CANADA'S OLDEST ENGLISH COIN?

An archeological fieldworker excavating a site in eastern Newfoundland has unearthed what could be the oldest English coin ever found in Canada.

William Gilbert, head archeologist and supervisor at the Cupids Cove Plantation Provincial Historic Site, says one of his colleagues found the silver coin in September, adding that research has confirmed it was minted sometime between 1493 and 1499.

It's important because it sparks your imagination, Gilbert said in an interview Wednesday. The coin, he added, is more than a century older than Cupids, founded in 1610. You just have to wonder when you look at this thing: how many hands did it pass through?

Known as a Henry VII ‘half groat,' or twopenny piece, the nickel-sized coin was minted in Canterbury, England, more than 500 years ago. Gilbert said he came to that conclusion after consulting Paul Berry, former curator of the Bank of Canada's Currency Museum.

The coin features a stylized portrait of King Henry VII and a Latin inscription that says, Henry, by the grace of God, King of England and France. The other side features a cross and the king's motto, also in Latin: I have made God my helper.

Settled by Bristol, England, merchant John Guy, the Cupids plantation is the site of the oldest English settlement in Canada. The English colony at Jamestown, Va., was settled in 1607. By 1613, Guy and a small group of colonists had built several structures, including Canada's first sawmill and brewery.

Meanwhile, research on the coin is ongoing. It is expected to be put on display in time for the historic site's 2022 tourist season.

It is incredible to imagine that this coin was minted in England and was lost in Cupids over a hundred years later, the province's tourism minister, Steve Crocker, said in a statement. It links the story of the early European exploration in the province and the start of English settlement.

In 2001, an Elizabethan coin — dated 1560-1561 — was found at the same site, and at the time it was considered the oldest English coin ever found in Canada.

To read the complete articles, see:
Archeological dig in Newfoundland unearths what could be Canada's oldest English coin (https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/11/10/archeological-dig-in-newfoundland-unearths-what-could-be-canadas-oldest-english-coin.html)
Rare 520-year-old coin found at site of first English settlement in Newfoundland (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59252280)

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