Henry VI. 1422 to 1461.
Although there is not any doubt but that the great mass of the coins of the Henries now extant were
struck by Henry VI., yet there are but extremely few that can with certainty be assigned to him. It has
been supposed that Henry IV. and V. used no other mints than that in London, as in the first year of
Henry VI. authority was given to coin also in York and Bristol; it would have followed then that all coins
of the proportion of 15 grains to the penny of these two mints belonged to Henry VI. But the weight
and workmanship of a penny already noticed compel us to modify this opinion in regard to Henry IV.
who, as the coin in question proves, did coin at York.
Bristol: Of this heavy coinage no pieces of this mint are known.
York: Groat: HENRIC DI GRA REX ANGLIE Z FRANC. Lis at each side of breast, annulet between pellets
in two quarters and after POSVI and EBORACI. MM cross. MB. 50 7/10 gr. ext. rare. Rud.
Sup. ii. 18. In this plate the annulets in the legend are omitted. MM. lis. E on breast, trefoils in the
legend. Sn. ii. 34.
Half-groat: ext. rare: One was sold at Dimsdale's sale, and may be the same which is now Mr.
Shepherds. The type is exactly the same as that of the groat.
Pennies: York: MM. cross crosslet, HENRICVS REX ANGLIE, cross at each side of head. Rud. Sup. ii. 33.
MB. Saltire instead of crosses. MB Similar, but mullets instead of crosses, rose before,
lozenge? after REX. lozenge before TAS. rose before EBORACI. (340). Sir H. ELLIS. MM. ?
cinquefoil at left, annulet at right. Sir H. ELLIS. MM. cross pierced; cinquefoil at left, lis at right
of crown. Rev. annulet in one quarter and after CIVITAS. MB. Rud. Up. ii. 29. Sn. ii. 32. Similar,
but trefoil instead of lis. Sir. H. ELLIS. Mullet at left, trefoil at right. Rud. Sup. ii. 30. MB.
Cross at left. annulet? at right. MB. Cinquefoil at each side, 31. Trefoil at each side, 32. ANGLI
instead of ANGLIE. Mullet at left, trefoil at right, 28. Lis at each side, annulet between pellets. Rev.
E. J. SHEPHERD. This is evidently the same coinage as the similar groat and half-groat above
described, and is ext. rare. ANGL or ANGLIE Z F. cinquefoil at left, annulet at right. MB.
(338). similar but reads ANGL Z FRANC. MB. Rud. Sup. iii. 1. ANGLIE Z F. cinquefoil at left, trefoil
at right. MB. MM. cinquefoil. HENRIC. DEI. GRA. REX ANG. trefoil at each side of shoulder.
Rud. Sup. iii. 3.
All the preceeding have, in the centre of the reverse, an open quatrefoil inclosing a pellet.
Halfpenny: York: HENRIC REX ANGL. MM. cross fleury? cross after HEN. RIC and REX pellet at each side
of crown, (339). Snell, ii. 22. Rud. Sup. iii. 9. MM. cross pierced, two crosses before and after REX. Lis
at each side of neck; annulet in two quarters. Rev. E. J. SHEPHERD.
Farthing: York: H. D. G. AN. Z FRA IE REX. in the field. C. I. for Cancellarius Johannes Kemp. Abp. 1425
to 1453. Snell. ii. 30. Rud. Sup. iii. 10. HENRIC DI GRA REX AN. Key under the head. Snell. ii. 31. Rud.
Sup. iii. 11, or without AN. CUFF.
We now approach another difficulty. Edward IV. in his interstitial usurpation, diminished the weight of
the penny from 15 grains to 12, at which it remained till after the close of the reign of Henry VII. In his
fifth year this monarch changed the type of the coins, by the introduction of the arched crown, and
the difficulty therefore is, to distinguish between the coins struck by Henry VI. after his restoration,
and those of Henry VII. previous to the alteration of the type. An appropriation, founded upon a
minute examination of the types, particularly of the form of the crown, has been suggested, and we
have no doubt will be found correct.
Among the groats of the Henries, weighing 48 gr. there are some, which have the crown broad and
flat, resembling those of the previous Henries, and also of Edward IV. whilst there are others, whose
crown is larger, and the ornamental balls are placed upon taller and more upright footstalks,
resembling the type of Richard III. and those of Henry VII. with the arched crown. If the reader will
take a number of the coins of these four reigns, and arrange before him according to their types,
without reference to the names, he will find those Henries with the broad and flat crown mingled with
the coins of Edward IV. and those with the larger and taller crown mixed with the coins of Richard III.
and closely allied to the arched crown of Henry VII.
Hitherto the mistaken idea that the arched crown was the type of Henry VIIth's first coinage, has
induced collectors to assign all groats of 48 gr. to Henry VI. under the name of his light groats; and
though such coins are not common, yet specimens to exist, of various types; and collectors have been
puzzled to explain how, in so short and unsettled a period as his restoration, Henry VI. could have used
so many distinct types. By the appropriation above made, the majority of the types and coins will fall
to Henry VII., while those assigned to Henry VI. would be very few and very rare--a result which might
reasonably be expected.
It is also worthy of remark, that most of the types thus attributed to Henry VII., have for a MM. a lis
upon a rose. The lis, which is the uppermost of these MM, very frequently occurs upon the coins of
the Lancastrian kings in allusion to their French conquests; the rose was the common symbol of the
York party; it is not improbable that this combination of the two may have had an allusion to the union
of the two families.
According to the above theory, the following coins are assigned to Henry VI.
Groats: London: HENRICV DI GRA REX ANGL Z FRANC. MM. cross on both sides. MB. 42 4/10.
Similar, but rev. MM. cross pierced, and lis after DEVM. MB. 47 ½ (342). The lis on the
rev. is curious and confirmatory, because the lis upon the gold coins of Henry VI. is exceedingly
common. v. r.
Bristol: HENRICV &c. same as London. B on breast. MM. rose? Rev. VILLA BRISTOW. MM. lis. Rev. E.
J. SHEPHERD. Another reads HENRICVS and ANG. MM. cross. Rev. MM. rose. (341). Rud. E. 8.
MB. 43 8/10. v. r.
York: HENRICV &c. as London. E on the breast. CIVITAS EBORACI. MM, on both sides, lis. MB.
47 3/10. Rev. E. J. SHEPHERD. 47. Rud. iv. 19. less rare.
Half groats: London: HENRICV DI GRA REX ANGL Z FR. MM. cross pierced. (343). Rev. E. J.
SHEPHERD. 22 gr. in perfect preservation, ext. r.
York: Similar but MM. on both sides, lis. Rud. iv. 20. This we have not seen.
Halfpenny: London: HENRICV REX ANGL. two crosses before REX, lozenge after. MM. cross, some
object on breast. (344). MB. 8 gr. Another light halfpenny reads HENRIC DI. GRA &c., and has
three pellets at each side of neck. Rev. E. J. SHEPHERD. Another, reading the same, without
the pellets, MM cross pierced. 10 gr. (345). Rev. E. J. SHEPHERD.
Farthing: London: Like the halfpenny; HENRICV. cross before and after REX. (346). MB.
Henry IV and Henry V |
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Unattributable coins of Henry IV, V, and VI
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