Penny of Henry VI

This hammered silver coin was found by a detectorist named Aneta. It wouldn’t win a beauty contest but it’s still a rather interesting find.

The legend on both sides is mostly flat and in many cases this would add up to the coin being impossible to pin down. Fortunately, I can see enough of the rest of it to be able to provide a full ID.

To the left of the head on the obverse is a saltire and to the right is a letter B. A pellet is visible by the king’s crown and on his breast is a large pellet or a leaf.

In the centre of the reverse is a pair of interlinked rings. There is a group of three pellets in each quarter of the long cross. Each of the groups has lines cut into the die to hold them together and in the centre of one group is an extra pellet.

The preceding information adds up to the coin being a penny of Henry VI, which was struck during the cross pellet issue (1453-61).  It was struck for the profit of Laurence Booth, who was Bishop of Durham. In the Standard Catalogue the reference number is 1941.

Valuation

This is a rare coin. As already stated, the state of preservation isn’t good. It would grade only Fair to Fine and the flan is irregular but it is still an interesting coin and all the crucial detail is clear. To a specialist collector it should be worth £40-50.

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