George-noble

The George-noble is a small English gold coin introduced under Henry VIII as part of the monetary reforms of 1526. It takes its name from the figure of St George on horseback thrusting a lance into a dragon, which fills one face of the coin inside a Latin legend border.

The opposite face carries a ship riding the waves, bearing a shield of the royal arms surmounted by a cross and Tudor rose. The coin was tariffed at 6 shillings 8 pence (one-third of a pound, or half a mark), the same value long associated with the older angel and noble.

Despite its evocative design, the George-noble was struck only in small quantities and had a short life. Surviving examples are scarce, making it a prized target for collectors of Tudor gold and English hammered coinage.

The George-noble belongs to the Second Coinage of Henry VIII (1526-1544), when the coinage was reorganised and new denominations in "crown" gold were introduced alongside the traditional finer gold. It was intended to sit within a reformed system of gold values expressed in shillings and pence.

The St George motif reflects the enduring English devotion to the country's patron saint, whose image also appears on the contemporary sovereign's regalia and later on the badge of the Order of the Garter. Some early strikings carry the initials of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon beside the ship, tying the issue to a specific moment in the reign.

The denomination never circulated widely and was discontinued well before Henry's death. As a result it stands as one of the more short-lived and elusive gold pieces of the Tudor period, overshadowed in output by the angel and the crown.

Look first for the coin's signature design: a mounted St George driving a lance downward into a dragon beneath the horse, ringed by a Latin inscription. The other side shows a single-masted ship on a wavy sea, carrying a large shield of the royal arms with a cross rising above it and a Tudor rose at the cross's foot.

The coin is gold, small and thin, roughly in the size class of other Tudor gold fractions rather than the broad sovereign. Genuine hammered strikes show slightly uneven, hand-struck lettering and are often marginally irregular in flan shape.

A mint mark (initial mark) appears at the start of the legend and helps place the coin within Henry VIII's reign; different marks correspond to different periods of issue. The presence of St George plus the ship-and-shield combination distinguishes the George-noble from the angel, the ryal, and the sovereign.

The George-noble is a rare and highly sought-after Tudor gold coin. Because only limited numbers were struck and few survive, even worn examples command strong prices, and well-preserved specimens are firmly in the upper tier of English hammered gold.

As a guide rather than a quotation, genuine pieces typically change hands in the high four to five figures (GBP or USD) at auction, with exceptional coins reaching considerably more. Condition, mint mark, provenance, and eye appeal drive wide swings in price.

Given the coin's rarity and the existence of forgeries and cast copies, third-party authentication and grading are strongly advised before any significant purchase. Values here are contextual and not firm appraisals.