Henry VII, groat

The Tudor period coin pictured here is in the collection of detecting finds built up by Stephen Palmer. It’s a London groat of Henry VII, who was the first king of the Tudor dynasty.

On the obverse the king wears a crown with one jewelled and one plain arch, so the coin is an example of class IIIc (number 2199 in the Standard Catalogue). The mint mark on this side isn’t altogether clear but will be lis issuant from rose.

The reverse is of the usual type, with the inner legend reading CIVI TAS LOn DOn. The mint mark on this side is an upside-down anchor. Therefore, this groat is a mule of two different mint marks.

In 2001 the massive collection of Tudor period coins formed by R. A. Shuttlewood was sold at auction. The collection included several muled groats of Henry VII, most of which were described as being very or extremely rare. There was no example of a lis issuant from rose/anchor groat in the Shuttlewood collection, which is an indication of its rarity.

Valuation

The reverse of Stephen’s find could be described as about VF but slightly short of flan. There isn’t much circulation wear on the obverse but it has been struck off centre and the king’s face is flat. The latter defect would put off some collectors but as this coin is a significant rarity my lowest price range would be £150 – £180.

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