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HM32124

Henry VIII Groat, 2nd coinage, Tower mint, mm sunburst for birth of Edward VI

Henry VIII (1509-47), silver Groat, Tower Mint, second coinage (1526-44), crowned young bust of King right, crown top breaks beaded circles and legend surrounding, saltire stops, initial mark sunburst both sides (1537), legend surrounds HENRICxx VIII'xx D;G'xx R'xx AGL'xx Zx FRΛ'x,rev. long cross fourchée over flat topped quartered shield of arms, saltire in each fork, beaded circles with linear inner circle and legend surrounding, POSVI DEV'xx A DIVTOR E'xx mEV, weight 2.76g (Laker bust D; Whitton V; N.1797; S.2337E). Old cabinet tone with an excellent and well-balanced portrait, marginal metal stress in the eastern perimeter of coin, legends generally legible, the mintmark rare and seldom encountered in today's market, good very fine, rare.

The abbreviated Latin legends translate as on the obverse, "Henry, by the grace of God, King of England and France." and on the reverse as "I have made God my helper" a Psalm from the Bible.

The mint mark sunburst was seemingly only used for a short time in the year 1537, probably only in the latter half; and the usage is thought to tie in with the highly anticipated birth of the only son of King Henry VII, Prince Edward in October 1537, as theorised by W J W Potter in his 1955 British Numismatic Journal article on the coins of King Henry VIII.

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