PLANTAGENET. Edward I. 1272-1307. AR Groat (29mm, 5.49 g, 10h). New coinage, variety a. London (Tower) mint. Struck circa 1279. VF.

Keystone 16 – The David C. Bianchi II Collection
Lot: 101.
Closing Date: May 20 2026 10:00 ET

British – Plantagenet, Silver

Estimate: $ 5 000

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PLANTAGENET. Edward I. 1272-1307. AR Groat (29mm, 5.49 g, 10h). New coinage, variety a. London (Tower) mint. Struck circa 1279. + ЄDWARDVS : D’I : GRA’ : RЄX : AnGL :, crowned facing bust with rosette below, cinquefoils flanking; all within triple quadrilobe; trefoils in spandrels / : DnS hIBn’ Є DVX AQVT/ LOn DOn IA C IVI, long cross fleurée; triple pellets in quarters. Allen, Groats 5-6 (dies a3/r4); SCBI 39 (North), 1; North 1007; SCBC 1379A. Old cabinet toning, remains of gilding on reverse, edge split, mount marks as common for issue. VF. Very rare.

From the David C. Bianchi II Collection, purchased from Davissons, October 2005. Ex W.C. Boyd (1840-1906) Collection (Baldwin’s 42, 26 September 2005), lot 956 (part of); G.H. Gaviller (†1880) Collection.

In 1279, Edward I undertook a massive recoinage that would establish the basic types and weights of English coinage for the next three centuries. The basic design of a crowned facing bust of the king on the obverse and on the reverse a long cross pattée with triple pellets in each corner would be duplicated across all four silver denominations struck during his reign: the Groat, Penny, and Farthing from 1279, and the Halfpenny from 1280. The impetus for the new, large groat was the French Gros tournois, first struck from 1266-1270 under Louis IX (lot 446). Like that coin, the groats of Edward would be short-lived, only struck for about a year and not seeing wide circulation, with nearly all examples known today exhibiting some evidence of decorative use. However, by the reign of Edward III, the Groat would become the dominant denomination of English coinage, pivotal to both local and regional trade.

Closing Date and Time: 20 May 2026 at 10:33:20 ET.



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