Kings of Wessex Aethelberht AD 858-865 Silver Penny Bust right / Voided Cross

Kings of Wessex Aethelberht AD 858-865 Silver Penny

Bust right / Voided Cross

Seferth

S1053; 21mm, 1.23g

A handsome coin with old collection tone and unusual style portrait.

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Æthelberht (860-865) – The third son of Æthelwulf, much like his father, Æthelberht began his royal career as the sub-king of Kent under his brother Æthelbald. Numismatic evidence suggests that he enjoyed a great deal of independence – striking coins in his own name, which perhaps infers a more equal relationship with his older brother. Unlike his father and brothers, Æthelberht never appointed his own sub-kings – and during his rule Wessex was governed as a single entity for the first time in some thirty years.