Stylised bust right / Figure advancing left

11mm, 1.40g

An affordable piece, used and lost by the Anglo Saxons in southern Britain.

This coin comes with a rough UK find area provenance.

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Group IV – East Anglia

Diademed bust right / Cross Crosslet

S920, 19mm, 1.30g

Minor edge loss, a nice style.

This coin comes with a rough find area provenance.

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Coenwulf (796-821): A high ranking Mercian noble who took control after the unexpected death of the latter’s son, Coenwulf was an effective ruler who pursued an aggressive domestic policy against the kingdom’s enemies. This is most prominently visible against the rebellious vassal provinces of East Anglia and Kent, but also in several campaigns against the Welsh. A coin of Coenwulf currently holds the honour of being one of the most expensive English coins ever to have been sold at auction, the famous gold ‘mancus’ discovered in Bedfordshire and purchased by the British Museum in 2006 for the sum of £350,000.

The post Kings of Mercia Coenwulf AD 796-821 Silver Penny appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Small cross each side, blundered legends

21mm, 1.34g

Minor edge loss. An interesting study piece.

This coin comes with a rough find area provenance.

Æthelstan (924-937): Regarded by some as the very best of all the English Kings (even better than Alfred), Æthelstan’s achievements draw on aspects of both his father and grandfather’s rule. In addition to being a capable military commander and well-able to defend the realm, he was also a statesman of note. Securing his borders with Wales via clever diplomacy and making supreme efforts to ensure that Scandinavian-aligned Northumbria would not break away from England, he was also deeply concerned with undertaking sweeping legal reforms. A shrewd man in matters fiscal, he promoted regional trade centres, re-organised aspects of the minting process and struck coins bearing his name that declared him ‘King of All Britain’ – a proud but perhaps not totally inaccurate boast. In 937, he achieved a stunning victory when he defeated a joint invasion force of Dublin Norse and Scottish at the Battle of Brunanburgh – though he died only a few years later.

The post Anglo Viking Imitation of Aethelstan AD 924-939 Silver Penny appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Series H, Hamwic Type 39

Pecking bird/Celtic cross with bosses around

S801; 11mm, 0.61g

Comes with rough find area provenance.

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Series Q, Type 95

Facing bust of Christ? / Quadruped (wolf?) facing left with head turned back, crest woven between legs.

S808C; 12mm, 0.90g

A most attractive and seldom offered type.

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This coin comes with a rough find area provenance and previous collectors handwritten label.

The post Anglo Saxon Secondary Phase AD 710-760 Silver Sceatta Series Q Facing bust of Christ? *Extremely Rare* appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Triquetras group

Man and crosses, winged figure, facing bust or pecking bird/Interlaced cross with triquetra terminals, rosettes or pellets between

S821; 12mm, 0.70g

This coin comes with a rough find area provenance and is recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme.

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Type 1

Monogram for REX/Five annulets, each containing a pellet, joined to form a cross

S873; 19mm, 1.39g

A fabulous coin, well struck in good silver with pleasing surfaces and crisp detail. The smallest of edge chips as can be seen in photos.

This coin comes with a collectors handwritten note stating that it was found at Tonbridge, Kent in 1980.

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Eadberht III Praen (796-798) – an obscure individual apparently residing at the court of Frankish King Charlemagne (who may well have sponsored his insurrection), Eadberht took power in late 796 following the death of Offa of Mercia. However, his attempt stalled when Pope Leo III refused to ratify his rule – ruling instead that Offa’s successor Coenwulf had every right to wage war on Eadberht and re-take Kent. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that Eadberht was quickly captured and brought back to Mercia, but his ultimate fate is unknown. One source states that he was mutilated and blinded, another that he was set free.

The post Kings of Kent Eadberht Praen AD 796-798 Silver Penny appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Light coinage, non portrait. Moneyer Beaweth? or similar

Celtic Cross Type, Small flan

S904, 16mm, 0.97g

This coin comes with a rough find area provenance.

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Offa (757-796): The first King of Mercia to strike coins, Offa is perhaps one of the most famous Anglo-Saxon kings – and certainly the longest-ruling (c. 39 years). Although he probably was not the original builder of ‘Offa’s Dyke’ and his attempts to ingratiate himself with the Frankish King Charlemagne ultimately failed – by the time of his death he had built Mercia into Anglo-Saxon England’s powerhouse kingdom. J J North’s ‘English Hammered Coinage vol. I’ encompasses Offa’s coinage within c. 80 different types, which perhaps illustrates best the complexity of his various issues struck during his reign.

The post Kings of Mercia Offa AD 757-796 Silver Penny appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Alpha / Cross

S960, 18mm, 1.32g

Some edge loss, mottled find patina.

This coin comes with a rough find area provenance.

Saint Edmund’s pennies

Perhaps the most numerous of the Anglo-Viking issues struck in the Danelaw are the so-called ‘St Edmund Memorial’ pennies, copying issues of Edmund – the King of East Anglia who was martyred in 869. These coins were struck in several phases from c. 895-910 by a dizzying array of moneyers, who demonstrate not only indigenous Anglo-Saxon names but also Scandinavian and even continental ones. These attest to a thriving, internationally-reaching polity that was probably somewhat diverse.

It might seem bizarre to think that the sons and grandsons of those who had originally killed Edmund had now moved to striking coins celebrating him as ‘SC EADMUND’ (Saint Edmund) within their own territory. However, perhaps there is a relevant point here to be made concerning the extent to which Christian beliefs had been adopted and the hold which Edmund’s cult held over the local populace. Perhaps the newly-converted Danes, feeling guilty for their ancestors’ martyrdom of Edmund, were trying to make spiritual amends by venerating him on their coins?

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Diademed bust left, RX at end of legend ligated together in one letter form/Small Cross

Aelfweard, Wallingford

S1154; 20mm, 1.71g

Comes with previous collectors printed label

An attractive coin in hand

Æthelred II ‘The Unready’ – 978-1013/1014-1016: The eldest son of Eadgar, Æthelred became king at the mere age of 12 following the brutal murder of his half-brother Edward. Young and easy to manipulate, he came to depend on his councillors for their prudent advice – an aspect in which they badly let him down. Though his reign is noted for its economic reforms and a high standard for the English coinage, it was marred by Scandinavian raids, periods of acute social instability and famine. Initially adopting a policy of paying the invaders to go away, Æthelred abruptly U-turned in 1002 and massacred many ethnic Danes resident in England. This policy backfired spectacularly, actually causing more Scandinavians to take up arms against him. Displaced from the throne in 1013 by Swein Forkbeard, he briefly returned to rule for a second time in 1014 after the latter’s untimely death – only to die himself shortly afterwards.

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