Dr. Smith on the Irish Coins of Henry the Seventh. 67 



is always rounded at the top ; the coin is evidently blundered, and does not war- 

 rant the adoption of a reading for which there is no other authority. 



Simon assigns to Henry the Sixth a groat of the same type as those now 

 described, and conjectures that it was struck " before this unfortunate prince was 

 dethroned by Edward the Fourth."* Mr. Lindsay assents to the appropriation, 

 but thinks the coin was struck " after his restoration in 1470," as well as another 

 groat which he has published.f 



Although it cannot be proved that the coins already described in this section, 

 belong to Henry the Seventh, there are many objections against assigning them 

 to Henry the Sixth. 



There is no evidence that any coins were minted in Ireland during Henry's 

 brief restoration, nor even that his temporary authority was recognized in this 

 country, and if coins had been struck at that time, it is not likely that he would 

 have ventured to reduce the weight of the groat which in 1470 was nearly forty- 

 one grains, to thirty-one, the greatest weight of any of these coins I have met 

 with. 



Until very lately it was universally believed, that Henry the Seventh did 

 not coin any money with an open crown, but this opinion is now known to be 

 erroneous, and to quote the words of Mr. Hawkins, it may be considered " as 

 established beyond controversy, that Henry the Seventh did strike coins with an 

 open crown."J 



The coin which led Mr. Cuff to this important discovery, is a York penny 

 of Thomas Rotherham, who was archbishop of that see from 1480 to 1504. 

 Mr. Hawkins, in his able and valuable work, describes a penny with the king's 

 name on the obverse, and as having the archbishop's initial, " a t at one side of 

 the neck and a (fleur-de-) lis at the other, with an h in the centre of the re- 

 verse ;"§ but as the representation of the coin (fig. 367) is defective, inasmuch as 

 it has not the " t at one side of the neck," I subjoin the figure of one which 

 has lately come into my possession. 



* P. 22, and PI. III. fig. 70. t P- 37, and PI. V. fig. 104. 



t Silver Coins of England, p. 120. § P. 120. 



i2 



