A FORMER Dundee University professor has sold his coin collection for £103,710 at an auction in London.

The collection of 350 500-year-old groats was quietly and patiently assembled over a 16-year period, between 1985 and 2001, by Professor Colin Rochester, who lives in Invergowrie.

A spokesperson for Auctioneers Spink—which sold the collection on Thursday —said, “The Rochester collection is the most comprehensive collection of English groats from the reigns of Edward III to Henry VII to come on the market in many years. Professor Rochester built up the collection mainly between 1985 and 2001 with a scholar’s eye for types.”

Two groats alone—each worth four old pennies when originally issued in the 1400s—sold for a total of £11,300.

One of these—an “extremely rare” Richard III groat in the name of the short-lived Edward V and issued in 1483—sold for £5800, while a “very rare” Richard III groat fetched £5500.

In the 1400s it was possible to have a good night out for a groat, although the nightlife and street lighting then left a lot to be desired. In those days, a groat was the most valuable English silver coin.

Professor Rochester was Baxter professor of chemistry at Dundee University from 1980 until he retired in 2001. He does not keep any coins or cash at his home.