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Description: | I have examined a group of 477 coins reported found near Eye in Suffolk. All of the coins are silver and all but one are official silver coins of the kings of England from Edward I to Henry VI and will thus we of the traditional sterling standard, and therefore a little over 90% fine metal. The exception is a silver sterling of English type issued by a local ruler in north-western France.There are four denominations present in the group, the groat of four-pence, the half-groat, the penny and (in small numbers) the halfpenny. The only missing silver denomination of late medieval England is the tiny farthing, which is rarely found in hoards. There are no examples present of the three English gold denominations, the high-value coins. There are 122 groats, 62, half-groats, 289 pennies (counting the foreign sterling) and 4 halfpennies, giving a face value in total of £3 15s. 3d. (three pounds, 15 shillings and threepence). A catalogue of the find accompanies this report, and a more detailed numismatic listing is available if required. The latest coins present in the group are issues of Henry VI, probably struck in the early to mid 1430s and all the coins in the group would have been in circulation in the early 15th century. There had been no general recoinage in England since 1279 and old pennies of Edward I and II could still be found in reasonable numbers, as several hoards demonstrate (indeed they can still appear in finds from the very end of the 15th century). There had been two main weight reductions to the coinage between 1279 and the 1430s (in 1351 and 1412), so the older coin was clipped down to the later standard to remain in use and the older coins in this find generally reflect this practice. In terms of the purchasing power of the coins in the 1430s, their face value was considerable, given that a carpenter, mason or skilled agricultural worker would expect a daily income of four or five pence. The Eye coins represent well over 6 months' work, therefore. A reasonable annual income for a member of the gentry was £30, so the sum is over a month's income for a relatively rich person. In 1434 the prices of horses in Yarmouth ranged from £1 5s. to £3, and other prices for the mid 15th century include a new hat for the mayor of Norwich for 10s., a sculpture of a king for a gate in Cambridge at £1 6s. and a high-quality illuminated book of hours made for Sir John Fastolf for £10. The coins found near Eye are all of good silver and would have circulated together and been deposited on one occasion, at some point in the years around 1435. It is my opinion, therefore, that the find constitutes Treasure, according to the terms of the Act. Dr Barrie J. Cook | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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