Eastern Newfoundland has unearthed what could be the oldest English coin ever found in Canada by Archaeologists.
Archaeologists were staggered with the finding of a rare coin around the size of a US nickel and just smaller than a 10p coin which was discovered at the historic site of Cupids Cove, the first English settlement in the nation.
Known as Henry VII half groat or two-penny piece, it is believed to have been minted more than 520 years ago.
It is assumed that the coin might be in the exhibition for tourists at the site display by next year.
Steve Crocker, the provincial tourism, culture, arts, and recreation minister commented that it is strange to imagine that the coin was minted in England and was lost in Cupids over a hundred years later.
He further elaborated his sentence as “It links the story of the early European exploration in the province and the start of English settlement.”
After a deep study by the archaeologists’ team the coin in consultation with a former curator of the Bank of Canada’s Currency Museum, it is assumed that it had been minted in Canterbury sometime between 1493 and 1499.
Head archaeologist William Gilbert, find the discovery as a major finding as he is involved in the digs site since 1995.
Mr. Gilbert told that artifacts play a significant role while displaying the story about the site. He also finds it is important to expand our imaginations about the site.
Mr. Glibert believes that it would not be easy for us to calculate the journey that the people would have made and several hands that it might have passed through.
a group of English settlers landed at what was then known as Cupers Cove, in Conception Bay, Newfoundland in August 1610. They were led by a merchant from Bristol by the name of John Guy.
While in 2001 Mr. Gilbert’s team uncovered an Elizabethan coin at the same site, which was considered the oldest English coin found in Canada.
However, the newly unearthed half groat assumed to be about 60 years older.
Read More: Rare 520-year-old coin found at site of first English settlement in Newfoundland – BBC News
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