Archaeologists at the Cupids Cove Plantation Provincial Historic Site discovered a rare English silver coin during this season’s excavations. According to site supervisor and head archaeologist William Gilbert, who discovered the site in 1995 and continues to lead the dig, this is likely the oldest English coin to ever be found in Canada, and possibly all of North America.

Consultation with Paul Berry, former curator of the Bank of Canada’s Currency Museum, indicates the coin is a Henry VII “half groat”, or two-penny piece, minted in Canterbury, England sometime between 1493 and 1499.

In 2001, an Elizabethan coin, dated 1560-1561, was unearthed on the same site. At that time, the coin was considered the oldest English coin ever found in Canada. This newly discovered coin is about 60 years older and would have been in circulation for at least 111 years before it was lost at Cupids.

Research on the coin is ongoing. It is expected that it will go on display at the Cupids Cove Plantation Provincial Historic Site in time for the opening of the 2022 tourist season.

Quotes
“The historical significance of the Cupids Cove Plantation Provincial Historic Site has long been known and its value to the local tourism industry is proven. It is incredible to imagine that this coin was minted in England and was lost in Cupids over a hundred years later. It links the story of the early European exploration in the province and the start of English settlement.”
Honourable Steve Crocker
Minister of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation

“Some artifacts are important for what they tell us about a site, while others are important because they spark the imagination. This coin is definitely one of the latter. One can’t help but wonder at the journey it made, and how many hands it must have passed through from the time it was minted in Canterbury until it was lost in Cupids sometime early in the 17th century. This is a major find and I am proud of my team for all their hard work. We look forward to the next great discovery.”
William Gilbert
Site Supervisor/Head Archaeologist, Cupids Cove Plantation Provincial Historic Site

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Adrienne Luther
Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation
709-729-4819, 730-2953
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