Edward III Noble

The Edward III Noble is a large gold coin struck in medieval England during the reign of King Edward III (1327-1377). The obverse carries an elaborate heraldic design: the crowned king standing armored in a ship, holding a sword and a shield quartered with the arms of England and France, all framed by decorative bands and a Latin legend. The reverse shows an ornate cross with floral (fleur-de-lis) terminals radiating from a central rosette, set within a decorative tressure and ringed with crowns and lions.

The noble was one of the most important gold denominations of the later Middle Ages and became a foundation of English gold coinage. Its striking ship-and-cross imagery, broad flan, and high gold content make it one of the most recognizable and prized medieval English coins among collectors today.

Edward III introduced a successful English gold coinage in the mid-14th century after earlier attempts had struggled to circulate. The noble, together with its fractions the half-noble and quarter-noble, established gold as a stable part of the English monetary system for the first time in centuries. Its design evolved across several phases of the reign, reflecting the shifting course of the Hundred Years' War with France.

The king's assumption of the French royal title is echoed in the coin's heraldry, with the shield quartering the lilies of France alongside the leopards of England. The ship on the obverse is often linked in tradition to English naval power during the war, though its precise symbolism is debated. Nobles were struck at the London mint and, at times, at Calais, and they circulated widely in England and across trading networks in northwestern Europe.

Look for a large, thin gold coin with a scene of a crowned king standing facing forward in a ship, holding an upright sword in one hand and a heraldic shield in the other, surrounded by a Latin legend and decorative borders. This ship-and-king obverse is the defining feature of the noble and its fractions.

The reverse shows an ornate cross with fleur-de-lis (floral) ends spreading from a central ornament, enclosed in a tressure of arcs and accented with small crowns and lions in the angles. Genuine nobles are struck in high-purity gold, are broad but light for their size, and carry legends in medieval Latin. Mint marks, letter forms, and the exact arrangement of the shield and legends help place a coin within Edward III's issues; the closely related half-noble and quarter-noble repeat the same imagery at smaller size and lower weight.

The Edward III Noble is a sought-after medieval gold coin, and genuine examples command substantial sums well above their bullion value because of their historical importance, hand-struck artistry, and collector demand. Value depends heavily on the specific issue phase, mint, strike quality, centering, and overall condition, so prices span a wide range from more affordable worn pieces to very high sums for sharp, well-preserved examples.

Because nobles are valuable and old, they have been widely faked and reproduced, and even genuine coins vary in eye appeal, so authentication and grade have a major effect on price. The smaller half-noble and quarter-noble typically sell for less than the full noble. Treat any single figure as approximate and verify against recent auction records and expert opinion before buying or selling.