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Groat - Henry VII Three crowns, Geraldine
| Issuer | Ireland |
|---|---|
| Year | 1487 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Sp#6433 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Three crowns arranged in a vertical stack occupy the central field, set within a multi-lobed (polylobe) inner border, a device emblematic of the lordship of Ireland. Beneath the crowns, a long cross with triple-annulet finials extends to the coin's periphery, dividing the surrounding legend. The legend DOMINUS YBERNIE, rendered in a mixed-case hammered die style, proclaims Henry VII as Lord of Ireland. The design is consistent with the Geraldine-influenced coinage struck under the authority of the Fitzgerald earls of Kildare. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The "Geraldine" designation here is the key to understanding why this coin exists. Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, controlled the Dublin mint as Lord Deputy and was the dominant political force in Ireland throughout the 1480s — loyal in name to whoever sat on the English throne but effectively running the island as his own domain. In 1487 he backed the Lambert Simnel imposture, crowning the pretender as "Edward VI" in Dublin, which places this issue in genuinely contested dynastic territory. Whether struck before or after that coronation farce remains debated among specialists.