Edward IV Groat

The Edward IV Groat is a hammered silver coin worth four pence, struck in England during the reign of King Edward IV in the second half of the 15th century. The example shown carries a crowned facing bust of the king within a beaded circle on the obverse, surrounded by a Latin legend, and a long cross reaching to the edge on the reverse, with pellets and rosettes filling the angles and a double ring of inscription around the rim.

As the largest everyday silver denomination of the period, the groat was a substantial and widely used coin. It is thin and broad compared with the small pennies and halfpennies of the same era, and its large flan gave room for the detailed crowned portrait that makes the type recognizable. Surviving pieces are struck by hand, so each is slightly individual in centering, strength of strike, and the completeness of its legends.

Edward IV came to the throne in 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, the dynastic conflict between the houses of York and Lancaster, and he ruled in two phases separated by a brief restoration of Henry VI. His coinage reforms were significant: early in the reign the weight of the silver groat was reduced, which helped stabilize the currency and align English coins more closely with the value of bullion. This makes the groats of his reign an important marker in the history of English money.

Groats of Edward IV were struck at several mints. The Tower of London was the principal one, but issues also came from provincial and ecclesiastical mints at places such as York, Canterbury, and Bristol, and briefly Coventry and Norwich. The coins are conventionally divided into a first reign and a second reign, distinguished by changes in the king's name and title in the legend and by the mint marks used, and specialists use these features together with the mint to place each coin within the reign.

Look for a broad, thin hammered silver coin, larger than a penny, bearing a crowned bust of the king facing forward inside a circle of beads. The surrounding Latin legend gives the king's name and titles, opening with a small symbol known as a mint mark or initial mark that helps date the issue. The bust is stylized rather than a true portrait, with the crown and shoulders filling the central field.

Turn the coin over and you should see a long cross whose arms extend to the edge of the coin, dividing the field into quarters. Each quarter is filled with a cluster of pellets, and on the type shown small rosettes appear among the design. Two concentric legends run around the reverse: an inner one and an outer one, which together typically name the mint and repeat a pious or protective inscription. Because the coins were struck by hand, expect some legends to be weak, off-center, or only partly legible, and the flan is often slightly irregular in shape.

Edward IV groats are collectable and reasonably available, since the groat was a heavily produced denomination, but they carry more value than the smaller silver pennies and are firmly a mid-range medieval coin. Ordinary examples with honest wear, a clear crowned bust, and readable portions of legend sit in the accessible part of the market, while sharply struck coins with full legends, good centering, and attractive old toning command higher prices.

Mint, mint mark, and the reign phase strongly affect value, as certain mints and marks are scarcer than others and are sought by specialists building a series. Condition matters greatly for a hammered coin: strength of strike, completeness of the crown and cross, and freedom from clipping, bending, or corrosion all move the price. As with any medieval silver, provenance and confidence in authenticity add to what collectors will pay.