2 Richard II groats for auction at the Chippenham Auction Rooms with a reserve price of £400. The 14th Century coins will be auction on 20 August 2011. The groats were dug up at a house in Sherston near Malmesbury in the 1960s. The seller has owned the groats for years but don't know how much they are worth. The coins has been identified as a Richard II groat by auctioneer Gordon Brockman. The auctioneer expect the price will go up at £1000.
Picture by BBC: Richard groats for auction
"When the client first brought the coins in, I thought they were Richard III groats," he said.
"But I compared the coins to some images online and worked out that they were Richard II.
"They look very similar but there's a difference in the three dots in the centre of the coins and in the way the hair falls on the king ."
Richard II reigned for 22 years from 1377 to 1399 which, according to Mr Brockman, could mean that as few as 800 coins are still in existence.
"Richard II wasn't around for that long and these coins are in remarkably good condition so we've put them in at between £400 and £600," he said.
Source: BBC News.
Richard II Groats Technical Specification:
Photo by ukdfd.co.uk
Description: Richard II groat of London
Mint: London
Issue Date: 1377 - 1399
Weight (grams): 4.4
Diameter (mm): 25
Metal: Silver
Obverse Description: Crowned bust facing within a tressure of arches.
Reverse Description: Long cross pattée dividing legends; three pellets in each angle.
Wikipedia: Groat or Fuppence is the traditional name of an English silver coin worth four English pence, and also a Scottish coin originally worth fourpence, with later issues being valued at eightpence and one shilling.
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