Kings of Mercia Offa Silver Penny 757-796AD Portrait type, Ealred Light coinage

Kings of Mercia Offa Silver Penny 757-796AD Portrait type, Ealred Light coinage

17mm, 1.13g, S 905

A most pleasing example of this early Mercian portrait type, some surface pitting consistent with the usual base silver fabric.

This coin comes with an old Spink ticket & find spot provenance.

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.