Spink
Auction 22111 6 Sep 2022
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Richard II (1377-1399), Type II, First Period, 'Three Pellets Over Crown', Groat, pre-1391, London, (Master, Walter de Bardi), New Lettering, retrograde copula Z before FRANC, crowned bust facing, three pellets above crown, rev. CIVITAS LONDON, long cross and pellets, 4.59g, 9h, m.m. cross pattée (Potter IIa; Stewartby, pp. 261 - First Period, Type II; Delme-Radcliffe -; North 1320 (b); Spink 1679), traces of double-striking, otherwise on a pleasingly full flan, the reverse a touch off-struck, otherwise toned, a pleasingly bold very fine, extremely rare with only eight examples of the 'Three Pellets' variety recorded by Potter.
Provenance
SNC, July 1988, no. 4682 - very slightly double-struck, but a superb round specimen, and difficult to find thus, EF - £1,200
, ,
In W J W Potter's contribution to the corpus, he was to note: "The next and most common group, while preserving the bust of type I, is immediately distinguished by the change of copula to the form X. At the same time the outer circle lettering was made regular in size by the replacement of the large letters with others of slightly smaller size, except for the reverse 'M', which had to be made somewhat larger and of better form (M2). On the reverses the inner circle lettering, after a period of experiment in shapes, settled down to a distinctive form with long, pointed serifs. On these type II groats a remarkable uniformity was preserved over a considerable number of
dies, with a high standard of workmanship. These are the common groats of
Richard II, and I have noted about fifty specimens from perhaps twenty
obverse dies. I have suggested that these coins of type II were struck prior to 1391. In the latter year, according to Ruding, Walter de Bardi, the Florentine, who had held the mastership of the mint since 1363, died or retired, and the long series of groats with the old familiar bust and lettering, starting in the Treaty period of Edward III, and continuing through the Post-Treaty, came to an end.....The obverse dies of type II are much more numerous than those of type I, but, as will be seen, there are still only four forms of legend ending. So far I have identified seven dies of (a/b) and eleven of (c), but only one each of(d) and (e). The close resemblance one to the other of the dies with the first two forms of legend makes it very difficult to distinguish them, the only
exception being the single die of (a), which has three pellets above the crown, one over the central lis and one over each of the two small intermediary jewels (Pl. XIX, 3). This die was probably the first of type II to be produced, as, of the eight specimens I have noted, three have reverses of type I while the other five all have early reverses of type II, whereas I know of only one other IT/I mule, a coin in my collection with obverse FRANCIE, die 1 (Pl. XIX, 4)."
Estimate: £2400 - £3000
Provenance
SNC, July 1988, no. 4682 - very slightly double-struck, but a superb round specimen, and difficult to find thus, EF - £1,200
, ,
In W J W Potter's contribution to the corpus, he was to note: "The next and most common group, while preserving the bust of type I, is immediately distinguished by the change of copula to the form X. At the same time the outer circle lettering was made regular in size by the replacement of the large letters with others of slightly smaller size, except for the reverse 'M', which had to be made somewhat larger and of better form (M2). On the reverses the inner circle lettering, after a period of experiment in shapes, settled down to a distinctive form with long, pointed serifs. On these type II groats a remarkable uniformity was preserved over a considerable number of
dies, with a high standard of workmanship. These are the common groats of
Richard II, and I have noted about fifty specimens from perhaps twenty
obverse dies. I have suggested that these coins of type II were struck prior to 1391. In the latter year, according to Ruding, Walter de Bardi, the Florentine, who had held the mastership of the mint since 1363, died or retired, and the long series of groats with the old familiar bust and lettering, starting in the Treaty period of Edward III, and continuing through the Post-Treaty, came to an end.....The obverse dies of type II are much more numerous than those of type I, but, as will be seen, there are still only four forms of legend ending. So far I have identified seven dies of (a/b) and eleven of (c), but only one each of(d) and (e). The close resemblance one to the other of the dies with the first two forms of legend makes it very difficult to distinguish them, the only
exception being the single die of (a), which has three pellets above the crown, one over the central lis and one over each of the two small intermediary jewels (Pl. XIX, 3). This die was probably the first of type II to be produced, as, of the eight specimens I have noted, three have reverses of type I while the other five all have early reverses of type II, whereas I know of only one other IT/I mule, a coin in my collection with obverse FRANCIE, die 1 (Pl. XIX, 4)."
Estimate: £2400 - £3000