Coin, English, gold, issued by Edward III, 1327 to 1377.

Coin, English, gold, issued by Edward III, 1327 to 1377.

Gold quarter noble of Edward III (1327-1377)

Plantagenet, issued in the period 1344-1377

Several European states had successfully introduced gold coinage and Edward III wished to do likewise in the hope that it would facilitate trade. The gold noble and quarter noble were introduced in 1344 to be followed by the half noble two years later. The quarter noble had a value of 20 pence and, as this example shows, was struck with the royal shield on the obverse. Edward III's reign also saw the full introduction of the mintmark, which is a symbol found at the beginning of legends on the obverse or reverse and which acted as a form of quality control linking dies to coins. Mintmarks continued to be used on nearly all hammered coins until the reign of Charles II.

Coin, English, gold, issued by Edward III, 1327 to 1377.