64 Dr. Smith on the Irish Coins of Henry the Seventh. 



Every groat of this type which I have seen, either of Edward the Fourth or 

 Henry the Seventh, has vrernie on the reverse, but Simon gives one, PI. III. 

 fig. 65, which has hybernie, and fig. 66 of the same plate has a tressure on 

 each side like the Waterford groats, and the legends the same as his fig. 64. 



Very few half-groats are known ; fig. 21 has on the obverse a cross terminated 

 by pellets, and a rose before the legend rex angl francie ; reverse domnos 



NIE, the letter h under the crowns, and over them a cross patee, instead of 



three annulets as at the other ends of the cross ; it weighs thirteen grains. The 

 cx'oss patee on the reverse seems to identify this coin with the Dublin groat, fig. 1, 

 while the obverse corresponds exactly with some of the half-groats of Edward 

 the Fourth.* 



Simon's half-groat, fig. 68, appears to have the same obverse as the coin just 

 described, but the legend on the reverse is dom hibernie. 



Pennies are also very rare ; fig. 22 has a circle of pellets on each side, the cross 

 on the obverse is without either pellets or annulets at its extremities, the legend 

 probably was Rex angl-iE. On the reverse, which is not quartered by a cross, is 

 the word vrerni, divided equally by a small cross ; it weighs six grains, and were 

 it not for the h under the crowns, it would be difficult to assign this coin to its 

 proper place in the Irish series. 



Mr. Lindsay has published a penny, with h under the crowns, the legends 

 are rex anglie and dom .f 



Simon did not hesitate to appropriate all the preceding coins to Henry tlie 

 Sixth, for his words are, " Whether these coins were struck before the year 

 1460, or after the year 1470, during the short time this prince had reassumed 

 the crown, is hard to ascertain ; but by the letter h, which is on all the pieces 

 with the three crowns, one might be tempted to believe, that they were coined 

 during that short period, as it seems to be a distinguishing mark from those of 

 Edward IV. struck before that time."J 



* See Irish Coins of Edward the Fourth, figs. 88, 89. The practice of using the dies of deceased 

 Dionarchs was not unusual ; it is well known that Henry the Eighth, in his first coinage, used his 

 father's dies ; and I have lately seen a coin in the cabinet of Mr. Cuff, which affords a more inte- 

 resting illustration of the fact of old dies being altered. Mr. Cuff's coin is a Drogheda groat of 

 Richard the Third, struck from a die used by Edward the Fourth, which was altered by punching 

 the letters Ric, over edw, the remains of which are very evident. 



t PI. VI. fig. 135. J Page 22. 



