1 Penny - Richard III Durham mint, Bp. Sherwood

Richard III's Durham pennies were struck under the authority of John Sherwood, Bishop of Durham from 1484, whose mint right was a medieval episcopal privilege separate from the royal mints at London and York. Durham's ecclesiastical mint had operated intermittently for centuries under successive prince-bishops, and Richard's brief reign produced a correspondingly small output. Sherwood was a papal diplomat before his appointment — his elevation came partly as reward for service in Rome — and his tenure at Durham lasted well beyond Richard's fall at Bosworth in August 1485.

The Sp#2169 attribution distinguishes this piece from superficially similar issues by the presence of the bishop's mark rather than the king's.