This half groat is a silver coin from the York mint. It was donated to the Eynsham History Group many years ago by the Oakley family.
The first groats were minted during the reign of Edward I (1272–1307), though this example of a half groat dates from the reign of King Henry VII (1485–1509). The front of the coin has a bust of the king wearing a double-arched crown, with keys at the neck. Groats were in use for hundreds of years, with production only stopping in 1856.
As its name suggests, the half groat was worth half the value of a groat. A groat was worth 4d (four ‘old pennies’); a half groat 2d.