Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V & Richard III
Henry VI (1422-61) Read
about Henry VI
Groats
WMH-6939: Henry VI Hammered Silver
Medieval Groat. Rosette-Mascle issue
of 1430-31 only, Calais mint. The town of Calais in what is now Northern France was under English rule
from 1347 until 7 January 1558, being a bit of a
vanity statement for the English monarchs in their claim on the French crown.
It cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue collected in England to maintain Calais as an English
possession. The mint closed in 1440
after really only producing limited coinage under Edward III, a tiny amount of
gold under Richard II and Henry IV, a miniscule quantity of farthings under
Henry V and some of the earlier coinage of Henry VI. Spink 1859. Priced in Spink the same as
the Annulet issue, which frankly amazes me. Not withstanding the fact that Annulet was in
operation over four times longer than Rosette-Mascle,
it’s just an undeniable fact that you see many more Annulet groats than you do Rosette-Mascle. £195
Halfgroats
WMH-7767:
Henry VI
Medieval Hammered Silver MULE Half Groat.
First reign: a mule of an Annulet issue of 1422-30 obverse
and a Rosette-Mascle issue of 1430-31 reverse.
Calais mint. In case you're wondering what right England had in
minting coins from Calais, the answer is that England owned Calais from the reign
of Edward III until Mary's reign in 1558; the paperwork being finalised under
Elizabeth 1st in the Treaty of Troyes. Some say it was a vanity project by the
English and it probably was to a point (it certainly cost getting on for half
of the GDP of England just to keep it, not to mention the loss of lives, most
famously the Battle of Agincourt), but the port of Calais was really important
to England in terms of transport and trade. Initial mark Plain Cross. Spink 1840-1 / 1862. Sold with a couple of old
tickets. An
interesting coin. £225
Pennies
WMH-7590:
Henry VI
Medieval Hammered Silver Penny. Rosette-mascle issue of 1430-31. From the Calais mint - the town of Calais in what is now Northern France was under English rule
from 1347 until 7 January 1558, being a bit of a
vanity statement for the English monarchs in their claim on the French crown.
It cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue collected in England to maintain Calais as an English
possession. The mint closed in 1440
after really only producing limited coinage under Edward III, a tiny amount of
gold under Richard II and Henry IV, a miniscule quantity of farthings under
Henry V and some of the earlier coinage of Henry VI. Initial mark Cross Patonce.
Spink 1865.
An exceptionally nice grade coin. £195
WMH-6963: Henry VI Medieval Hammered
Silver Penny. Annulet issue of
1422-30, being from the first reign of Henry VI (both Henry VI and Edward IV
had two different periods where they were king!) and the first ever coinage of
Henry VI. From the Calais mint - the town of Calais in what is now Northern France was under English rule
from 1347 until 7 January 1558, being a bit of a
vanity statement for the English monarchs in their claim on the French crown.
It cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue collected in England to maintain Calais as an English
possession. The mint closed in 1440
after really only producing limited coinage under Edward III, a tiny amount of
gold under Richard II and Henry IV, a miniscule quantity of farthings under
Henry V and some of the earlier coinage of Henry VI. The mark on the reverse at 11
o’clock is a surface mark, possibly as a result of the folding of silver to
create the blank pre-strike. A nice example. £125
WMH-7874:
Henry VI
Medieval Hammered Silver Long Cross Penny - a MULE. An annulet issue of 1422-30 in excellent grade,
although the coin may have been cleaned at some point - I say "may"
because hoard coins do sometimes come out like this. The much more interesting thing about this
coin is that it was struck with a London obverse die (Spink 1844) and a
French (Calais) reverse die (Spink 1845). Mules do happen - you can imagine any one of
the mints at the time having various dies rattling about in a box so in the
candlelight, a London Rosette-Mascle obv and a London
Pinecone-Mascle rev (or any number of combinations) might be an easy mistake to
make. This is two different mints
though, and not just that - two different mints in two different
countries! Clearly some London coins may have been made in Calais or, perhaps a more likely
scenario, some Calais coins were minted in London.
Either way, it's a most unusual coin and even better, is a grade
coin. Rather predictably, my legendary
photographic skills let me on the initial photograph so I've included a couple
of thumbnails using a cheap camera phone.
Incidentally, in case you're wondering what right England had in minting
coins from Calais, the answer is that England owned Calais from the reign of
Edward III until Mary's reign in 1558; the paperwork being finalised under
Elizabeth 1st in the Treaty of Troyes. Some say it was a vanity project by the
English and it probably was to a point (it certainly cost getting on for half
of the GDP of England just to keep it, not to mention the loss of lives, most
famously the Battle of Agincourt), but the port of Calais was really important
to England in terms of transport and trade.
History, grade and a mix-up at the mint - this coin has it all! £395
WMH-7917:
Henry VI Hammered Silver
Penny. Rosette-Mascle issue, 1430-31
only. Clear mascles
both sides, clear rosette reverse. Calais mint. Initial mark Cross Patonce.
Spink 1865.
The town of Calais in what is now Northern France was under English rule
from 1347 until 7 January 1558, being a bit of a
vanity statement for the English monarchs in their claim on the French crown.
It cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue collected in England to maintain Calais as an English
possession. The mint closed in 1440
after really only producing limited coinage under Edward III, a tiny amount of
gold under Richard II and Henry IV, a miniscule quantity of farthings under
Henry V and some of the earlier coinage of Henry VI. Spink 1859. A lovely grade coin which is born out by the 0.97g
weight. £225
Halfpennies
WMH-7237:
Henry VI
Hammered Silver Long Cross Round Halfpenny.
Annulet issue of 1422-30, Calais mint.
The town of Calais in what is now Northern France was under English rule
from 1347 until 7 January 1558, being a bit of a
vanity statement for the English monarchs in their claim on the French crown.
It cost almost 1/5th of all the revenue collected in England to maintain Calais as an English
possession. The mint closed in 1440
after really only producing limited coinage under Edward III, a tiny amount of
gold under Richard II and Henry IV, a miniscule quantity of farthings under
Henry V and some of the earlier coinage of Henry VI. Spink 1849. A very nice coin. £75
WMH-7336:
Henry VI
Hammered Silver Long Cross Halfpenny. Annulet issue of 1422-30, London
mint. Two revere annulets. Spink 1848. Nice grade for issue – remember you’re
looking at a much magnified image. £85
Edward IV (1461-70) - 1st Reign Read
about Edward IV.
See also the Irish
section for Edward IV hammered coinage.
Hammered Gold
WAu-7555:
Edward IV Hammered
Medieval Gold Ryal or Rose Noble.
Light Coinage of 1464 – 1470 only, London mint, small
fleurs in spandrels, initial mark Crown, Spink
1951. This coin, issued in 1465, whilst
unambiguously attractive in design, was a bit of a disaster. It superseded the old Noble because this was
now considered a clunky and old fashioned denomination at 6s. 8d. The new Ryal or
Rose Noble denomination was nice and user-friendly at 10 shillings. However, it wasn’t. The noble had been around for so long that 6s.
8d. had actually become the professionals’ standard fee. Whilst these professionals wouldn’t have
minded being the beneficiary of a not inconsequential pay rise virtually
overnight, the people who employed these individuals were most certainly not up
for that. Thus the new 10 shilling Ryal
or Rose Noble denomination was itself superseded just 5 years later by the gold
Angel and everyone was happy because the Angel circulated at, wait for it,
exactly the same as the old Noble - 6s. 8d, or at least it did until Henry VIII
got involved when, somewhat counter-intuitively, it increased to 7s. 6d in his
Second Coinage! At virtually full weight
and VF grade, this is a lovely example of an iconic English late Medieval hammered
gold coin. £6,850
Hammered Silver
Groats
WMH-7752:
Edward IV
Medieval Hammered Silver Groat – a Mule.
First reign, York mint – E on
breast, CIVI TAS EBO RACI. Initial
mark Lis (obv), Sun (rev). Spink 2012, B&W VIIIv/VIIIa. Sold with an old Baldwin ticket which
states ex Winstanley collection.
£285
WMH-7866:
Edward IV
Hammered Silver Medieval Provincial Mint Groat. First reign, light coinage
of 1464-70. VIL
LAB RIS TOW reading - Bristol mint, Spink
2004. Initial mark Crown (very clear both sides),
an equally clear "B" on the breast, and quatrefoils by the neck. A very nice example. £345 RESERVED (M.S.26-2-24-Lay-Away)
WMH-8005: Edward IV RARE MINT
Hammered Medieval Silver Groat. Provincial
COVENTRY issue, light coinage, 1464 – 1470: this mint was only
operational for x72 days right at the start of the
Light Coinage, so c.1464. Quatrefoils by neck, C on breast,
Spink 2008. Strongly toned with
virtually no clipping, excellent reverse mint signature and really, of the four
examples I have had in the last 30 years, up there with the best. Much rarer than Spink suggest. Ex Tim Owen on one of his 1990's pre-pink
tickets, so good provenance. A very good
example indeed of this sought after mint.
£595
WMH-7867:
Edward IV
Hammered Silver Medieval Provincial Mint Groat. First reign, light coinage
of 1464-70. CIVI
TAS COV TRE reading - the very rare Coventry mint, Spink 2008.
Initial mark Sun (not a mule of rose/sun as described
on the old ticket), C on breast, and quatrefoils by the neck. This mint was only operational for x72 days right at the start of the Light Coinage. After those few short days, the mint
closed. A rare coin. £435
WMH-8028: Edward IV RARE MINT
Hammered Medieval Silver Groat. Provincial
COVENTRY issue, light coinage, 1464 – 1470: this mint was only
operational for x72 days right at the start of the
Light Coinage, so c.1464. Quatrefoils by neck, C on breast,
Spink 2008. Strongly toned with
only minimal clipping, excellent reverse mint signature and really, of the four
examples I have had in the last 30 years, the best - even better than the ex
Tom Owen coin as this one has an exceptionally clear initial mark. Much rarer than Spink suggest. A very good example indeed of this sought
after mint. Don't be fooled into
thinking these are common coins just because I have three - I actively seek out
the singular and unusual coinage, rarely buying the commonplace unless it's
cheap. Find another elsewhere! £645
WMH-7888:
Edward IV
Hammered Silver Groat. First reign, light coinage, initial mark Rose, 1464-5, London mint.
Spink 2001.
Not a rare coin by any means but a desirable one, non-the-less with all
devices (rose on breast, quatrefoils by neck, rose initial mark) being as clear
as you like, and equally so for the legends and portrait. Sold with an old sales /
auction entry slip. £385 RESERVED
(M.S.26-2-24-Lay-Away)
Halfpennies
WMH-7561:
Edward IV
Medieval Hammered Silver Halfpenny. House of York.
First reign, Light Coinage of 1464-70. London mint.
Trefoils by neck, initial mark Long Cross Fitchee,
1469-70. Might not look it but this is a
very good example with all indicators as well as discernable legends
present. £85
Henry VI **RESTORED** (1470-71) Read
about Henry VI
Edward IV (1471 - 83) - 2nd Reign Read
about Edward IV.
Groats
WMH-7925:
Edward IV Medieval Hammered
Silver Groat. Second reign,
1471-83. Initial mark
Heraldic Cinquefoil (1480-3), Rose on breast, London mint - Spink 2100. A very nice grade coin which is accompanied by two old tickets, one
of which is Coincraft. £365
Edward IV or V (12th Feb 1483 - 20th July 1483)
WMH-7991:
Edward V Hammered Silver Medieval
Groat. Initial mark Halved Sun &
Rose, 12th February 1483 - 20th July 1483. Larger
image here.
London mint, the EDWARD as opposed to EDWRD obverse reading
and no pellet below bust. Spink 2146A. This
coin is all about the initial mark - Halved Sun & Rose. Under Edward IV, the type XXI Heraldic
Cinquefoil initial finally came to an end on 12th February 1483. Halved Sun
& Rose immediately followed Heraldic Cinquefoil until the introduction of
Boar's Head in 20th July 1483. Edward IV
died on 9th April 1483. Edward V succeeded his father, Edward IV,
aged just 13, but was never crowned - even today monarchs are not usually
crowned until up to a year after their parent's death - due to his untimely
death. His brief "reign" was
dominated by the influence of his uncle and Lord Protector, the Duke of
Gloucester, who deposed him to reign as King Richard III; this was confirmed by
the Act entitled Titulus Regius,
which denounced any further claims through his father's heirs. Edward V and his younger brother Richard of
Shrewsbury, Duke of York, were the Princes in the Tower who disappeared after
being sent to heavily guarded royal lodgings in the Tower of London. Responsibility for their deaths is widely
attributed to Richard III, but the lack of solid evidence and conflicting
contemporary accounts have in recent years moved to dispel this theory. The respected Richard III Society obviously
point to Shakespeare's influence regarding the demonisation of Richard but they
also have evidence that the future Henry VII was made aware that Sir James
Tyrell, a trusted servant of Richard III and Henry VII, had actually confessed
to the double murder. Of course, that might
not necessarily exonerate Richard III and that aside, Sir James Tyrell was
tried and executed for high treason in May of 1502 so perhaps had nothing to
lose. Tim Webb-Ware submitted a paper to
the BNJ attempting to clarify this short period in history in terms of
coinage. We're not quite there yet
regarding silver coinage, ie groats of Edward with initial mark Halved Sun
& Rose could be either the final weeks of Edward IV or the entirety of
Edward V's uncrowned reign. There is a
groat with EDWARD which is accepted as being under Richard III but this has
initial mark Boar's Head over Halved Sun & Rose. In recent months, CNG have sold an example
for over £6,000 after commissions. This example is the most
recent: Noonans, Feb 2024. £9,000+ after commissions. This coin clearly better than the Noonan
example; in fact as good or better than any I've
seen. Slightly clipped
with good toning. Extremely rare
- if you're collecting by monarch, you'll need this coin! £5,995
Richard
III (1483 - 85) Read about Richard III
Pennies
WMH-7975:
Richard III
Hammered Silver Very Late Medieval Penny.
An Episcopal issue struck under Archbishop Rotherham of York.
T to the left of the neck, upright key to the right;
quatrefoil on the reverse. Initial mark given as Rose on both the Steve Mitchell and Tim Owen
tickets - Spink 2167. The coin may at first glance appear to be
clipped. It is not. Lord Stewartby
(English Coins 1180 – 1551 by Spink, 2009) states: “The flow of ill-struck and
often illegible pence from the northern Episcopal mints continued
unabated. (Archbishop) Thomas Rotherham
of York was actually arrested by Richard in June 1483, but
soon released.” The production of short
flan, underweight coins (ie face value one penny but actual silver content some
way below that) would obviously be financially lucrative for the person doing
it. Archbishop Rotherham would appear to
have got away with just that as the practice continued throughout Richard’s
very short reign. A
high grade coin with an excellent portrait of the rather unsavoury Richard III,
whose body was recently discovered in a Leicestershire car park. Ex Spink ticket in the hand of Steve Mitchell
(1980 and a ticket price that will amaze you), ex Tim Owen (bought 2015 for
£900) collection. A
rare coin but in this high grade for issue, with such a wonderful depiction of
Richard III, excessively rare.
£1,750
WMH-8022: Ultra Rare Richard III
Medieval Hammered Silver Penny. Class 2b, regnal name RICARD, initial mark Boar's Head, London mint, Spink 2165. An incredible
rarity - see Coincraft's assessment here - of a coin that was once
thought unique. Lord Stewartby
in his seminal publication English Coins 1180 - 1551, published
by Spink in 2009, stated "The only recorded London penny in the name of
Richard III, with the same damaged cross-ends [he was referring to Spink
2164 so different coins but same single altered die], has mintmark
BH2". You can see the damaged
cross-end of the die on this coin. There
are currently only half a dozen extant examples in total, both in private hands
and public institutions, that is BOTH Spink 2164 with EDWARD reading and Spink 2165, and I believe that's a somewhat generous
estimation. Instinctively, we all think
of Richard III halfgroats as the "Holy Grail" but in actual fact,
this London penny, together with the EDWARD penny, both trump the halfgroat - in fact the London pennies are the rarest of
all Richard III silver coins and, with the possible exception of the gold half
angel, the rarest of all Richard III coins, although clearly not the most
expensive. Image here with old sales ticket. It is interesting to note that the overall
quality of the die (remember, it's a single die for both Spink 2164 and 2165),
especially considering it's London, was perhaps not what we'd historically
expect of London although clearly London was far from being the centre of the
universe for this Plantagenet House of York monarch. This London penny issue would appear to have
been a rushed exercise, with dies executed by someone far from being at the top
of their profession, and then almost immediately afterwards, for whatever
reason, ended. Although clearly having
north of England ties, Richard did spend time in London at Crosby Hall in Bishopsgate. His reign came just after a deep recession
(1450-75) which ended primarily with a new era in foreign trade: the
London-Antwerp cloth trade, which was especially important to the king's
finances. There were London halfgroats through to gold angels to fuel trade,
there were reasonable quantities of Richard III London halfpennies in
circulation for the common man to exist on a day-to-day basis - but there were
no London pennies.
Why? A coin not without its issues
- pierced and wavy flan - but a coin you will not, and
will likely never have in your collection unless you take this one! Probably the rarest coin ever offered on this
site. £3,350
Groats
WMH-7968:
Choice Late Medieval
Richard III Hammered Silver Groat. Halved initial mark Sun & Rose 1, London mint, Spink
2154. Halved Sun & Rose 1 initial mark lasted
a grand total of 24 days from when Richard seized the crown on 26th
June 1483
to the rapid introduction of the new king's favoured emblem, the Boar's Head,
on 20th July 1483. We can
therefore date this coin very accurately.
Robert Brackenbury was appointed master worker
at the mint at this date with John Shaa as
engraver. John Wode
was still keeper of the dies at the introduction of the Boar's Head mark (he'd
been there since the ninth year of Edward IV's reign) and this longevity in
post may go someway to explaining the proliferation of mules that exist for
this reign, indicative perhaps of the various dies being kept very loose in a
box or bag. The Boar's Head initial mark
went through to about June 1484 when they felt the need to mix things up at the
mint, resulting in the reintroduction of the Halved Sun & Rose, but new
varieties 2 & 3, never again Sun & Rose 1. Halved Sun & Rose 1 initial mark for
Richard III was actually a direct continuation of the mark used on the Edward
IV or V coinage (now generally accepted to be just Edward V). It is interesting to note that chronologically,
there is a Richard III groat in the name of Edward that was
issued later than this coin, the reason being that it has a
Boar's Head initial mark so must be a recycled die of Edward IV/V utilised after
they'd discontinued Sun & Rose 1, after 20th July 1483.
In summary:
1. An
extraordinary coin with near full legends,
2. A very
short-lived and rare initial mark, as clear as you're ever likely see on one of
these, being just 21 days in length,
3.
Completely problem-free,
4. High
grade,
5. Fresh
to the market since 1985
Short of
it being struck in gold, I'm unsure as to how this coin could be better! Choice. £3,450
