Henry VIII halfgroat

This coin came in from George Bates, who knew it was a Henry VIII halfgroat but he wanted a full ID and a valuation.

This is a halfgroat of York, which was struck for the profit of Thomas Wolsey when he was Archbishop of York. It was issued during the second coinage of Henry VIII and has a profile portrait of the king on the obverse.

On the reverse is a shield bearing the quartered arms of England and France. This is flanked by T and W and has a cardinal’s hat below. The mint mark on both sides is a voided cross. In the Standard Catalogue halfgroats of this type are listed as number 2346.

Valuation

The coin would grade Fine but the obverse has been struck off centre and it has what appears to be a crack running in from the edge. However, there is no sign of a crack on the reverse. The type isn’t particularly scarce and in its present condition it would be worth around £50 to a collector.

Coins from the Canterbury, Durham and York mints are usually worth a bit more than those struck at London. However, the exception is second coinage halfgroats. In the Standard Catalogue London coins are priced at a figure similar to the other three mints but they are in fact much scarcer. I’d estimate that at least 25 halfgroats of Canterbury, Durham and York turn up for each one from the Tower Mint in London.

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