Henry VIII Groat

This is the second of two finds sent in by Steve Smith. It’s a London groat of Henry VIII, which was struck during the second coinage. On the obverse is an attractive profile portrait of the king. The mint mark on both sides is a fleur de lis. The reference number in the Standard Catalogue is 2337E.

Most of the painted portraits of Henry VIII were done when he was older and show him to be rather fat. However, prior to a jousting accident in 1536 he was much slimmer, fit and active. Therefore, it curious that most of his portraits were done later, when he looked nothing like as good as when he was a younger man.

Valuation

On the obverse of this groat there is some weakness on the king’s chest but this side is otherwise VF. The reverse isn’t quite as good but would still grade about VF; there is some loss to the outer edge, which shows up clearly from 1 to 2 o’clock on the reverse.     

The coin has a couple of minus points and groats of this type are fairly common and regularly in dealers’ stocks. However, they have always been popular with collectors and this has kept prices fairly high. If offered for sale by a coin dealer then its present condition I’d expect this Henry VIII groat to be priced at a figure not less than £200.

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