Details

LOT 3120

English Medieval Coins - Henry IV - Light Coinage Type II Eight-Arc Groat 1412-1413 AD

Light coinage, Potter type II, obverse die 1 (Stewartby PII). Obv: facing bust with slipped trefoil on breast, small annulet to left of crown and pellet to right, within tressure of eight arcs with +HENRICxDEI‡GRA‡REX‡ANGLxZxFRANC legend with Lombardic n's (where x = single saltire and ‡ = double saltire stops). Rev: long cross and pellets with +POSVIx / DEVM‡A / D‡IVTORE / M‡MEVM outer legend with slipped trefoil (or quatrefoil?) at end with Lombardic m's and CIVI / TAS / LON / DON inner legend with reverse-barred Roman N's for London mint. Very fine; rich and glossy dark patina. Apparently unique with new reverse die and very attractive.(3.64 grams.).

Provenance

Found near Malmsbury, Wiltshire, UK, 2018.

Literature

S. 1727; N. 1359(a); see Potter, W. J. W., The Silver Coinages of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V, BNJ 30, 1962, pp.129-133 and pl.VIII, 5, for classification (Potter lists two specimens of his type II coins with eight-arc tressure); see Stewartby, Lord, English Coins, 1180-1551, Spink, 2009, pp.279-280, for discussion.

Footnotes

The obverse matches the coin illustrated by Potter (die II-1, BNJ 30, pl.VIII, 5) but has a distinctly different reverse, apparently not known to Potter, who recorded only two examples of the type, struck from his dies II-1/I-1.