Old Sails: Coin Weights with Ships

The ship collector will discover new vessels in unexpected places. This week I show you my newest finds from an auction in the UK: ship weights from the 14th to 15th centuries.
   A many of you know, England began is issue gold coins during the reign of Edward III (1327 to 1377). Initial attempts in 1344 to mint a Double-Leopard valued at six shillings (6s) floundered and was replaced that same year with the Noble valued at 6s, 8d (or 80 pence). This beautiful coin depicted the king, holding a shield, while standing at the center of a cog ship.
   In his delightful book, Nautical Numismatics, Dr. Lloryel Antoine noted that the Noble was coined in celebration of a military victory over the French at the battle of Sluys. Apparently, Edward III directed the battle from his ship names the Thomas. As such, the Noble shows him standing on the center of the deck, dressed for battle. Antoine also notes that many nations on the continent copied the ship motif of the Noble (e.g., Netherlands).

At left is a weight for a Ryal; the rose can be seen on the side of the hull.
The second piece shows a fleurs-de-lis in the upper left field and a lion(?)
at right. Both show the banana-like hulls with single central mast with two
stays on each side. The fore- and aft-castles are well defined.

   One cannot help but notice the similarity of many early jetons (e.g., the ship pennies of Nuremburg) to the cog portrayed on the Noble. However, keep in mind that many French Arms also featured a cog (and later, a fully rigged ship) front and center within a shield. Hence, we cannot be sure where the design ideas came from.
   The Noble was continued with minor alterations in design until about 1464 when it was replaced by the Angel, a coin of lower weight. A new gold piece called the Ryal (or "rose noble") was also introduced in the mid-1460s -- the Ryal was valued at 10s and was a bit heavier than the old Noble. Of note, both coins depicted cog ships.
   As with many gold (and silver) pieces, coin weights were routinely used in the marketplace to insure that they were of full weight. Clipping and sweating was a common practice, so many gold and silver coins became lighter over time as they changed hands.
   Square and round ship weights for the Noble, Angel, and Ryal represent a collecting specialty in itself. They were produced in England and on the continent. Both shapes, plus many design types, have been found in all places, so it is difficult to tell where a particular weight was made; this is particularly true for the crude, uniface pieces shown here. If someone can help me attribute them further, please let me know by posting a comment.
   Just imagine: These weights were used in the marketplace. I wonder what items or services were being traded.
   Now that I have the weights, all I need are the Nobles and Ryals to go with them!