Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V & Richard III

 

Henry VI (first reign: 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

 

WMH-8112:  High Grade Henry VI Medieval Hammered Silver Groat.  First reign, Pinecone-Mascle issue of 1431-32/3, Calais mint.  Spink 1875.  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.  Sold with an early 1980's ticket using an old fashioned typewriter.  Better than VF - a most attractive coin.  £445

 

 

 

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-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

 

WMH-8084:  Henry VI Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.  Pinecone-Mascle issue of 1431-32/3, rare Durham mint - CIVI TAS DVnO LMI, Spink 1883.  Not on most collectors' radar but never-the-less, a rare coin which is seldom seen for sale.  £235

 

 

 

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-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 

 

 

 

Pennies

 

WMH-8085:  Edward IV Medieval Hammered Silver Penny.  First reign, heavy coinage, local dies, Durham mint - CIVI TAS DVn OLI.  Unclipped and generous of flan which, bearing in mind the proclivity for clipping and the predilection for Episcopal mints to issue pennies on not much better than halfpenny flans at this point in history, is little short of remarkable.  £245

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Edward IV or V (12th Feb 1483 - 20th July 1483)

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Halfpennies

 

WMH-7975:  Richard III Hammered Silver Very Late Medieval Round Halfpenny.  No marks by neck, initial mark Sun & Rose 2, London mint.  Spink 2171.  There are no halfpence in Richard's name for Sun & Rose 1.  Initial mark Sun & Rose 2 was in operation from the very end of the reign only.  Richard III: the infamous Richard of Gloucester, brother to Edward VI.  Upon Edward IV's premature death in April of 1483, Richard "removed" the dead king's 12 year old heir to the throne - the would-be Edward V - to the Tower together with his younger brother, Richard Duke of York.  In the absence of the princes, Richard was proclaimed King.  A high grade for issue coin with an excellent portrait of the rather unsavoury Richard III, whose body was recently discovered in a Leicestershire car park.  I probably don't have to point out to anyone reading this just how incredibly rare the halfpence issues of Richard III are.  Coincraft, a reference work I've a great deal of time and respect for, are not prone to any kind of hyperbole.  Under Richard III, they simply state: "Richard III halfpennies are extremely rare in any grade."  To put that into some sort of context for you, Coincraft say of the Richard III halfgroats (and when was the last time any of us saw one of them?!) that the issue is only "... very rare in any condition."  In summary, a clear regnal name, a clear initial mark, a very good portrait of the infamous Richard III, and as rare as they come.  £1,775

 

 

 

Farthings

 

WMH-7982:  Richard III Very Late Medieval Hammered Silver FARTHING.  Front facing bust of Richard, [R]ICA[RD].  London mint.  Spink 2171A.  Richard III was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in August of 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and of its cadet branch, the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Bosworth Field (it's now thought the actual location of the battle was several miles away) marked the end of the Middle Ages in England.  You will note from the "A" suffix on the Spink reference number that it wasn't that long ago that they thought farthings did not exist for Richard III - indeed, even Coincraft, which was published in 1999, literally thought they didn't exist 25 years ago.  See image here which shows the extract from their guide, as well as the old tickets.  The most excellent numismatic team of Paul & Bente Withers, in their seminal publication, THE GALATA GUIDE TO SMALL CHANGE, 1279-1660, published 2023, state, "All (fractional Richard III) coins are rare, the farthing exceedingly so."  They identify two obverse dies (RICAR DI GRA REX and RICARD DI GRA REX) from what I believe to be the only two coins they could source.  This one makes three.  The website Numista ranks coins 0-100 in terms of rarity where 0 is common.  It won't surprise you to learn that they rank the Richard III farthing as rarity 100.  Chipped at 12 & 6 o'clock.  Of the greatest rarity and significance.  £2,250