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.
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.