a)th a t th e group can be

divided into three classes; (b)th a t t he let te ring of each class merges

into th e n e x t; (c) th a t we shall f ind i t less con fusing no t to rely too m uc h

upon o ther detai ls, because so m an y d ifferent punc hes are used on

dies which look identical.

Class I

PI. B, 4-6 )

consists of three coins, all from the same

obve rse an d reverse dies (0 1 an d R 1). I t s m ain c hara cteris t ic is i ts

po rtra it , th e head no. 2 alre ad y described. Th e rose on th e ship is a

m odific ation of no. 1 w ith a ten de nc y to flatness. T he coin no. 3 is in

poor con dition a nd coarser tha n the others. I t weighs 115 grains as

against 116, so it may be a derivative of class 1. The privy mark on

all three coins is a crown.

Class II PI. B, 7 an d PI. C, 1an d 2). Th e style of thes e coins is

similar, b u t th e he ad is thi nn er . W e m ight call i t 2a. The rose is

flatter th a n before . Nos. 2, 3, an d 4 are rem ark ab le in th a t th ey

indicate their place of origin, and so give us a clue to the whole group.

Nos. 2 and 3 have a shield in the middle of the forecastle instead of a

quatrefoil . This shield bears two fesses counter-embattled (Fig. 7).

No. 4 goes far the r , for not only does the " k i n g " carry th e same shield ,

1

Cassa l Sa le C a t . ( So theb y , 3 De c . 1924) , lo t 209 .

2

Ibid. , PI . 6 , 232.

3

F o r a n a c c o un t of G e o r g e N e v i l l ' s p a r t i n H e n r y V I ' s r e s t o r a t i o n , s e e W a l t e r s i n

Num. ChronA

x (1910), pp. 118 ff.

4

S o g i v e n i n B e d f o r d ' s

Blazon of Episcopacy,

P I .

L X V I I I ,

no. 28.


12/33

192

Continental Imitations of the Rose Noble of Edward IV

b u t the inscript ion be tra ys th a t the coin is no t Eng lish . Mixed with

the Edwardian t i t les we get the abbrevia t ions 7W

(Ad valorem)

and

DIH 7TR

Domini Arkellensis),

ind icatin g th a t this rose noble was

s t ruck on the s tandard

(Ad valorem)

of Edward for the Lord of Arkel.

In class I I th er e are thr ee o bvers es (O 2 to 4), an d tw o reve rses

(R 2 and 3) , both with the crown mark.

On all coins of classes I and II the king's sword-arm is thin and

weak, w ith poin ted arm ou r a t the e lbow an d wris t . This form ap pears

to be characteristic of the earlier dies of the Flemish rose nobles.

Class III

PI. C, nos. 3-6). Th is is th e larg est of the gro up , its

main characteristic being the oval head with pellets for eyes, already

descr ibed as no. 3. On th e coins of class I I I

a

PI. C, 3) the rose has

developed fu lly into n o. 2, while the kin g's sw ord- arm (one of the

main guides to the chronology of the group) is thick without a point

to the arm ou r at th e elbow. Class I I I

a

has one obverse (0 5) and two

reve rses (R 4 an d 5), acc om pa nie d by th e foreg oing deta ils. Classes

I I I band c PI. C, nos. 4-6) are varied by the arm having a point of

armour a t the e lbow; individual punches for the head, body, shie ld ,

sword, and ship are identical in both classes, though sometimes

diffe ren tly place d on th e flan. Th e rose no. 2 is alwa ys used, a con-

spicuous detail being the arrangement of the pellets in rows of two,

four, four, two, generally inserted at an angle.

Broadly speaking, there appear to be only two obverses in classes

I I I

b

an d

c,

dis t inguished by the omit t ing of the t refoi l a f ter DRS

(no . 4 = 0 6 ) and i t s inse rt ion (no. 5 = O 7). Reverses a re p robably

identica l, th ou gh the re m ay b e slight differences in th e placing of

de tails (no. 6 = R 6). Class I I I

d

ha s one ob verse (O 8 w ith a new

portrait) and one reverse (0 7) (see cat. of dies, no. 12).

Fin ally, th e letter ing . F ro m th is i t is possible to suggest a plan for

th e sequ ence of th e gro up . On class I, pu nc he s on b o th sides are short

and thick with curved l imbs, e .g . the 7T

(Fig. 1 = A 1). T he a , on the

oth er han d, is large (Fig. 3 = C 1). U has a thick ta il (Fig. 5 = N i )

and the Wis weak in i ts lef t -ha nd l imb (Fig . 8 = W i ) . Most of these

letters continue on class II , though the n becomes rounder (Fig. 6 =

N 2), an d t h e W thic k (Fig. 9 = W 2 ) . a is som etime s reversed

(Fig. 3). On th e earl iest coins of class I I I a (= O 5) these lett ers are

sti l l present, but the

7X

is sma ller and th inn er. In late r coins, and in

I I I

b,

we get a new pu nc h, m uc h larger, an d w ith widely curv ed limbs


13/33


(Fig. 2 = A 2). R no. 2 an d R (Fig. 7) are ve ry c on spicu ou s on

classes III b an d c, w hile th e a (Fig. 1) of th e ear lier classes is

general ly present , accompanied by a smaller punch with i ts lower

ex tre m ity f irst cracked , the n broke n (Fig. 4 = C 2) .

Other le t ters, including a thick T, can be used to check the die-

sequence , but they are less impor tant .

G R O U P I

5 .

G R O U P I I

8

In class III d {0 8 and R 7) we get an entirely new lettering mixed

w ith old pu n ch es (e.g. a , ft , an d S). 7Ts are no w ver y small an d th in

an d of a fo rm resem bling A 2 ( = Fig. 2). In one case (R 7) the re is a

small sp ur clearly visible on th e rig ht -h an d l imb of a ve ry thin, str aig ht

T m ak in g i t look l ike 7B ; this stron gly recalls a let te r-p un ch on th e

Gorinchem rose noble of Marie de Brimeu, engraved for Cuypers in

1851 (see Num. Chron,

6

(m-iv) , 1941, Pl . V I I I , 8), and also connects

R 7 w ith certa in El iz ab eth an ryals st ruc k at Gorinchem abo ut 1585-6.


14/33


We can now summarize the chronology:

Class I. 0 i , wi t h he ad 2 , r o se 1 va r i e t y a), an d ar m 1 ( t h i n ) .

= R

1 . C r o w n .

Class II. 0 2 t o 4 , w i t h he ad 2 a, r o s e 1 v a r i e t y [a), a n d a r m 2

= R

2 an d 3 . C r o w n .

(thick, no point at elbow).

Class III a). 0 5 , w i t h he ad 3 , r o se 2 , an d ar m 2 ( t h i ck, wi t h - = R 4 an d 5. Cro wn ,

out point) .

Class III b).

0

6 , w i t h hea d 3 , r o se z, an d ar m 3 ( t h i ck, wi t h

= R

6 . C r o w n .

po i n t ) . N o t r efo i l a f t e r

DI7S.

Class III (c). O 7 , o n l y di f fer i n g i n ha vi n g t he t r efo i l a f t er D U S = R 6.

Class III (d) . O 8. A ne w po rtra i t .

= R

7 . C r o w n . N e w

l e t t e r i n g m i x e d

wi t h o ld pun ches .

The series of rose nobles includes some other dies which cannot be

fit ted into the grouping; one of them bears the privy mark cross-

f i tchy

PI. A, 9)

and th e other a bo ar 's head. This cann ot have been

struck earlier than

c.

1483-5, and its style makes it likely to be much

later

PI. A, 10).

Fu ll details of all these ind ivid ual styles will be found

in the catalogue of dies (nos. 16-20).

There are a few more points in connexion with group 2.

(a) A pellet on each side of the king's shoulder on a coin of class I

PI. B, 6).

This can be explained as being a merchant 's mark, put on

to distinguish the coin either as being of less intrinsic value than the

original or as being in circulation as bullion on ly. Th ere are ple nty of

analogies in the Greek coinagefor instance, the coins of Lydia and

Aegina and Persian sigloi which were so stamped in Egypt under the

early Ptolemys.

1

(b ) If we look closely at th e rose nobles we find th a t on some,

especially those of group II, there are indications of ridges thrown up

round letters and parts of the design which are not altogether due to

wear or buckling, or doub le-striking. The surface, par ticula rly on the

reverses, is full of minute striations (cf.

PI. A, 4).

These curious features may possibly be the result of a system of

" h u b b in g ' ' . Th e hu b or m aste r die in relief was used to impress an

incuse design upon a heated blank, which, when hardened, was used

to strike coins from, the design coming out positive or in relief as on

the original hub.

2

I do not know exac tly w hat m ark s would be caused

in this process of reproduction, but it has been noted in connexion

with Greek coins that, when the hub had become worn, the engraver

was in the habit of deepening letters or parts of the design with a

graving-tool, by cutting round them a shallow depression, which, of

course, comes out as a "bank" in relief on the coin.

3

This system of hub bing is pa rticu larly suitable for a ha sty coinage

large numbers of pieces can be produced quickly, and time is saved

b y not having to engrave new dies at short intervals. Inscriptions

and supplementary pieces of the design can be inserted at will; hence

the need for a stock of individual punchesa phenomenon which we

get in this series.

1

J . G. Mi ln e ,

Greek and Roman Coins,

p. 77 f . , a n d PI . x v i , nos . 2 , 3 , a n d 6.

2

H i l l , " A n c i e n t M e t h o d s o f C o i n i n g " , i n Num. Chron,

5

ii (1922), p . 19 f .

3

Ib id . , PI . 1, no s . 10 an d 11.


15/33

195


G roup I I I is com pletely diffe ren t. I t is ad ap te d from class I of

grou p II , havin g b ad copies of he ad 2 and rose I . Th e inscription

resembles only superficially th a t of E dw ar d IV. It reads in abbr e-

v ia ted form O R D H R I S I f t e 7TD I i e e e f K 6 D W 7 ? R D R H TvU,

i.e. the

coin was st ruc k fo r th e province of Friesland on th e " E d w a r d " or

English sta nd ar d of gold. To m ak e the at t r ibu t ion m ore cer tain , we

have the ini t ial F = Frisia) on the flag of one (PI. C, 7). Schulman

1

has already established that these coins were a semi-official issue,

st ruck for the O mm elanden ( that pa rt of Friesland af te rw ard s uni te d

with Groningen), and produced at Culemborg in Utrecht province

between 1589 and 1591.

The three pieces i l lustrated are all in the Dutch Royal Coin Cabinet

at The Hague, and I have to thank Mr. Enno Van Gelder for his

kindn ess in send ing me c asts of the m as well as notes on their we ights.

We have now to find a date for the three groups.

Group I would appear to be earliest in style, and superficially it

fulfils

th e conditions requ ired of an em ergency coinage for E dw ar d IV .

W eigh ts (117 grains) a nd priv y ma rk s (crown an d sun) are correct fo r

the period, but I do not believe that the coins are fifteenth century.

Th e 17 pu nc h conn ects th em w ith tw o oth er pieces whose style is

m ark ed ly " l a t e " in some respe cts (nos. 18 an d 19 in th e catalogue of

dies). If the se sun an d cro w n-m ark ed coins are to be classed as p a rt

of the same series as group II, then it is obvious that so large a coinage

could not have been issued in a short period of seven months.

G roup II can be da ted ver y closely. Th e dev elopm ent of the

lettering, with i ts recurring punches, indicates the employment of a

single mint, and i t is fairly certain that this mint was Gorinchem in

H olla nd . Th e coins of class II b ea ring the arm s an d title of A rke l are

the principal evidence for this at tribution, for i t is known that the

municipal authorit ies of Gorinchem owned the estate of Arkel in the

late six tee nth ce ntu ry. T he Seigneurs of Arkel, once an im po rta nt

family in the Netherlands, possessed a right of coinage in medieval

t imes. Th is ha d lapsed in th e fifteenth ce ntu ry w ith the de ath of

Jo hn X I I I , the last d irect repres entat ive . His dau ghter , Marie (who

died in 1415), married into the family of Egmont, later Dukes of

Gueldres, and by the sixteenth century the family of Arkel was only

repre sen ted b y a bra nc h, th e Seigneurs of H euke lom . Th ere is no

evidence that they ever possessed the original estate, lying close to

Gorinchem, or that they claimed a right of coinage under that t i t le.

The best explanation of the coins is that the municipal authorit ies of

Gorinchem revived this right of coinage for their own profit between

the years 1583 and 1589.

2

Their m int, un de r the direction of H en ry

van Velthuysen and his female successor, Anne van Wissell , acquired

an evil reputation for issuing l ight-weight pieces, mostly contrefagons,

1

" D e M u n t e n d e r O m m e l a n d e n , 1 5 7 9 - 1 5 9 1 " , i n

Jaarboek Van Munt- en Penningkunde,

i i (1915). PP.

I

29 ff-

2

S c h u l m a n i n

Congres Internationale de Numismatique

(Bru ssels , 1891) , p . 580, an d

S e r r u r e i n

Rev. Beige de Num.,

t. iii (184 7), p p . 25 5 fi.


16/33


am ong st which the rose noble was pro m inen t . The his tory of these

dubious activities has been described elsewhere,

1

an d it is sufficient to

say that af ter a long s truggle agains t frequent proclamations by the

Dutch Government , the mint was forc ibly c losed in 1589.

As the shield of Arkel occurs on a silver

piedfort

for a sovereign

known to have been des igned a t Gorinchem during these years ,

2

it is

reasonable to assume that the rose nobles date from the same period.

We might carry the argument a s tage far ther and say that the coins

were produced between 1585 and 1587, when the English army under

th e E ar l of Leic ester w as estab lishin g itself in H ol lan d. I t is well

known that Leicester imported a large coinage of rose nobles

(Elizabethan) for the use of his troops, and this may have caused a

revival in the issues of rose noble

contrefagons

of the older type, for

both mil i tary and economic purposes .

We may now summarize the da t ing as

Group I, c.

1585 or after

?

M int ?

Group II.

1585-87. Gorinchem.

Group III.

1589-91. Culem borg.

As we are not going to regard group I as fifteenth century, there is

an aw kw ard gap to fil l betw een 1470 an d 1585. W e kno w th a t rose

nobles did circulate in considerable numbers, but we have yet to find

a s tyle early enough to suggest a date contemporary with Edward IV.

The number of genuine pieces in circulation during the sixteenth

century cannot have been very large , and i t is jus t poss ible that the

rose noble was regard ed m ore as a coin of accou nt a sub sti tu te for the

markthan as a current coin , and that the English angel was more

used unti l the Dutch Wars of Independence began

(c.

1569-7 5). It

may be objected that the great number of varieties of rose nobles

known indicates a more continuous series than th is theory provides

for. If so, a diligent search of continental museums and private

collections may produce coins more in keeping with an earlier date.

3

Without such evidence, the earliest date for the beginning of the

contrefagons

of rose nobles is hard to fix, but it is not unlikely to be a

few year s befo re 1526, a per iod in wh ich th e rising price of gold abr oad

and the consequent export of English coins made the issue of

contre-

fagons

a profitable business (see p. 188).

In 1585, w hen E liza be th decided to in terv ene officially on th e side

of the United Provinces, and sent Leicester over with an army, there

was doubtless a revival in the rose noble currency, leading to more

contrefagons.

I do not see why all these coins (with the exception of group III

at Culemborg) should not have been issued concurrently from one

mint on the principle of the Roman

officinae

or m in t wo rkshop s. This

1

Cu yp er s , op . c i t . i ( 1851) , p p . 187 f f . a n d Num. Chron.

6

( i i i - iv) , 1941, p p . 139 f f.

2

S e r r u r e ,

Rev. Beige de Num.,

t . i i i (1847 ) , p p . 25 5 f f .

3

D u r i n g t h e d i s c u s s io n a f t e r I r e a d m y p a p e r t o t h e S o c i e t y b o t h M r . B l u n t a n d M r . A l le n

e x p r e s s e d t h e o p i n i o n t h a t m y d a t e fo r t h e i n t r o d u c t i o n of t h e

contrefagons

w a s t o o l a t e .

I a g r e e w i t h t h e m a n d h a v e m o d i f i e d m y v ie w s a c c o r d i n g l y .


17/33


would account for a number of identical punches being used on coins

of completely different style, and also for the system of privy marking

on grou ps I an d I I , w hich would in th a t ca.se indic ate either the wo rk-

shop or the coins of an individual workman.

Looking at the map (see p. 198) i t is obvious why the magistrates

of G orinc hem dec ided to issue rose nobles . T he tow n is an ideal c en tre

of distrib utio n, for i t lies close to th e bord ers of three D ut ch province s

(Ho lland, U tre ch t, and Gelderland) and on the river W aal, directly

on the t rade route from the sea to the German border near Cleves,

and thence up the Rhine to Cologne (the distributing centre for a

large p a rt of th e G erm an Em pire ). Moreover, th e Maas, just o pposite

to Gorinche m , flows into th e south ern province s of the N eth erla nd s,

prov iding a good out let fo r th e il legal tra de w ith th e cities of Fla nde rs,

which Leicester tr ied in vain to stop.

1

Leice ster 's plac ard of 4 A ugu st

1586 prohibited the export to the Spanish Netherlands of all grain and

provisions on pa in of de ath . F ro m a pu rely mil i tar y poin t of view

this was good policy, but i t was bit terly resented by Holland and

Zeeland, the two provinces which contr ibuted most towards the

financial conduct of the war; their t rade with Flanders was essent ial

for th is purpo se. La st ly , Gorinchem was a front ie r tow n and a bul-

wark of the Dutch l ine of defence along the Waal; consequently i t had

to be adequately garr isoned, and the soldiers had to be paid , pre-

ferably in rose nobles, the normal gold currency of the provinces.

Culemborg, lying just north of Gorinchem, was also in a good

posi tion to catch the t rad e going up the Rhin e into Germ any. I t is

worth not ing that the protect ion of these t rade routes was a funda-

mental part of Leicester 's s t rategy in resist ing the Prince of Parma's

incursions into the no rthe rn provinces. Th e ca ptur e in 1586 by P ar m a

of the important fortresses of Grave and Venlo exposed the Rhine

traffic, to a tta ck , a nd pro du ced a financial crisis. M erch ants w ould

not make payments or engage in a t rade l iable to be interrupted at

any m om en t by a Spanish invasion. Bu rghley purs uad ed them to do

so w ith some difficulty.

2

In view of the geographical advantages possessed by these two

unauthorized mints , i t i s hardly surprising to f ind the Dutch autho-

r i t ies complaining about the number of contrefagons in circulation.

3

At this point let me repeat what I said earlier (on p. 189) about the

dual s ta nd ar d of curren cy in the Ne therland s. These two gold

s tandards were {a) the " E d w a r d " o r Eng l ish rose noble s t anda rd

{Ad valorem Edwardi,

avera ge we ight 116 grains and comprising

coins of "Angel" gold, i .e. 23 carat 3^ grains fine), (b) the "Henry" or

F landers s t andard (= Val. Flan., 108 grains an d und er, comp rising

all coins of noble type, or others, of 23I carats fine).

1

Cambridge M odem History,

vo l. i i i, p . 620 f.

2

S e e l e t t e r s f r o m Bu r g h l e y t o L e i c e s t e r da t e d 10 J u n e a n d 21 J u l y 1586 , p r i n t e d i n

Leycester Correspondence

( Ca m de n S oc ., L o nd on , 1844 ), nos . c x i v ; Co t t on M S . G a l ba c . I X ,

fo l . 267 (p . 307 f . ) and cxxxiv , Cot ton MS. , Ga lba c . IX , fo l . 313 (p . 354 f . ) .

3 e .g . th e Zee la nd reso lu t io n of 13 A ug us t 1585 an d Le i ces te r ' s p l ac a r d of 4 A ug us t 1586 ;

see

Num. Chron.

6

(i i i-iv ), 1941, p. 140 f.


18/33

198


The northern provinces ( i .e . Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht , Gelder-

land, and Fries land) usual ly preferred the Edward s tandard, while the

Catholic provinces (Flanders , Brabant , Limburg, and Hainaut) most ly

used the l ighter currency . I t can be seen fro m the m ap th at these

tw o currencies ten d to fall into group s, the south ern one com prising

the Flemish trading communit ies with their centre a t Antwerp and the

no rth ern gro up owing a l legiance to A m ster dam . Th e m ap does not , how-

FF

UESLAND

\ OVERYSSEL

r~

f

(^Camper?

U T R E C H T ;

c u

. l e < T > k 4 3

0Bru

S

es

p E

P-

-Ghtvt

Antwnf

T H E N E T H E R L A N D S

To tlLustvcUx the

Ct- rcu. la . tujn of the

N o b U u n i R o s e N ofe te .

c3=C=>

E A S T

F R I E F S L A N D

>

Emdtn

I M P E R I A L

D O M I N I O N S

B E R G -

Cotosrie

ever, present an entirely fair picture, because wherever the Spaniards

were in a majori ty they were l ikely to use the Flanders s tandard.

Th e catalog ue of dies which follows is no t co m ple te; the re are

doubtless other pieces of varying styles which I have missed or which

may be found in continental cabinets , and this being so, the catalogue

is only intended as the basis of a classification, to be revised later on

if necessary.

The punches for privy marks have been imita ted as c losely as

possible, but in the case of the crown used on group II I have not

thought i t worth while to make separa te drawings of every punch

used, and have contented myself by reproducing the one most repre-


19/33

199


sen tat ive of th e general s tyle. Fo rtu na te ly there is l i t t le va riat ion .

These crown-punches for groups 1-3 are numbered 1 , 2 /3 , and 4 .

The dies are numbered by obverse and reverse, so that they can be

distinguished at a glance, and all the coins i l lustrated are starred.

C A T A L O G U E O F D I E S

G

R O U P

I . [Early Style]

Die Obverse

Reverse Die

O 1

(PI. A , 5)

O i

O i

m a 7 ? V T

j

...

T i m n s i e n s , . p e R , .

m e D i v . - . i M i o R v m

. - . I B 7 J T

P r i v y m a r k : c r o w n w i t h

a pe l l e t each s ide (punch

no . 1 ; a s sho wn ) . Pe l l e t

a b ov e ft T r e f o i l s t ops .

$ S D W F T R D ,. D I V

6 R T ^ , . R e x w n e i P

,. x F R 7 m a , . D n s ' . - .

I.-.B-V-.

Head 1 ; rose i ( copy) .

P r i v y m a r k : s u n o f

e i g h t r a y s , o n e b r o k e n

( as s how n) . L e ge nd

r e a ds c l oc kw i s e, s t a r t i ng

be l ow t he s a i l on t he

r i g h t o f t h e c o i n . S t op s :

t re fo i l s o f pe l l e t s .

* a = B r i t i s h M u s e u m .

Weight-.

117-2 grs.

( ? = D u r l a c h e r S a l e ( S o t he by , 2 M a r c h

71) .

Weight:

n o t g iven . )

S a m e d i e , b u t c o u n t e r -

m a r k e d w i t h a c r o s s

over keys , for Riga ( see

Fig- 3)-

1899, lot

I M P 7 T V T ' .-.

T R f i n s i e n s . - . P H R

m e D i v m .-. I L I H O R -

V m . I B - T T - T

P r i v y m a r k : c r o w n w i t h -

out pe l l e t s (punch no . 1 ) ;

pe l l e t s be t w e e n l e t t e r s o f

I B T f T . N o n e a b o v e

& [ ? ]

a = S c hu l m a n Ca t . 1932 , P I .

VII,

90 4 = Iv es , PI. 11,

17 ( Ives Col l . , New York) .

Weight:

no t g i ve n .

S a m e d i e, b u t w i t h o u t

t h e c o u n t e r m a r k .

ilia =

nvr

j

.-. T R -

F IN SIE NS P H R :

M E D I V M .-. I I I L I O R -

V J 1 Q .-. I B T C T

P r i v y m a r k : s u n ( a s

s h o w n ) p u n c h e d o v e r a

c r ow n ( ? ) . P e l l e t a bo ve

i

tl

; t r e f o i l s top s .

*a = I v e s Co l l e c ti on , N e w Y or k ( f o r m e r l y i n t he

possess ion of Mr . A .

H . F .

B a l d w i n ) .

Weight:

117-9 grs .

T he f o l l ow i ng e xa m pl e s o f t h i s g r oup a r e r e c o r de d

b u t h a v e n o t b e e n i l l u s t r a t e d ; t h e y m a y p e r h a p s b e

i de n t i c a l w i t h t he c o i n s de s c r i be d a bove :

b

= S o t he by , Re a d y S a le , 1920 , l o t 55 .

c

= S p i n k ,

Num. Circ.,

J a n . - F e b . 1924, l o t 2705T ,

P- 47-

R 1

(PL A , 6)

R 2

(PI. A , 7)

R

3

(PI. A , 8)

P


20/33


G R O U P I I . c. 1 5 8 5 - 7

G O R I N C H E M M I N T

C L A S S I

No. Die Obverse Reverse Die

4

O 1

(PI. B ,

4)

G D ,. .-. W [ 7 T R D ] D P ,.

g r t t R e x , . T f n e i x , .

I , .FR7 TN[ . . ? ] , . DNS^, .

IB-'.-.

H ea d 2 ; rose 1 (var . a);

a r m 1 . T re fo i l s to ps .

C o u n t e r m a r k e d o n t h e

sh ip ' s hu l l wi th a sh ie ld

con ta in ing the a rms o f

Gron ingen ( a doub le -

headed eag le ; see F ig . 5

on p . 190) . A lo ng , na r -

r o w p u n c h - m a r k o n t h e

r igh t -hand s ide o f the

f ield is p ro ba bl y a sl ip

by the eng rave r .

IFID : 7 ? V T ' .-.

T R 7 f n s i e n s , . p e R

:

-

M D I V K - . I I J ( L ( 0 R V '

.- .IB7TT.-.

P r i v y m a r k : c r o w n

(punch no . 2 , as shown) .

Trefo i l s tops .

R 1

(PL B , 4)

(PI. B ,

(PI. B ,

5)

6)

Both s ides o f th is co in a re s l igh t ly worn .

*a = B r i t i s h M u s e u m . Weight: 119-2 grs .

*b = ,,

117-4

*c = 11 6-8

(A pe l le t each s ide of the k ing ' s shoulders . )

d C am br idge . A wo rn p iece . Weight: 107-7 S

r s

-

e = Sc hu lm an Sale Cat . , F eb . 1939 , PI . v i , 301 .

( R e ad s a f t e r F R T J R , a n d I M ) I I I H O -

RVflR. - .on rev). Weight: no t g iven .

(None of these co ins (be) a r e c o u n t e r m a r k e d . )

(PL B , 5)

(PL B , 6)

C L A S S I I

5

O 2

(P l . B , 7 )

0 D W F I R D ... D P . - .

6 R 7 T . - . R e x , . r a n e i p , .

X HRJM L .-. VD F T S , .

IB-'.-.

H ea d 2 ; rose 1 (var . 6 ) ;

a rm 1 . Trefo i l s to ps .

m a : 7 t v T

j

. . .

T R T t n s i e n s - . p e R , .

/.-. m a m v m

j

. . . i i m o -

R V ' . - . I B T T T ' . - .

P r i v y m a r k : c r o w n

(punch no . 2 ) .

R 2

(Pl . B ,

7)

* = M r . A . H . F . Ba ldw in (1945) . Weight: 117-3 grs .

6

O 3

(Pl. O, 1)

6 D ,. ... W 7T RD - ' . . . D P . - .

X ,. R R 7 S H ' . - . D B S ' . . .

I B ' - .

H e a d 2a: ros e 1 (var . 6) ;

a r m 1 . T re fo i l s top s .

Th i s d ie on ly va r i e s f ro m

0 a in having a shield of

the a rms o f Ar te l ( see

Fig. 7 , p . 192) instead of

a qna t r e fo i l a s the cen -

t r a l deco ra t ion on the

XR D 7 5 V T ' ...

T R T T O S i e n S . . . PG R .. . /

... n i G D i v n v , . i n i i o -

R V

J

. . . X B 7 S T

The r eve r se des ign i s

coa r se r in execu t ion

t l i a n R 2 ( c row n-pun ch

no. 2).

R 3

(Pl . C ,

1)


21/33

201


C L A S S I I c o n t i n u e d

No.

Die

Obverse Reverre

Die

7

0

4

(Pl . C, 2)

forecas t le . There a re

also sl ight differences in

the placing on the f lan.

*a

= Br i t i sh Mu se um. W

b = Ash mo le a n Museum

c = Ca m br idge .

B D W 7 T R D ... D G

R B 6 - 7 t n 6 - f n - D R I -

7T R'T T

V

*

Q

J

' . - . B U S

I

D

A s l ight ly wider and

round e r he a d . The k ing ' s

sh ie ld ca rr ies the a rms

of F ra nc e a nd Arke l

(qua r t e r l y i s t a nd 3 rd ,

three lys ; 2nd and 3rd ,

two fe s se s c oun te r -e m-

ba t t l e d ) . Al l 6 s a nd Os

are reversed , and s tops

a re t re fo i l s . and pe l le t s

m ixed . A rm 1; rose 1

(var .

b .

*a = T h e H a g u e . Weigh

in

Congres Intemati

Brussels, 1891, pp. 58c

eight: 116-9 grs.

>. n 6 ,,

1 1 5 7 -

same die

(Crown-punch no. 2. )

: 115-7 S

r s

- See Schu lma n

onale de Numismatique,

) - i ( i l lus t ra ted) .

R 3

( P L C , 2 )

C L A S S I I I a

8

9

o

5

(PL C, 3)

o

5

6 D

.-.

W 7 T R D ' , . D P ,.

e R 7 t , . R e x , . 7 t n e i i ^ , .

X .-.

ER7Xn

j

.-. D f l S ' ...

IB-'.-.

Head 3 ; rose 2 ; a rm 2 .

Tre fo i l s tops . Sm al l As

( = W 1 ) .

*a = B r i t i sh M use um ( =

1893, Pl. in, 1; Montaj;

Weight:

11

Same die .

a

= Mr. A. H . F . B a ldw ir

b

= R a t to (Par is ) ,

Sale C

212).

Weight:

no t give

I R D ...

nvr

j

.-.

T R 7 t n s i e n s . - . p e R . . .

J H Q D I V J K - ' . - . m i i O R V - '

.-.IB7 CT. - .

(Crown punch no. 2 as

shown.) N e a t w ork ;

sma ll As ( = 7t 1).

= Monta gu , Num. Chron.

ju Collection).

7-4 grains.

Same die , but large As

(= A 2).

1(1945).

Weight:

117-3 grs.

at., 1939, p. 8, 212 (Pl. VII ,

a.

R

4

(PL. C, 3)

R 4 (var.)

C L A SS I I I b

10

O 6

(PL C, 4)

0 D ,. W 7 T R D

J

... D P , .

X . - . F R 7 t n . . D n S I B - ' . . .

H ea d 3 ; Ro se 2 ; A rm 3 .

Tre foi l s tops .

*a

= C a m b r i d g e .

Weight

M O ,. W JW ...

T R 7 t n s i e n s . - .

PGR.-.

M E D I V M . - . I I M O R V

J

, . I B T f T


shown .) La rge 7Ts.

: 116-7 g

r s

-

R 5

(PI.

C ,

6 )


22/33

202


CLASS I I I

b

continued

No. Die Obverse

Reverse Die

I O

O 6

b

= B r i t i s h M u s e u m .

Weight:

115 grs . (

E x

C l a r k e

T h o r n h i l l ( lo t 6 4 1 6 ) a n d H i l t o n P r i c e c o l l e c t i o n s ;

f o u n d i n P a r i s . )

c = M o n t a g u ,

Num. Chron.,

18 93 , PI . 111, 2.

Weight:

1 1 7 - 5

GRS.

d = B r i t i s h M u s e u m . Weight: 117-4 grs .

R 5

C L A S S I I I e

I I

o

7

S a m e d i e , b u t r e a d s S a m e d i e .

R 5

(PI. C, 5)

(PI. A , 4)

a = B r i t i s h M u s e u m . Weight: 116-6 grs .

*b

= A s h m o l e a n . T a k e n f r o m J a m e s

I I

' s p o c k e t ,

1 6 8 8 . ( O b v . o n l y i l l u s t r a t e d . )

Weight:

117-6 grs .

c = A s h m o l e a n . Weight: 117-6 grs .

*d

= A s h m o l e a n ( C h ri st C h u r c h , W a k e B e q u e s t ,

1 7 3 7 ) . Weight: 1 1 6 grs .

e

= A s h m o l e a n ( K e b l e C o l le g e ).

Weight:

141-2 grs .

( T h i s c o i n h a s a n o r n a m e n t a l r i m a n d a l o o p f o r

s u s p e n s i o n , w h i c h a c c o u n t s f o r i t s a b n o r m a l

w e i g h t . )

f C a m b r i d g e . Weight: 116 grs .

(PL A, 4)

C L A SS I I I

d

1 2

0 8 0 D W / 7 T R D [ - ' : ?] D I .-.

6 R 7 T . . . R S X ...Tinen.-.

v-.HRTtna.-.Dns.iB,.

A s m a l l s q u a r e h e a d , u n -

l i k e a n y t h i n g e l s e i n t h e

se r ie s . R os e 2 ; a rm 3 .

T h i n l e t t e r i n g . S t o p s

a r e n o t c l e a r, b u t a p p e a r

t o b e tr e f o i l s a l l t h r o u g h .

N o t r e f o i l b e t w e e n 8 D

a n d W . V e r y l a r g e

m o d u l e . V e r y s m a l l , t h i n

7 T s w i t h t a p e r i n g l i m b s .

IfcS' 7EVT'

TR7WSienS PGR :

meD ivtfp IMIORV

IBfiT

( C r o w n p u n c h n o . 2 .) T h e

s t o p s a r e n o t c l e a r l y

s h o w n i n t h e p h o t o g r a p h ,

b u t a p p e a r t o b e p r e s e n t

on ly in one p a r t o f th e l eg-

e n d a co lo n a f t e r P 0 R .

A b b r e v i a t i o n m a r k s a p -

p e a r a f t e r m o s t of t h e

w o r d s . N o t e t h e f o r m of

the Ti in TiVT; it is

r a t h e r l i k e t h e 7 E i n c e r-

t a i n G o r i n c h e m i s s u e s o f

t h e P r i n c e s s o f C h i m a y .

R 6

a = M o n t a g u , Num. Chron., 18 93 , P L 111, 3. Weight:

1 1 7

grs .

T h e r e a r e i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e c o i n s o f g r o u p I I I r e -

c o r d e d h e r e m a n y o t h e r s w h o s e d e s c r i p t i o n is t o o

v a g u e t o b e i n c l u d e d ; s e e S o t h e b y a n d G l e n d i n i n g ,

Sale Catalogues,

S p i n k ' s

Numismatic Circular,

a n d a

n u m b e r of d o u b t f u l l y a c c u r a t e i l l u s t r a t i o n s i n o l d

w o r k s s u c h a s B i s h o p F l e e t w o o d ' s

Chronicon Pre-

ciosum

( 1 75 4 e d . ) , t h e p l a t e s of c o i n s i l l u s t r a t e d i n t h e

Universal Magazine

( 1 7 4 9 ) , a n d t h e

Pembroke Cata-

logue

( 1 7 4 6 ) .


23/33


G R O U P I I I

c. 1589-91

M I N T O F C U L E M B O R G

{Coins Stmck for the Ommelanden

No.

Die Obverse

Reverse Die

13

O 1

(PI. C, 7)

6 D ,. W 7 T R D R S ,.

7 N V . - . M O V O R D , . H R -

I S I 7 E . - . 7 T D , . , . L ( e e e f K

Large oval head (c f .

head 2) , smal l rose (cf .

Rose 1 ) ; a rm resembles

no. 2 . Jg ( = H) on

b an n e r . T h e a rm s o n

the sh ie ld a re , quar te r ly ,

i s t and 4 th , th ree b i l l e t s ,

2nd and 3rd, two l ions .

Y V IFCD 7 W T ' T R -

nnsians .,

PCIR ...

M A D I V M IH D O R V ' . - .

I B 7 T T


shown.)

6 s a r e G s r ev e r s ed . A b -

b rev i a t i o n mark s a r e

below

the t re fo i l s .

R 1

(PL. C, 7)

*a = T h e H a g u e . Weight: 117 grs .

Note: T he obverse l egend m us t be read f ro m lef t to

r igh t , s t a r t ing near the bo t tom of the co in in o rder

t o g e t i ts r ea l m e a n i ng O R D H R I S I T E & c .

14

O 2

(PL C, 8)

0 D W T T R D ='0 R S 0%

T T IP 0% M O O R D 0%

K R I S I 7 E 0% 7 TD . . 0%

n e e e m

A ro u g h e r an d s q u a re r

h e ad ( cf . t h e H en ry

noble ) . Sm al l rose (cf.

no . 1 ) . Arm resembles

no. 2 . 6 on ba nn er .

Arms on the sh ie ld :

t h ree h ea r t s i n s t ead o f

b i l l e t s , in the i s t and 4 th

q u a r t e r s .

Sa m e die. R 1

(PL. C, 8)

15

0 2

*a = T h e H a g u e . Weight: 117 grs .

R 2

15

Same d ie , s l igh t ly more

worn .

a = T h e H a g u e . Weight

Simi lar , bu t read ing IFLG,

T R T m s i e n s &c.

117 grs.


24/33

204


T h e f o l l o w i n g c o i n s c a n n o t b e a t t r i b u t e d p o s i t i v e l y t o a n y o n e o f t h e g r o u p s ; t h e i r

c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s a r e i n t h e m a i n e a r l y f o r n o s . 1 6 a n d 1 7 a n d l a t e f o r n o s . 1 8 - 2 0 .

No. Die

Obverse Reverse Die

$ $ I f c C P f tVT'. -.TR-

T m s i e n s ' P G R

m e D i v m . - . i i m o R V

: : B f t T

P r i v y m a r k , a s m a l l , t h i c k

s u n ( ? ) , d o u b l e - s t r u c k ,

( a s s h o w n ) . S a m e

c h a r a c t e r i s t i c l e t t e r i n g

a s t h e o b v . F l e u r s i n

t h e s p a n d r i l s o f t h e

t r e s s u r e .

S D W 7 J R D - ' D P ,.

6 R 7 P R S X T ^ n e n - '

V I

V

K R n a : : D R S ' ,.

M B ' . - .

L o n g , o v a l h e a d w i t h w i d e ,

l o w c r o w n . R o s e r e -

s e m b l e s n o . 1 . S w o r d -

a r m i s t h i c k w i t h a

p o i n t of a r m o u r , r e -

s e m b l i n g n o . 3 , b u t h a s

a n a n n u l e t a t t h e w r i s t

( cf . n o b l e s of H e n r y V I ) .

L e t t e r i n g i s i r r e g u l a r i n

s i z e , s o m e l e t t e r s b e i n g

l a r g e , o t h e r s s m a l l . A s

a re f i sh - ta i l e d . 7T.

A b b r e v i a t i o n m a r k s a r e

l a r g e a n d c u r v e d .

a


Weight:

S D .-. W 7 ? R D

J

D I . - .

6 R 7 T , . R e x T t n e i i -.-

X : - H B 7 m e , . D n s , . p .

O va l f ac e (d i f f e r e n t to 16)

w i t h a c r o w n w i t h t a l l

f l e u r s . R o s e r e s e m b l e s

n o . 1 ; s w o r d - a r m t h i n

(cf . no. 2) .

L e t t e r i n g is m o r e w i d e l y

s p a c e d t h a n o n n o . 1 6 ,

a n d o f p l a i n e r e x e c u t i o n ,

t h o u g h a n u m b e r of t h e

s a m e p u n c h e s ( e .g . 0 , 7 ? ,

R) a r e us ed . T h e R of

F R 7 S R G a p p e a r s t o b e

i n t e n d e d f o r a n R - p u n c h .

[Note: t h i s r e s e m b l e s a B . ]

*a


Weight

: 116 gr s.

Note

: T h i s c o i n i s m u c h c l o s e r t o t h e o r i g i n a l E n g l i s h

d i e s t h a n m o s t o t h e r f o r e i g n p i e c e s.

6 D 0. W 7 t R D 0=0 D I oo 1

6 R 7 T O % R Q X O O 7 T O 6 I J ( 1 I

o H R 7 T I K L % D R S ' I B '

T h e s t y l e o f t h e h e a d i s

r e m i n i s c e n t of g r o u p I ,

b u t t h e n o s e i s a v a r i a n t

of no . 2 , a n d t h e a r m of

n o . 3 . T h e i n i t i a l o n t h e

b a n n e r i s of t h e f o r m .

T r e f o i l s t o p s . T h i n 7 Ts

w i t h t a p e r i n g l i m b s .

123-4 grs-

^ I M P . - . 7 W T : - T B 7 T -

n s i e n s , . p e B : - t n e -

D i v m .-. I If R O B v m

I : B 7 T T

P r i v y m a r k : a b a d l y e x e -

c u t e d c r o s s - f i t c h y ( a s

s h o w n ) . L e t t e r i n g i s

s i m i l a r t o t h e o b v .

T r e f o i l s i n s p a n d r i l s o f

t r e s s u r e .

I M L o 7 W I V o T R -

T w s i a n s . . P O R . .

m c t D i v m 0-0 i i m o R -

V f l Q o - . I B f i T

P r i v y m a r k , c r o w n

( p u n c h n o . 4 a s s h o w n ) .

( S t y l e of g r o u p I . ) T r e -

fo i l s in s te ad of f l eu r s in

t h e s p a n d r i l s o f t h e t r e s -

s u r e . S a m e l e t t e r i n g a s

o b v .

PL. A , 8 )

a:

B r i t i s h M u s e u m .

Weight-.

n 8 - i g r s .

1

T h i s u n u s u a l l y h e a v y p i e c e s h o w s n o s i g n s of h a v i n g b e e n in c i r c u l a t i o n . I t m a y b e

a p a t t e r n .


25/33

Continental Imitations of the Rose Noble of Edward IV 205

U N C L A S S I F I E D c o n t i n u e d

No. Die Obverse

Reverse

Die

19

. - . 0 D W 7 T R D

6 R 7 T 0% R A X 7 M -

en 7

o

FRna %

D T TS . . I B '

A smal l , th in , po inte d face,

wi th wide , low crown.

The rose resembles

no . 2 , and the a rm no . i .

The royal in i t i a l i s iden-

t i ca l wi th tha t on no . 18 .

T h e l e t t e r i n g an d p u n c -

tua t ion are as no . 18 ,

bu t the 17-punch i s ap-

p a ren t l y i d en t i ca l w i t h

th a t on g ro up I (nos . i -

3)-

ma ..

7 W T 0%

TRTms PGR 0=0tfKIDIVm IHIiOR-

VfftIB7TT

P r i v y m a r k : b o a r ' s h e a d

(pun ched over a cro wn ?)

as show n. Le t t e r in g and

p u n c t u a t i o n v e ry l i k e

no. 16.

(PI. A, 9)

*a


Weight:

117-1 grs.

Th e follow ing coin stand s b y i tself in the series. It is certa inly late in date .

No. Die Obverse Reverse Die

20

(PI. C, 9)

0 D W 7 T R D - ' D P 0%

E R 7 ^ J R A X O ' O 7 M E I P

I B M

A v e ry w i d e h ead w i t h a

l o w c ro w n an d a p o i n t ed

ch in . Ro se resem bles

no . 2 an d arm n o . 2 . Th e

execut ion of th is coin is

v e ry b ad . '

T h e o b v e r s e d es i g n ap -

p ea r s t o h a v e b een

d amag ed w h i l e b e i n g

i mp res s ed u p o n t h e

b lank , as the edges and

the tops o f the l e t t e rs

h a v e d i s a p p e a r e d .

*a

= T h e H a g u e .

Weig

i l lus t ra ted) .

sP?

m0o%7TVTTR-

7tns iensPR

5 0 D I V M . % I I I L ( O R O ' ' .

I B 7 T T

P r i v y m a r k , C r o w n

(pu nch no. 3 as sho wn).

Sm al l , poo r ly ex ecu ted

le t t e r ing as on the ob-

verse . Th e reverse de-

s ign i s ba d ly d r aw n an d

c r a m p e d t h e s u n b e i n g

v e ry sm all . Sm all fleurs

in the spandr i l s o f the

t ressure, and pel lets at

t h e co rr e s p o n d i n g p o i n t s

ins ide the t ressure .

ht: 115-7 grs. (obv. only

O T H E R C O I N S I L L U S T R A T E D

P L A T E A

1 . Nob le de Bo urg ogn e ( Fl an de rs no ble ) o f Phi l ippe le Bo n (1419-6 7) . [Ash-

m o l e a n M u s e u m ; weight . 103-4 g

r s

- ]

2. Contrefafon of a Henry V I n o bl e ( T h e H e n r y n o bl e ) . [A s h mo l e a n M u s e u m,

C h r i s t C h u r c h C o l l e c t i o n (W a ke B e qu e s t , 1 7 3 7 ) ; weight: 103 grs.]

3 . Bris to l rose noble o f Edward

I V ,

pr ivy m ark, crown. [Ashm olean Mu seum,

Christ Church Col lect ion (A. T . Carter donat ion, 1946); weight: 118-1 grs.]


26/33


P L A T E B

1 . L o n d o n r o s e n o b l e o f E d w a r d I V , p r i v y m a r k , a r o s e , c o u n t e r m a r k e d f o r

D a n t z i g . [ B r i t i s h M u s e u m . ]

2 . L o n d o n ro s e n o b l e , p r i v y m a r k , a c r o w n , c o u n t e r m a r k e d f o r R i g a . [ B r i t is h

M u s e u m ; ex C assa l Sa le , 1924 . ]

3 . C a l a i s n o b l e o f H e n r y V I , c o u n t e r m a r k e d f o r Y p r e s . [ M r. A . H . F . B a l d w i n ,

1 9 4 5 ; n o w i n t h e I v e s C o l l e c t i o n a t N e w Y o r k . ]

The his tory of the rose noble does not end with the s ixteenth

cen tury , for i t continued in c ircula t ion for some t im e afte rw ard s . I t

has a lready been sa id that rose nobles were prohibi ted in Scotland in

1598; this edict seems to have been ineffective, because rose nobles,

together with Henry nobles and nobles of the Dutch provinces , were

still circulating in 1612 and 1613.

1

In the la t te r year the " o l d " rose

nob le (by wh ich I und e rs tand the p roc lama t ion to mean " E d w a r d "

rose nobles of any kind) was again prohibi ted, but af terwards we hear

ve ry li t t le of th e rose noble in th e Briti sh Isles. Iso lated specimens

were pro ba bly s t il l to be seen, and were certa inly ho arde d in En glan d,

for one occurs in the C hesham (Bucks.) find, da tin g fro m abo ut 1637 ;

2

a Scottish Act of Parliament of 7 August 1645 rated the rose noble at

" e l e v e n p u n d s "

3

.

Abroad, both currencies continued to f lourish . The prevalence of

the Henry noble in Germany has been shown by the composi t ion

of the Fischenich hoard, but there are other finds which indicate that

th e N ethe rlan ds was s t il l th e centre of d is tr ib ut ion . A t H ay nk (North

Brabant) there was one Henry noble associa ted with s ix rose nobles

(of which one was certainly a

contrefagon)

, and some angels .

4

The

da te of this ho ar d is ab ou t 1619-20, and its com position is s imilar to

earlier hoards.

Another find of the same class at Rotterdam included a number of

rose nobles , m an y of the m D ut ch provinc ia l issues .

5

Tw o oth er hoards ,

contemporary with Fischenich (c. 1624-6), contained rose nobles,

Monnikendam (Hol land)

6

and Neer i t te r (Limburg) .

7

T he la tte r also

included Henry VI nobles .

There is no doubt that the circulation of the rose noble was wide-

spread in centr a l and nor the rn E uro pe a t th is t im e; a le t te r to the

Au gsbu rg ban ke r Coun t Philip Fu gg er describing th e confiscation of

the property of the Jew Meisel at Prague in April 1602 lis ts amongst

his money "15,000 pure golden Rosenobles of 4 Florins 5 Kreutzers

1

apiece, ma kin g 61,250 florins " .

8

Fr om this passage we m ay conjecture

that the rose noble was not regarded as more than a current coin , the

florin being the "coin of account" in centra l Europe.

The extent of the trade currency of rose nobles and Henry nobles is

confirmed by the large number of weights issued from Antwerp and

A m sterdam in the seventeen th c en tury . A t the former c i ty the y were

1

C o c h r a n - P a t r i c k , o p . c i t ., p . 23 1 .

2

Num. Chron ,

3

x (1890 ), p . 48 f .

3

L i n d s a y ,

Coinage of Scotland,

1845, p . 251 .

4

S c h u l m a n , Catalogue, A m s t e r d a m , M a i 1 9 12 .

s Bulletin Mensuel

(Brusse l s , 188 2-3 ) , p - 57-

6

Tijdschnfi

( iv) , 1896, p p . 66 a n d 96.

7 Revue Numismatique, 1908 , p . 567 .

8

Fugger News Letters, vo l. 1, p . 239.


27/33


sti l l being made in 1648, and weights for both standards occur in

Dutch boxes of scales as late as 1690-1701.

1

In F ra nc e th e rose noble prob ab ly soon fell into disuse, b u t in th e

Netherlands and far ther north i t must have retained i ts inf luence for

m an y years . In Den m ark i t was ra ted a t 4

Rigsdalers

in 1619 and

1622,

2

and in 1639 Danish mint records speak of El izabethan and

Ed w ard rose nobles as well as the Flem ish "H en r icu s No be l" ;

3

the

la t ter was ra ted a t 3 Rigsdalers.

It must have been soon after 1650 that the rose noble began to drop

out of the European currency, for we find no mention of i t in the

records af ter th is date; as far as England is concerned this was no

doubt due to an almost to tal d isappearance of Engl ish hammered

gold as a result of the recoinage under Will iam IIH, and to a complete

absence of any hoard mater ial .

Th e on ly glimpse of th e rose noble wh ich we ca tch is an un usu al one.

On 16 Decem ber 1688 K ing Jam es I I a t tem pte d to leave E ngland .

He was stopped at Faversham by some f ishermen, who took from his

pocket several medals, amongst them a rose noble of group III

Pl.

C,

5)

which eventual ly found i ts way into the Bodleian Library

and then ce to th e Ash mo lean Museum . Did Jam es regard this coin

merely as a " pocket-piece " an am ulet , med al , or touchpiece or

had i t a purchasing power abroad

?

We may doubt whether i t was

st i l l in general currency, but undoubtedly i t would have been taken

by i ts weight.

There is reason to believe that the l ife of the rose noble was pro-

longed further in cer tain parts of Europe; a French author , Abot de

Baz inghen, w rit ing in 1764, gives th e following intere sting info rm atio n

under the headings of Noble a la Rose, Rose-Noble (i.e. th e D u tc h

Rozenobte), an d Noble Henry.

5

" N O B L E S a la rose , anc ienne monnoie d 'or d 'Angleterre , qui a present n 'y a presque

plus de c o u rs . . .o n en vo i t enc ore en H ol la nd e , o u i l ss o n t rec ut pur le p ied de 1 1 flor ins.

" N O B L E H E N R Y , autre monnoie d 'or d 'Angleterre de 1 4 grains moins pesent que le

nobles a la rose , & seul em ent de f in a 23 ka ra ts & d e m i [ the rose noble wa s 23 c arats

3 f grains f ine] . A n d aga in:

" ROSE NOBLE.

M onn aie d 'or que se fab r iqu e en Ho l land e , & qui y a c ours pou r

onze florins.

Evident ly rose nobles were taken by weight in the Netherlands;

Ab ot implies th a t thos e rat ed at 11 florins were English, bu t i t is

l ike ly tha t they inc luded the o ld "Edward"

contrefagons,

of whose

cont inental or igin Abot was unaware.

1

e . g . t h e bo x i l l u s t r a t e d i n

Brit. Num . Journ.

v i (1909) , p . 292 , an d in Sh ep pa rd an d

M u s h a m ,

Money Scales and Weights,

p . 15, F ig . 12 . I h av e seen an ot he r in wh ich bo th rose

nob l e a n d gu i ne a w e i gh t s

continental imitations of the rose noble of edward iv / by anthony thompson

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