Henry VI's reign produced two distinct coinage periods separated by his deposition and brief restoration, but the half nobles struck at the Tower during his first reign (1422–1461) predate the currency reforms that would follow under Edward IV. The type sits at the tail end of a long noble tradition — the noble itself had been introduced by Edward III in 1344 and remained England's prestige gold denomination for over a century before being superseded by the angel in 1465.
Spink 1805 falls within the Annulet coinage, the earliest sub-type of Henry's first reign, distinguished from later issues by specific privy mark sequences used by the Tower to track die production and bullion accountability.
Henry VI's reign produced two distinct coinage periods separated by his deposition and brief restoration, but the half nobles struck at the Tower during his first reign (1422–1461) predate the currency reforms that would follow under Edward IV. The type sits at the tail end of a long noble tradition — the noble itself had been introduced by Edward III in 1344 and remained England's prestige gold denomination for over a century before being superseded by the angel in 1465.
Spink 1805 falls within the Annulet coinage, the earliest sub-type of Henry's first reign, distinguished from later issues by specific privy mark sequences used by the Tower to track die production and bullion accountability.