PREVIEW: THE FRANCIS BARTLETT COLLECTION OF ENGLISH GROATS 27 SEPTEMBER

Enthusiasts can really come into their own as serious collectors once retirement affords them the time to dedicate to their passion.

Francis Bartlett, a collector since childhood, wanted to get past what he describes as a process of collecting in “a very unstructured way” when the chance came.

 

“So, when considering partial retirement from business, I consulted my friend and long-time business colleague Ken Eckardt, who many of you will know from his contributions to numismatics on the Caribbean countermarked currencies of the 18th & 19th centuries.”

Eckardt’s advice? “Only focus on and collect a series for a period of history which really interests you and do it methodically without distractions.”

The result was a stunning collection of hammered English groats dating from the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) to that of Queen Anne (1701-14).

While many of us will have heard of groats, few know what they are. In fact, they are a defunct English, Irish and Scottish coin originally equivalent to four old pence, then later to eight pence and finally a shilling.

The groat has its origins in mainland Europe, where a Groschen (gross) silver coin circulated in the Tyrol and Venice in the late 13th century. A French version issued out of Tours and then circulated in England under Edward I, was known as the gros tournois, which was truncated to become the groat.

Francis Bartlett, whose chief interest has been in the historic tie of each handmade coin, has consigned a collection of 99 groats for sale at Noonans on 27 September. Highlights include examples from the reigns of Henry V (estimate £4,000-£5,000), Edward IV or V (£3,000-£3,600) and Richard III (£1,500-1,800). But this offering should also appeal to new collectors as some examples are guided at around £100 or so.

“The Bartlett collection provides us with an ideal example of how to target one’s interest, allowing us to create a very useful catalogue for future reference,” says Tim Wilkes, Head of Coins at Noonans.

In the reigns of William IV and Victoria two types of fourpence were issued simultaneously: those with Britannia seated on the reverse (known as Groats) and those with a crowned 4 on the reverse (known as Fourpences, for use in Maundy sets). The last Britannia Groats for circulation were struck in 1855; Maundy Fourpences have been struck continuously to the present day but are not generally referred to as Groats.