Crowned bust right / small cross

S1115; 20mm, 0.9g

Struck in good silver but with rusty dies so surfaces appear rough.

This coin comes with rough find area provenance and a previous handwritten collector’s label.

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Eadred (946-955): On taking the throne, Eadred faced exactly the same issue as his brother had some seven years before – Northumbria yet again separating from England. Keen to stamp the problem out for good, Eadred seems to have engaged in a ‘scorched earth’ policy – destroying the region’s infrastructure and incentivising its inhabitants to support him over their usual Norse allies. This eventually worked, as in 954 the last ‘Viking’ King of York was exiled and promptly murdered by one of his own dissatisfied nobles. This is certainly Eadred’s best known achievement, though he also was keenly involved in the promotion of Benedictine monasticism – which flourished in England during his reign. He seems to have been badly affected by some sort of digestive disease that prevented him being properly nourished by food, and died childless in 955.

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Small cross each side

London mint

Moneyer Eie

S1093; 21mm, 1.61g

This coin comes with a previous handwritten collectors label.

ex J. Cross Collection

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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.

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St Edmunds Memorial

Alpha / Small Cross

S960; 19x14mm, 0.94g

Damaged

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?

The post Anglo Viking Danish East Anglia AD 885-954 Silver Penny appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Small cross / Moneyers name in 2 lines

Diarwald

S1105; 21mm, 1.08g

This coin comes with a previous collectors handwritten label.

This coin is part of the Warwick Collection, a fine selection of English Medieval silver coins.

Eadmund (939-946):  Second son of Edward the Elder, Eadmund ascended to the throne as his brother (and predecessor) Æthelstan had no children. Though forced to make early concessions when Anlaf Guthfrithsson succeeded in resurrecting the old kingdom of Danish Northumbria, Eadmund retook the region after consolidating his position. Sometimes known by the epithet ‘The Magnificent’, Eadmund was a litigious man – noted for his compilation of several law codes. Most of these are concerned with increasing social stability and creating a more structured, mutually supportive society. However, he was also evidently interested with aspects of the occult – some of his ordinances forbid the consumption of hallucinogenic plants and performance of magic or sorcery! He was abruptly murdered in 946 by an outlaw while defending one of his servants, and was succeeded by his younger brother Eadred because his own children were too young to become monarchs in their own right.

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Group 1

Tribrach type

Dudda / Canterbury

S914, 19mm, 1.26g

This coin comes with a previous collectors handwritten label.

This coin is part of the Warwick Collection, a fine selection of English Medieval silver coins.

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.

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Large Cross / Small Cross CVNNETTI

S993, 20mm; 1.39g. Minor edge loss, otherwise good metal and golden tone.

Comes with previous handwritten label.

Cnut of Northumbria (c. 900-905) – far more obscure than his 11^th century namesake who reputedly tried to hold back the waves at Bosham to prove to his followers that he did not possess  divine power; this Northumbrian Cnut remains something of an enigma. Aside from a few scant mentions of his name in Medieval Norse sagas compiled four centuries after his death, there are no other literary records mentioning him. Approximately 3,000 pennies struck in his name were found in the 1840 Cuerdale hoard, alongside issues of one ‘Sieferth’ and indeed some other coins displaying both the names ‘Cnut’ and ‘Sieferth’. Sieferth is just as obscure, though some scholars conflate him with Cnut – arguing that they are the same person. Cnut’s coins are redolent with Christian imagery, one iconic type demonstrating his name laid out in the manner of crossing oneself, accompanied by the inscription ‘MIRABILIA FECIT’ (He has done wonderful things) – taken from Psalm 98.

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SAXONIA monogram in centre / Cross.

S1041, 21mm, 1.32g

Old crack at 2 o’clock, stable and of good metal. Seldom offered monarch.

Recorded with the Portable Antiquities Scheme and the Early Medieval Coinage Database held at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Reference numbers will be provided with coin.

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Ecgberht (802-839) – An exile of Kentish descent who returned to rule after the death of Mercian-backed Beorhtric, Ecgberht has become better known to popular history in recent years – perhaps as a result of his depiction (though somewhat inaccurate) in the TV series ‘Vikings’. A strong ruler, he secured his western borders against the Cornish through two campaigns in 815 and 825. Emerging victorious after the Battle of Ellandun against Beornwulf of Mercia, his reign marked the end of the so-called ‘Mercian Hegemony’ over the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. He can be effectively seen as the founding member of the so-called ‘House of Wessex’.

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St Edmund’s Memorial

Alpha / Small cross

S960; 18mm, 1.21g

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?

The post Anglo Viking Danish East Anglia AD 885-954 Silver Penny appeared first on Silbury Coins.

Small cross / Moneyers name in 2 lines

Aethered Mo

S1087; 20mm, 1.61g

A rough find area provenance will be supplied with this coin.

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Edward the Elder (899-924): Son of Alfred the Great, Edward spent much of his reign retaking the Danelaw from its largely Scandinavian-descended inhabitants. By the end of his tenure, most of the territory had been re-absorbed and the Danish Jarls firmly subjugated by both force and diplomacy. A great soldier, his military exploits have somewhat dominated other important aspects of his reign – such as his socio-political re-organisation of Mercia and East Anglia into new administrative shires. Only recently has Edward been studied in depth, overshadowed to a degree by both his famous father and contemporary ally in the English fightback – Lady Æthelflæd of Mercia. His coinage is highly varied, including both portrait and non-portrait types as well as very rare ‘pictorial’ issues

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Small Cross / 2 lines

Moneyer Eadstan

S1089; 22mm, 1.57g

Comes with previous collectors label.

A fabulous example with gun metal type blue grey tone. No edge damage, rare for this period.

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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 Aethelstan AD 924-939 Silver Penny Small Cross type appeared first on Silbury Coins.