1⁄2 Groat 'with Lion' - John II of Avesnes

John II of Avesnes secured the County of Hainaut in 1280 after a prolonged dynastic struggle against the Dampierre family — a conflict so entangled with French and Flemish politics that it required the arbitration of Philip III of France to resolve. His subsequent alliance with the English crown under Edward I placed him squarely against the Flemish counts, shaping the political geography of the Low Countries for a generation. This issue dates to precisely that period of Anglo-Flemish tension, when Hainaut's mint was actively producing low-denomination silver for military and commercial purposes tied to coalition warfare.

The Hainaut#30 and #32 references suggest minor die variants within a short production window of roughly one year.