Bristol groat of Edward IV

Philip Clark said this con was found by a friend, who wanted to know its history and what it might be worth.

The coin has characteristics that mark it out as a groat of Edward IV. On the obverse the mint mark is a sun, there is a letter B on the king’s breast and there are quatrefoils above his shoulders. On the reverse the inner legend reads VIL LAB RES TOLL with a saltire after LA. The preceding information suggests that this groat was struck at Bristol during the light coinage of the first reign of King Edward IV.

Having described this groat, I now need to highlight a significant minus point. The coin looks good but not quite right. Everything is just a bit too neat. I’m of the opinion that the coin is not an official issue. Therefore, I searched for another example and eventually traced one.

Lot 1377 in the sale of the collection formed by Lord Stewartby (29 November 2016) was described as a counterfeit in the style of Edward IV. Lot 1377 was struck from the same dies as the coin sent in by Mr Clark.

Valuation

The Stewartby coin sold for £120 (plus premium) in 2016 and I’d expect a specialist collector to pay a similar figure for the specimen featured here.

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