Coin found in Newfoundland could be the oldest in Canada

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador

A gold coin found on the south coast of Newfoundland could be the oldest-known English coin found in an archaeological context in Canada.

The coin was found this summer by Edward Hynes.

The coin is a Henry VI quarter noble, minted in London between 1422 and 1427. The coin would have been a sizeable amount of money in the 1400s, valued at 1 shilling 8 pence.

Last year there was a silver coin minted in the 1490s at the Cupids Cove Plantation Provincial Historic Site. It was considered the oldest English coin ever found in Canada.

It remains unknown how the coin made it to Newfoundland. Research is continuing.