Half groat of Henry IV

The finder of this coin, Graham Gislam, said he had been advised that it is a mule of a Henry IV obverse combined with a Henry V reverse. I was asked for my thoughts on its authenticity and possible value.

The coin is a genuine halfgroat. On the obverse there is an annulet to the left and a pellet to the right of the crown, nine arches in the treasure and a faint trefoil on the king’s breast. On the reverse there is a slipped trefoil after LOn.

A number of mules combining dies of Henry IV with those of Henry V are on record. However, I believe this is a true light coinage halfgroat of Henry IV. Lord Stewartby, in English Coins 1180-1551 (page 327), describes a coin similar to Graham’s find as belonging to class PIII of Henry IV. In the Standard Catalogue the type is listed as number 1730.

When Part 4 of the Stewartby collection was sold at auction in 2016 lot 1243 was an example of the same coin. It was described as being in Fair to Fine condition and the hammer price was £750.

That a coin sold for £750 six years since does not necessarily mean it would sell for the same figure at a later date. When the Stewartby collection was sold there was much competition between prospective buyers, which might not be the case in a ‘general’ sale today.   

Valuation

The reverse on the Stewartby halfgroat was in similar condition to Graham’s coin but the reverse was not as worn. Today a likely pre-sale auction estimate would be £300 to £400 but the coin would probably be of interest only to advanced collectors of English hammered silver coins. Therefore, how well it did in an auction would depend on whether or not the right people were in the saleroom.

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