Edward IV's Irish penny issues of this period reflect the chronic shortage of small silver denominations plaguing the lordship — a problem so acute that the Dublin mint was authorized to strike at significantly reduced weight standards compared to English issues, a deliberate policy rather than debasement. The rose and radiant sun were Yorkist badges adopted with particular urgency in Ireland, where Yorkist sympathies ran deep following Richard Duke of York's lieutenancy there in the 1450s.
The extremely low weight specification meant these pieces circulated in a different economic sphere from their English counterparts, legally and practically.
Edward IV's Irish penny issues of this period reflect the chronic shortage of small silver denominations plaguing the lordship — a problem so acute that the Dublin mint was authorized to strike at significantly reduced weight standards compared to English issues, a deliberate policy rather than debasement. The rose and radiant sun were Yorkist badges adopted with particular urgency in Ireland, where Yorkist sympathies ran deep following Richard Duke of York's lieutenancy there in the 1450s.
The extremely low weight specification meant these pieces circulated in a different economic sphere from their English counterparts, legally and practically.