4 Pence - Lord Baltimore "Groat"

Cecil Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore, commissioned this coinage — along with shilling, sixpence, and penny denominations — from a London mint in 1659 to address the chronic shortage of small change plaguing his proprietary colony. The coins never circulated widely. Most are believed to have remained in England or been absorbed into the general silver supply before reaching Maryland in meaningful quantities, which accounts for why surviving specimens in any grade are genuinely scarce.

The groat is the rarest of the four denominations struck in the series. PCGS and NGC combined populations remain in the low dozens across all grades.