Richard III Groat in name Edward V, pellet below bust, mm BH1/SR1 obv / SR 1 rev

Richard III (1483-85), silver Groat of Fourpence, in the name of Edward, type 2a, Tower Mint London, facing crowned bust within double tressure of nine arcs, fleur on each cusp, pellet in spandrel below bottom cusp, beaded circles and legend surrounding, saltire stops, initial mark boars head 1 over sun and rose, EDWARDx DIx GRAx REXx AnGL'x Z FRAnC, unbarred As, rev. long cross pattée, tri-pellets in each inner angle, beaded circles and double concentric legends surrounding, CIVI TAS LOn DOn inner legend, +POSVI DEVm A DIVTOR E' mEVm, weight 2.81g (B&W type XXII with mark overstamped; N.1675; S.2155). Toned a little unevenly with some residual dirt deposit from once being in the ground, a little misshapen from some past clipping, otherwise good very fine with clear detail and very rare.

This very rare issue of Richard III is perhaps his earliest to feature the boars head mark which was overstruck on the obverse die of Edward IV/V with or without the pellet below converting what is listed in the Standard Catalogue from number 2146 to 2155 the first of the type 2 coins of Richard III, the first type being generally accepted as the groat in his name using the earlier halved sun and rose mint mark. These boars head marked coins of Richard III still in the name of Edward remain hard to find.

For further reading see "The Dies of Edward V's Silver Coins" by Ian Stewart, British Numismatic Journal, volume 50, 1980 pages 133-135 - this coin Stewart Die c and in Lord Stewartby's later work "English Coins 1180-1551" he attributes this issue chronologically to Richard III's reign after July 1483 (page 379) and plate 27 number 473.