+ DAVE'S : RARE : COINS

II.VII Meridith.

Rarer and more beautiful than the Coenwulf gold mancus. A new arrival in our family, my daughter Meridith. Born 15/08/06. 9lb 80z. Mum and baby doing fine - dad still shaking.........but VERY proud.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 16/08/2006.
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II.VI A basic glossary of associated terminology.

I have provided here, for convenience, a very limited introduction to the use of terms associated with early medieval hammered coinage. The backbone of this post is taken from the Coin yearbook 2005. I have added and removed explanations as necessary.

Annulet small circle often used as an ornament, or spacing device in coin inscriptions. 

Ar Abbreviation for Latin Argentum [silver] used for coins struck in this metal.

Attribution Identification of a coin by characteristics such as issuing authority, reign, mint, and by a standard reference.

Base Non-precious metal.

Beading Ornamental border found on the raised rim of a coin.

Blank Piece of cut or punched metal prepared for striking to produce coins.

Blundered Inscription Legend in which the lettering is jumbled or meaningless, indicating the illiteracy of the Vikings for example in copying English coinage.

Clipped Coins Precious metal coins from which small amounts have been removed by clipping the edges.

Cut coins Coins cut into smaller pieces to provide correspondingly smaller denominations. Often assisted by a cross on the reverse.

Debasement The reduction in the precious metal content of the coinage, usually by governments for economic reasons.

Device Heraldic term for the pattern or emblem on coins.

Die Hardened piec e of metal bearing a mirror image of the device to be struck on one side of a coin.

Ecclesistical Coins Coins struck by a religious authority such as an archbishop or abbot.

Effigy An image or representation of a person, usually a king, on the obverse or important side of a coin.

Engraving The art of cutting lines or grooves in a die. Engraving images into the face of the dies used in striking coins.

Epigraphy The study of inscriptions, involving the classification and interpretation of coin legends.

Facing Bust Term for the portrait, usually on the obverse of a coin, which faces front instead of to the side.

Field Flat part of the surface of a coin between the legend, the effigy and other raised parts of the design.

Flan The piece of metal struck between dies to produce a coin. Also called a blank or planchett.

Hammered Term denoting coins produced by the traditional method of striking flans by hand between dies.

Hoard Accumulation of coins concealed in times of economic or political upheaval. Often discovered centuries later.

Hybrid Another term for a mule.

Legend The inscription on a coin.

Ligature Term denoting the linking of two letters in a legend. For example AE on coins of king Aelfred etc...

Mint The place in which coins are produced.

Moneyer The individual charged with striking coins at the official mint. Also known as a coiner.

Mule Coin whose obverse is not matched with its official or regular reverse.

Nicked Coin Coin bearing a tiny nick or cut in its edge. Silver coins were tested by this method [especially] in the reign of Henry I. Eventually people refused to accept them. The problem was solved when the state decreed that all coins must have a nick in them.

Numismatics The study of coins and related fields. From the Latin numisma and the Greek nomisma [money].

Obverse The front of the coin. The side of a coin usually bearing the name and/or effigy of the king or ruler.

Pile In hammered coinage, the obverse die. The opposite of the trussel.

Privy Mark A mark, pattern of marks or symbol incorporated into the design of a coin to identify the mint, coiner or particular die used. 

Profile A side view of the human face or bust, widely used as a coin effigy.

Retrograde Term describing the inscriptions running from right to left, or with the letters in a mirror image. Thought by some to be the work of ignorant engravers.

Reverse The back of the coin. The side without the name or image of the monarch etc...

Saltire Heraldic term for a cross in the shape of an 'X'. St. Andrew's cross.

Silver A precious metal, formerely widely used to produce coinage.

Styca Name given to the debased silver sceats of Northumbria in the 8th-9th century.

Trussel In hammered coinage, the reverse die. The opposite of the pile.

Type Principal motif on a coin, enabling numismatists to identify the issue.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 11/08/2006.
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II.IVb Invasion, Conquest and the Church. [My "wants list" part two !!].

In part one of this post I detailed the Anglo-Saxon pennies of the four kingdoms that issued them. There were in fact five more or less independent kingdoms extant at that time. The fifth was Northumbria. No pennies were issued in this country [*] until it came under the control of the Vikings, after the 860's. But coinage was issued by the native kings, and Archbishops of York, in the form of old fashioned sceats and later base metal stycas. Much of the Northumbrian coinage is Normal or Common, and thus I have listed only the rarer issues [of those with no zoomorphic animal forms] from each class.

Northumbria and the Archbishops of York.

(None from AR sceattas [a]) AR sceattas [b]. These are joint issues by kings and Archbishops of York. Eadberht with Archbishop Ecgberht 737-758, Æðelvald Moll with Archbishop Ecgberht 759-765, Alchred with Archbishop Ecgberht 765-766, Æðelred I with Archbishop Eanbald I 779-780.

Phase 1a stycas. Æðelred I (second reign) 789-796 ['Shrine' and rare variants only], Eardvulf (first reign) 796-806, Ælfwald II 806-808. Archbishop Eanbald II 796-835 total tenure. (Issue in base silver).

(None from phase Ib) Phase II stycas. Archbishop Eanbald II, Archbishop Vulfhere 849/50-900.

[*] King Eanred of Northumbria is believed to have struck a penny coinage. The single known 'Eanred' penny has a bust right obverse with cross, part moline and part crosslet reverse. It is extremely rare and little understood. It may not have been coined by this monarch at all. His styca coins, N 860, n862 and N 864 are all quite common.

Beginning in the reign of ◊ffa [until that of Edward the Elder], each Archbishop of Canterbury minted coins in his own name, with or without the name of the ruling Overlord. Although within its boundries, this coinage often had very little to do with the country of Kent or its kings. All of the various types of this series are rare in some way and all would warrant inclusion in my cabinet. I have included all of the ecclesiastically minted Anglo-Saxon pennies in my wants list, the Joint Issues, the archbishops of Canterbury and (certain Archbishops of) York, and [in part one] the only bishop of London to hold a warrant to mint coins.

The Archbishops of Canterbury.

Jænberht 765-792, Æðelheard (elected 792, consecrated 793, died 805), Vulfred 805-832, Ceolnoth 833-870, Æðelred 870-889, Plegmund 890-914.

The Viking settlers in England established patterns of rule based on those of their Anglo-Saxon neighbours. In an attempt not to appear barbaric, coinage was initiated and maintained throughout the Danelaw and other Viking terratories, again based on, and often imitative of, that of adjoining kingdoms. The different regions each produced a rich and varied output, although degredation sometimes sets in and the resulting coinage is often blundered and of a shoddy workmanship.

Danish East Anglia. Æðelstan II [Guthrum] 878-890, Oswald [unknown except for his coins], Æðelred I [Imitations] c.870, St. Eadmund memorial Coinage [rarer variants and halfpennies only], St. Martin of Lincoln, Ælfred [Imitations, including halfpennies].

The Danelaw. Ælfred [Imitations, different to those of east Anglia], Ælfred/Plegmund [Imitation], Eadward the Elder [Imitation], Plegmund [Imitation] c.900, Earl Sihtric.

Viking coinage of York [?]. Guðfrið, Siefred, Cnut, Cnut and /or Siefred, blundered issues, halfpennies.

York, early tenth century Issues. St. Peter Coinage [Early Issues], Regnald [blundered types].

English coins of the Hiberno-Norse Vikings. Sihtric 921-927, St. Peter Coinage [Later Issues]. (Later period, after the battle of Brunanburh, mostly struck at York). Anlaf Guthfrithsson 939-941, Olaf Sihtricsson [first reign] 941-944, Regnald Guthfrithsson 943-944, Sihtric Sihtricsson c. 942, Anonymous [small cross ELTANGERHT], Eric Bloodaxe [first reign] 948, Olaf Sihtricsson [second reign] 948-952, Eric Bloodaxe [second reign] 952-954. 

The production of coinage hardly changed at all following the Norman Conquest. The Anglo-Saxon penny was minted to a very high standard. The controls and periodic type changes of the previous reigns were permitted to continue and the high output was maintained by over seventy mints operating during the Conquerors reign. An attempt was made to instigate an issue of round halfpence during the reign of Henry I. Due to the large and diverse coinage in the reigns of the Norman monarchs, I have limited myself to the rarer types only.

William I. 1066-1087. Profile Left type, Canopy type, Two Sceptres type, Sword type, Profile Right type.

William II. 1087-1100. [All types of this reign are included, as all are classified as at least Rare]. Profile type, Cross in Quatrefoil type, Cross Voided type, Cross Patee and Fleury type, Cross Fleury and Piles type.

Henry I. 1100-1135. Annulets type, Cross Fleury Profile left type, PAX type, Annulets and Piles type, Voided Cross with Fleurs type, Pointing Bust and Stars type, Quatrefoil with Piles type, Cross with Annulets Large Bust type, Cross in Quatrefoil type, Double Insciption type, Cross with Annulets Small Bust type, Star in Lozenge type. + Both types of halfpenny. (types 10, 14 and 15 are missing from this reign as they are not really that rare).

Stephen. 1135-1154. Rarer substantial issues.  Watford type 1279, all coins struck from erased or defaced dies, all Eastern and South-Eastern variants, all Southern and Midland variants, all North-East and Scottish Border variants, all of the Ornamented Series [Lozenge Sceptre], all of the uncertain issues, Henry Earl of Northumberland, Stephen and Queen Matilda, Robert Earl of Leicester, Eustace, Robert, Bishop Henry, Matilda, Henry of Neubourg, Duke Henry, Robert Earl of Gloucester, William Earl of Gloucester, Brian Fitzcount, Patrick Earl of Salisbury. (For the Baronial Issues of this reign, putting a title to a name is often educated guesswork).

That concludes my "wants list" !! I have attempted to list the rarer types of each monarch and class faithfully, but if mistakes do appear then they are my own - I am only human !! I have stuck to the types that I collect personally. Pennies, from their inception to the end of the reign of Stephen, sceats if named with king and/or archbishop, stycas only if very rare, and all round halfpence. Sceats with animals, zoomorphic or other designs and/or no legend are not included, nor are common types from the eras indicated, ie. most stycas. Some of the coins of the later Anglo-Saxon kings of all England are rare issues, Harthacnut, Edward the Martyr, Harold II etc....and there are rare types among the more common monarchs of course.

I own examples of the types above in bold italics.

Sources : Spink. Coins of England. English Hammered Coinage, Volume One. J.J. North. Viking Coins of the Danelaw. Michael Dolley. Anglo-Saxon Pennies. Michael Dolley. Coins of the Anarchy 1135-54. George C. Boon. English Coins in the British Museum, Volume One. Charles Keary. The Book of Kells.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 08/08/2006.
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II.V The life and coinage of a martyred king.

Eadmund of East Anglia was born in 841AD, according to some sources in Nurembourg, of the Old Continental Saxons. He was supposedly not of the East Anglian royal line, or possibly a distant relative. The written sources are ambiguous and open to interpretation on these and other points. He became or was elected king of Norfolk at Lydgate on Christmas day 855, aged fourteen. He was consecrated and crowned king of Norfolk, and later Suffolk, by bishop Hunbert of the East Angles at Burum (now Bures St. Mary), a royal villa on the Stour and capital of Suffolk. He is supposed to have built a fortified tower at Hunstanton for 'country solitude' and retired there for a whole year in order to learn the Psalter by heart. He could apparently recite it perfectly in ceremonies of worship thereafter. Of the next eleven years of Eadmund's life absolutely nothing is known. We do know that he was extremely pious and a competant military general.

The Viking Great Army (under the command of uncertain kings but certainly including earls Ubba and Ingvar the Boneless) had devastated Northumbria in 867 and by means of ambush put to death the rival kings Osbert, of the legitimate line, and Ælle. The Army wintered at York 867-8, and then marched on into Mercia, wintering at Nottingham 868-9. Here they were beseiged by king Burgred of Mercia with the assistance of king Æðelred I and Prince Ælfred (later king Ælfred the Great) of Wessex, but without descisive result. From the Midlands the Vikings pushed on virtually unopposed into East Anglia, taking up residence at Thetford in Norfolk.

From 866 Eadmund had managed to keep up an uneasy, often broken, peace with the invaders. Negotiations collapsed in 869 and the Vikings attacked the Angles. The Angles held firm and the invaders were initially repulsed. They soon returned in even greater numbers and razed Thetford to the ground. This outraged the Angles and led to the battle of Hoxne, twenty miles east of Thetford, in November 869. The battle was bloody but the Vikings took the field. Eadmund himself, a resourceful man, survived and escaped.

The Viking leadership issued a proclamation, through a messenger, to the effect that Eadmund could continue to rule as a puppet monarch under the command of the Viking king of Anglia, but must 'share' his treasury. Eadmund refused the advice of his bishops to surrender or flee, and refused to comply with the invaders demands on the grounds that he would not share joint rule with a pagan king, but may be willing to reconsider on behalf of his subjects if the invaders accepted baptism. He was later captured alive and unarmed.

The Vikings had Eadmund brought before them into the feast hall, where his constant calling on the name of Christ drove them into a violent rage. They firstly beat him with cudgels and/or animal bones. This failed to break his spirit, so they took him outside and tied him to a stout tree, where they cruelly whipped him with long scourges. Javelins (light throwing spears ?) were then thrown at him, with care taken not to hit any vital organs. When this also failed dozens of arrows were fired into his body, until he 'resembled a thistle'. He was finally beheaded. As a last insult the vikings are said to have thrown his head into briar bushes, where it was later miraculously guarded by a wolf.

Some sources maintain that Eadmund was martyred at the insistence of Ingvar and Ubba, who were led to believe that he was in some way responsible for the death of their father, Ragnar Lothbrok, in England. In another version Ragnar boasted that the achievements of Eadmund were well known and far outweighed those of his own sons. The brothers then came to England with the express purpose of killing Eadmund and plundering his kingdom. Yet another author states that Ragnar was executed in a wolf or snake pit by order of king Aelle of Northumbria.

He was buried at first near to the site of his martyrdom, perhaps at Hoxne. But his relics were later transferred to Beadoriceworth (later Bury St. Edmunds) some time before 945. He was canonised at an unknown date. The shrine of St. Eadmund soon became one of the most famous and visited in all England. Over sixty churches throughout England were eventually dedicated to him. As patron saint of the English (before the Normans replaced him with St. George) he was invoked against the plague, and his reputation as a saint soon spread all over Europe. His feast day was celebrated on November 20th. Within a few decades the East Anglian Vikings had been converted and even issued a memorial coinage dedicated to St. Eadmund.

In the reign of Æðelred II (975-1016) a French monk, Abbo of Fleury, wrote an account of the Life of St. Eadmund, at the request of the monks of Bury St. Edmunds Abbey (for a picture of the Abbey ruins at Bury, see below). Abbo based his 'Life' on a story told by Archbishop Dunstan of Canterbury. Dunstan had heard it as a young man from king Aethelstan (II, 924-939) as he related it to the bishop of Rochester. The tale had been told to Æðelstan himself by king Eadmund's armour-bearer, then a very old man. Abbo of Fleury's Life of St. Eadmund was later translated from the Latin into Old English by Ælfric of Eynsham as the Passio Sancti Eadmundi.

Coins, crosses and contrition.

Pennies were struck throughout the reign of Eadmund of East Anglia. Eight different types were produced at more or less regular intervals. The first type, N 456 (Alpha obverse) was the most common, with the next three types differing only slightly from each other. Apart from Type One the others have only one moneyer per type, with the exception of Type's Three and Four, which both have (the same) two moneyers, and one of my fragments, of which more later.

Many of these types are identical to types from the previous reign (Æðelweard of East Anglia c.845-855) and some share the same moneyer for both reigns. Although not as diverse as the coinage of Æðelstan I of East Anglia (c.825-c.845) the innovations of this reign are in the designs of the obverse crosses on some later types. For example Type Five has the cross with its upper and both transverse arms crosslet, the latter sloping upward. The design is as far as I can ascertain unique to this reign and monarch. Type Six has a cross on three legs. These designs are refreshing and pleasing to the eye.

Eleven moneyers are recorded as striking for Eadmund, most of them on his Type One. Three of them (Æðelhelm, Dudda and Twicga) minted the same or different types in the previous reign also. The Master Coiner Æðelhelm minted pennies with only minor differences during the reigns of Aethelstan I, Aethelweard and Eadmund. A total of over forty years !!!

The pictures above show two different types of the coinage of Eadmund.

The first coin [top] is an Eadmund Type Seven. These are extremely rare (North has VR). Mine is only the fourth known example (recorded as EMC 2006.0116) of this type for this monarch. The moneyer for the other three Type Seven coins is BEAGHELM, who also coined Type One. The moneyer for my fragment is BEAGSTAN (a new moneyer for the type) a Mercian moneyer active during the reign of king Burgred (852-874). This type was also produced under Aethelstan I, but not under Aethelweard, so can be dated fairly accurately.

The second coin [bottom] is a standard Type I. It has the Alpha obverse and the Cross and pellets reverse. The moneyer for this coin is SIGERED. Of the 22 EMC/SCBI recorded examples of N 456, only four are struck by this moneyer, five including my coin. The pellets and bar around the Alpha symbol are a match on all five coins of this moneyer.

As mentioned above only decades after the martyrdom of king Eadmund, the Viking settlers produced a memorial coinage in honour of St. Eadmund. The coins were numerous (in fact they were the most common English Viking coins) and struck c.895-c.910. The obverse of the coins has the Alpha of the Type One coins of his own reign, with the legend SC EADMUND REX (often blundered). The reverse has a large cross patee, another of Eadmund's devices, with the moneyers name (often blundered) followed by MONETA, or sometimes ME FEC(IT). Image here www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/sebc/visit/images/Myedmem.jpg

The earlier coins are better and generally have pellets in the obverse field. Degeneration soon sets in and later coins have blundered legends, small flans and thick lettering. Slightly different types were produced also, with double obverses/reverses, ERIAICE lettering on reverse and also halfpennies. All are now at least Very Rare. A high number of moneyers were employed to coin the type. Some are recognisable as regular Anglian moneyers, some as Viking coiners. Several employ nicknames and many have foreign sounding names (French, Frankish, Irish etc).......In short the vast amount of moneyers of this coinage deserve a whole study to themselves !!

The settlers of the Viking Great Army had gone from being regicides to respectable christians in the space of one generation !!

Sources : Anglo-Saxon Primer - Professor Kenneth Cutler website. Patron Saints Index website. Google. Wikipedia website. St. Patricks Church, saints of November 20th website. Catholic Encyclopedia website. Richard Rawlinson centre for Anglo-Saxon studies website. The British Library website. Books Fact and Fiction in the Life of Eadmund of East Anglia. Professor Dorothy Whitelock. Anglo-Saxon chronicle. Anne Savage (Editor). The Lives of the Fathers etc...Rev. Alban Butler. 

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 05/08/2006.
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II.IVa Pennies of the Saxon kingdoms. [My "wants list" part one !!]

Beginning in the 760's the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, under king ◊ffa, began to replace the phased out  sceat coinage and issue another type of coin, the penny. The penny was broader and thinner than the sceat but weighed approximately the same. Its method of manufacture altered only slightly up to the time of the Norman conquest. Three other kingdoms followed with pennies of their own rulers. Only Northumbria kept its original sceat coins, and then debased its coinage with poor quality, mostly copper styca's. The following kingdoms and monarchs issued pennies (until England united under king Edgar (of the famous monetary reform) of Wessex, 959-975)  :

KENT

Heaberht c.765, Ecgberht c.780, Eadberht Praen 796-798, Cuthred 798-807, Anonymous 822-823, Baldred 823-825.

MERCIA

◊ffa 757-796 [3], Cynðryð (wife of Offa), Eadberht (bishop of London), Cœnvulf 796-821 [2], Ceolvulf I 821-823, Beornþulf 823-825, Ludica 825-827, Wiglaf 827-829 (first reign) and 830-840 (second reign) Berhtvulf 840-852, Burgred 852-874, Ceolvulf II 874-c.880.

EAST ANGLIA

Beonna c.758, Alberht 749-?, Æðelberht d.794, Eadwald 796-798, Æðelstan I c.825-840, Æðelweard c. 840-855, Eadmund 855-870 [2].

WESSEX

Beorhtric 786-802, Ecgberht 802-839, Æðelvulf 839-858 [2], Æðelberht 858-865/866, Æðelred I 865/866-871, Ælfred 871-899, Edward the Elder 899-924. Æðelstan 924-939, Edmund 939-946, Eadred 946-955, Eadwig 955-959. Eadgar 959-975.

There are many gaps and inconsistencies in the above record. This is because at times certain monarchs ruled more than one kingdom directly. Otherwise their relations ruled as sub-regents. For example Cœnvulf of Mercia ruled his own dominion from 796-821. He also directly ruled East Anglia from 798-821 (and had his own coinage minted there). He installed his brother Cuthred as king of Kent 798-807, and after Cuthred's death ruled Kent directly until his own death (minting his coins at Canterbury). He therefore had more or less total control of three of the five kingdoms for most of his long reign. All five kingdoms were ruled by foreign kings or ealdermen at some stage during this period, (760's-950's).

Each kingdom ceased to produce pennies issued by native Saxon kings after the last monarch on the above lists. For example East Anglia produced coins for its last king St. Eadmund, and after his martyrdom, coinage for the Viking invaders. Later still it reverted back to Anglo- Saxon coinage under the later kings of Wessex. Similarly the Vikings deposed Burgred and installed Ceolvulf II (a kings thane, he was permitted to mint his own coins) as a puppet monarch under the rule of their leaders, and Wessex directly ruled Kent from 825.

All of the above kings are rare enough to warrant inclusion in my collection. I hope within the next few years to have examples of coins issued by most of them. My Cabinet contains examples of those in bold italics.

I shall be posting part two of this post in the near future, detailing Viking and Norman coinages, issues of the archbishops and Northumbrian rarities.

Sources : The British Museum website. BBC Schools website. Spink Coins of England. English Hammered Coinage, Volume One. J.J. North. English Coins in the British Museum, Volumes One and Two. Charles Keary and Herbert Grueber.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 26/07/2006.
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II.III Power and politics in ninth-century Northumbria.

Ælfwald II (806-808). The coins of this monarch are extremely rare. Only ten examples Of N 183 (his only type) are known. Until very recently it was thought that Aelfwald II had no known coinage or minted only poor quality Stycas, and these coins (N 183) were ascribed (in North for example) to king Ælfwald I (779-788). All were struck at York by the same moneyer, Cutheard. +CVDhEART. The kings name is read around the inside of the obverse with some letters retrograde and/or inverted, and in some cases the initial 'ael' is runic. Eg. FΓEVALDγ∫. All of the extant coins have been found in Yorkshire.

My example, the tenth coin, was found broken and has subsequently been expertly repaired. It reads (conventionally) †FLEVALDUS. †CVDHEART. It is not as yet registered with the EMC. This is one of my rarest coins.

In 796AD, in the abscence of a suitable candidate, the Northumbrian Ealdormen chose from amongst their ranks one Osbald to be crowned king. Twenty seven days later the oaths were broken and he was deposed and abandoned. In his place they crowned Ealdorman Eardvulf, on 26 May 796 (although his descent is uncertain). Osbald and his few followers journeyed to Lindisfarne, and from there by sea to the court of Caustantin mac Fergusa (789-820) king of the Picts and a patron of Northumbrian monasteries. He retired to Lindisfarne where he eventually ruled the community and died peacefully. In his days he had been Duke, Patrician, Abbott of Lindisfarne and King of Northumbria. He died in 799 and was buried in York Minster.

Eardvulf was resilient. He reigned undettered for ten years (his first reign), during which time he killed several rival claimants including prince Ealmund, son of the late king Ealchred and Ealdorman Moll, probably a relative of the late king Æðelwald Moll. Eardvulf himself, when an Ealdorman, survived execution during the viscious purge of king Æðelred I in 791. He was captured, brought to Ripon and ordered to be killed outside the gates of the monastery. The executioners botched the job (possibly intentionally) and Eardvulf recovered.

Then in 806 Ealdorman Ælfwald, (who was probably a relative of the deposed Osbald, and may even have been his son), found himself in a position to challenge for the throne. Eardwulf was ousted and Ælfwald was crowned as king Ælfwald II. Eardvulf was exiled to the court of Charlemagne in Nijmegen, north west of Aachen. He later travelled to Rome to visit Pope Leo III (reigned 795-816). Almost nothing is known of the two year reign of Ælfwald II. Meanwhile Eardvulf marshalled his resources and in 808, with the support of the Imperial and papal legates, was able to regain the throne of Northumbria. Incidentally on the return journey in 809 one of the papal legates, deacon Aldvulf (a Saxon from Britain) was captured and ransomed by pirates (undoutably Vikings). His freedom was secured by an Ealdorman of king Cœnwulf of Mercia. Eardwulf reigned for another two years (his second reign), dying in 810. He was the first Northumbrian king in over sixty years to pass the throne on to his son. His son, king Eanred, reigned for over thirty years.

Of these monarchs Osbald has no known coinage, Eardvulf's coinage is excessively rare, Æðelred I coins are rare. The coinage of Ælfwald II is extremely rare and that of Eanred is common. The Northumbrian coinage differed from that of the other kingdoms. It had no portrait, was thicker than the recently introduced penny and had more in common with the early sceat coinage. The obverse had the name of the king or archbishop in whose name the coin was struck, and the reverse the name of the moneyer. These coins are known as Stycas (pronounced Stucca) by numismatists today, but this is unlikely to have been their original name. The coins originated in the late seventh century and until the reign of Eanred were minted in good silver. Base silver was then substituted and finally bronze, (occasionally copper or brass), degenerating further in condition . They continued to be struck until the Vikings captured York in the late ninth century.

Our knowledge of Ælfwald II (his name means Elf-Ruler, the modern surname equivalent is Ellwood) remains slim. The chroniclers dismiss him in a few lines. He was of the royal blood, and an Ealdorman. Possibly the son of the deposed king Osbald, he had powerful supporters, and was probably exiled for at least part of Eardwulfs reign. He was crowned king of Northumbria in 806. He was deposed and exiled again in 808, and died in 810.

The coin was registered in person at the Fitzwilliam Museum in June 2007.

Sources : Anglo-Saxon Royalty website. Timeline of Anglo-Saxon England website. Reference.com website. Angles, Saxons and Jutes website. The Heroic Age website. Stephen Murray, Northumbria website. Wikipedia website. English Hammered Coinage, volume one. J.J. North. Coins of England. Spink. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Anne Savage.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 16/07/2006.
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II.II Ornamented 'York Group' coinage of king Stephen.

Throughout the long and turbulent reign of king Stephen (1135-1154) a wide variety of, mostly inferior, coinage was struck. Regular issues in Stephens name (much of it below standard and therefore unlawful), several Baronial issues (both with and without royal warrant), a brief Maudian coinage (of the Empress Maud, Stephen's rival for the throne during the civil war), Scottish Border variants (struck by Scottish royalty) those struck using defaced dies (by moneyers unable or unwilling to support one particular claimant), coinage issued by queen Matilda (Stephen's wife) and much local, irregular and uncertain coinage. (Some issues even copy reverses of the previous reign). One rare and beautiful coinage produced at this time stands out as vastly superior to all of these in almost every respect. The 'York Group' and loyalist Baronial issues of Stephens camp.

In terms of die engraving these coins place the others in the shade. They are boldly struck, detailed and central on the (almost perfectly round) flan. As opposed to regular coinage which is often struck flat on irregular shaped discs. In terms of design they bear no resemblance to any known contemporary coinage, foreign or domestic. All but two varieties (that perhaps do not belong in the series at all ?) have ornaments in the legend, or ornaments that replace the legend completely. These coins are known collectively as the Ornamented Series. All of them are believed (with good reason) to be Royalist issues.

The York Group are all struck in the name of Stephen. (Maudian Baronial coins are of a low quality similar to the regular coinage). On these coins Stephen's name is spelt a variety of different ways, eg. STIEFNET and NSEPEFETI. The association of the York mint with this group stems from the name EBORACUM spelt out in full or abbreviated on certain Baronial coins and EVERWIC abbreviated on the 'York Group' Flag type. (The Romans named York Eboracum, the Latin name is probably taken from seals or charters of the period. York in Norman times was known by its Anglo-Saxon name of Everwic. Many different abbreviations of this name appear on countless coins from the middle ages, although very rarely without the moneyers name preceding it. Some Flag type coins read VIDNESI ON EV, although VIDNESI is unlikely, in my opinion, to be the name of a coiner). One York type, N 918, reads WISNEGE-TA (apparently a much-abbreviated Baronial name and title) with ornaments between the legend. This is probably a very early Baronial (York) issue as it is minted with Stephen's name on the obverse. N 920, N 922 and N 922/1 each have ornaments in place of the legend (the guarentee of mint and moneyer) on the reverse. N 918 - N 921 have busts similar in style to the Cross Moline (Watford) first type of Stephen. N 919 is the Flag type, already spoken of, in which the king holds a lance with triple pennon in place of the usual lys-headed sceptre. N 922 has Stephen and Matilda standing facing, supporting a tall sceptre and N 922/1 has the king standing facing, holding a triple standard in his left hand. These also exists a unique cut half featuring a bearded profile (otherwise a very rare feature on Norman coins) and a new reverse cross design, also a certain cut quarter with a reverse similar to the 'Eustace' Baronial issue, and again believed by this author to be unique. These are the known 'York' variants. 

The coins may not have been struck in York at all, one author has advanced the theory that they were minted in Northern France, although this has now been all but discounted. My own opinion is that they were struck closer to Lincoln than York. Various reasons, dates and events have been suggested to account for the striking of this series. For example N 922, king and queen standing was almost certainly struck to commemorate the unyielding support of queen Matilda during Stephen's captivity following the Battle of Lincoln. (She formed an army, and marching to London, inspired the citizens to eject the Empress Maud). The Flag type is said to correlate to Stephens second Great Seal, adopted in June 1139, in which he is shown on horseback with the pennon. One theory states that the whole series was minted to pay the Flemish mercenaries that formed the backbone of Stephens army, who were suspicious of the quality of regular circulating pennies. I am not sure of the truth of this theory, but what does seem certain is that these coins never entered normal circulation. The silver content of the 'York' coins is excellent but the weight of some examples is below that required by law at that time, although they were certainly minted lawfully. This is practically the only negative thing that can be said about them.

I am very proud to state that the coin above, N 920, Lozenge Sceptre type, is a recent addition to my collection. It is rated by North as Extremely Rare. With good reason as only five examples exist, two whole coins, a fragment and two cut halves. Mine is one of the cut halves. Three of the others are in museums, the other cut half was spotted on Marshall Faintich's excellent website, under the 'Coins of the Anarchy' section. It differs from my coin in that the other half (where the lozenge sceptre can be clearly seen) is shown. Mainly unprovenanced, my coin was formerely of the cabinet of Ivan Buck. (It is not poorly struck, it is a worn example). It is also unrecorded, although the Fitzwilliam museum are aware of its existance. The Lozenge type apparently shows French influence in that the seals of three French kings of the period show sceptres tipped with the lozenge (containing a lily, although it is a ringed pellet on the coins). It was supposedly struck to remind the populace of the fact that Stephen had done homage to the French king for Normandy (or probably not in my humble opinion) and to imply tacit French support for the Crown (which seems more likely).  The reverse of the coin shows a saltire fleury over cross patee with ornaments around and is similar in this respect to some reverse designs of the Baronial coinage. The obverse has Stephen's name spelt STIEN with more ornaments. STIEN may be an abbreviation of the French ESTIENNE. A date of 1141 has been suggested for the minting of this type.

An update to this post. April 'o7.  I came across a supposed fragmented example of N 920 on a dealers website recently. I requested pictures, but was informed that the coin had already been sold. And so I cannot confirm this coin as a Lozenge Sceptre. So we are still officially at five coins !! 

Sources : English Hammered Coinage Volume One. J.J. North. Coins of the Anarchy. George C. Boon. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Anne Savage. E.M.C. website. S.C.B.I. website. Mike Vosper Coins website. Astronomical Symbols on Coins, Marshall Faintich website.  Probert Encyclopedia website.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 05/07/2006.
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II.I Status : A self assessment of where I am at the moment.

My Life.

Well my wife Amanda, who I love very much, and I are expecting another baby. Only six weeks to go. That will be four kids (five including my daughter Katherine, who was born asleep in 1999 and seven for Amanda, who also has two teenage children). My eldest son Daniel, who is 10, is a bit of a maths whizz for his age, my youngest son Damian, 5, is ahead of his class with his reading and writing abilities, and my 13 month old daughter Erika is taking lots of toddling steps and can almost walk. So I'm a very proud dad. I have recently given up my career as a supermarket duty manager to become full time carer to my disabled grandmother. In some respects this is every bit as challenging as junior management !!

My Cabinet.

My cabinet comprises pennies of the Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Norman eras. I predominantly collect rare Saxon pennies and my cabinet reflects this. Alongside this coinage I also obtain certain choice Anglo-Saxon and medieval antiquities, some of which I will post from time to time. Most of my coins and some of my antiquities are fragmented. These are more affordable and it is easier to purchase the much rarer items in this form. I would like to add my personal endorsment to metal detecting and dectectorists....without you guys my cabinet would not be as it is today. I would like to thank my dealers, who allow me to buy using a layaway system. Without them I could not hope to purchase the coins I require for my collection. (Thanks to Keith for sponsoring me with the B.N.S. and congratulations to Andy and Neelam on the recent birth of their son). The British Numismatic Society voted me a member at a meeting some months ago, and my ongoing research involves privvy marks on early Saxon pennies and the 'York' and Baronial coinage of king Stephen. My family dont understand me !! or my obsession at least, although I have Amanda's full support (I really dont understand her obsession with the online game Neopets !!!) and Daniel is beginning to show a fledgling interest in antiquities.

My Website.

I chose to post my collection on the web for a number of reasons. To share some very rare coins with anyone interested, because I am proud of my cabinet and wanted to show it off, because I love researching the coins and the historical personalities behind them etc....Basically because I really enjoy creating the posts and galleries, and I have fun with my 'serious' hobby !! For the same reasons I manage my own group on ebay called 'Early Medieval Hammered Coinage.' This differs from my website mainly in that the period specified is from the earliest Saxon coinage, c.600, to the end of the reign of king Stephen, 1154. This includes the pre-penny sceat coinage also as many of my members collect and admire these early coins. I am also a member of two other related ebay groups. Many google searches will now bring up my website, mainly in relation to obscure Anglo-Saxon kings - of whom many are mentioned on my site !! And last but by no means least, a big thankyou to everyone who has linked my site, this helps us all in the long run. Put my link on your site and I'll put yours on mine, simple !

Finally I would like to thank etribes. I chose the initial free LifeSite, from among many others, for its simplicity, ease of use and professional looking end result. I have had nothing but praise, help and support from the customer support team, (cheers Kieran) and I have now upgraded to an etribes LifePlus account. I would, and indeed have highly recommended etribes to anyone interested.

Very special thanks to : My family. My friends. My dealers. My group members. etribes. The B.N.S. and anyone I may have missed out.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 30/06/2006.
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II. Saxon era gold repousse mount.

This is an extremely rare example of an Anglo-Saxon period gold mount or applique, dating perhaps to the Middle-Saxon era (c.700 [or earlier]-850). It is 9cm x 3.9cm and made from pure hammered sheet gold. It is typical repousse work and has patterns consisting of geometrically arranged punched bosses, some surrounded by punched dot collars, with a single line of punch-dot around the perimeter. It is likely to have been a book or box mount, or maybe a piece of personal jewellery such as a pendant. It is possibly continental, or more probably  Viking in style, but was almost certainly found in England.

Punched work such as this was manufactured during the entire Anglo-Saxon period, as it was during the Roman occupation, and later by the Viking invaders (a lot of Viking jewellery has punched decoration, much of it with shaped bosses). The large circular punched designs bear a marked resemblance to the circular bosses used on a few diverse examples of the Anglo-Saxon sceat coinage, and most notably on many 8th/9thc Northumbrian (predominantly silver) stycas, especially when employed with the punched collar. There are also many Viking disc brooches extant which are decorated with collared and uncollared punched bosses. This evidence is in all probability sufficient to date the mount to the late 7th to mid 9thc or a little later.

Gold during the Saxon period was virtually only ever used for jewellery (usually under royal patronage) and ecclesiastical paraphernalia, royalty and the church being practically the only clients that could afford such luxuries. Wooden covers of bibles were often liberally mounted with precious metals and stones, as were all kinds of reliquaries and shrines etc....

The gold mount above would have been made according to age-old principles (the Romans and other ancient civilisations knew repousse work). A sheet of gold was made by hammering part of an ingot across an anvil until it was flat. It was then cut and shaped. The design  was produced on the sheet gold using hammer and punches. The gold was laid on a base of soft material (most likely bitumen or wax) to prevent it breaking. The bitumen was heated, the gold sank into it and as the bitumen cooled and hardened it held the gold in place so that work could commence. The smith then used punches to deform the metal into the required pattern. Annealing may have been necessary during the process. Once the work was complete the object was cleaned of bitumen and polished.

This gold mount is a recent addition to my antiquities collection. It is not executed perfectly. (A reasonable analogy would be to view the mount as made  for the reliquary of a small church or chapel, as opposed to that of a cathedral, which would have been executed with consummate skill by a smith of a different class)  It is not symmetrical, nor is it quite lozenge-shaped. One fixing hole overlaps the punched dots at that point and it is interesting to note that the punched collars around the bosses are on a matrix and are not single punches. It has a slightly marked and crumpled surface, from being buried in the ground, and is probably a metal detecting find. 

Sources : Regia Anglorum website. Sheet Metal website. Saxon and Viking Artefacts Nigel Mills. Benets Artefacts of England. Various authors. The Vikings in England Various authors.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 05/06/2006.
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I.IX An extremely rare monarch.

We have very little knowledge of the reign of king Beornþulf of Mercia. We do know that he overthrew king Ceolvulf I of Mercia in 823, and thus succeeded to the kingdom of Mercia, and several sub-kingdoms as well, Mercia being the supreme power at the time in Anglo-Saxon England. We may infer by the different sounding name that he was not of the same family as the previous kings Cœnvulf (of Mercia, 796-821), Cuthred (of Kent, a Mercian and brother to Cœnwulf, 798-807), and Ceolvulf I (of Mercia, another brother of Coenvulf, 821-823) . Of his own family we know that his father was a Mercian prince, Beorhtveald (died 796, the same year as the infamous king ◊ffa of Mercia), he was probably a descendant of king Beornred of Mercia (enthroned 757 and deposed by ◊ffa, 757, died 769), and that he had two sons that ruled Mercia after him, Wiglaf (827-829, 830-840) and Berhtvulf (840-852).

In a show of strength by the new king, the Mercians destroyed Degannwy, the capital of Gwynnedd in 823, invading Powys (a formidable enemy, who had had a love/hate relationship with Mercia and other Saxon kingdoms for some length of time) at the same time. They were only beaten back with some difficulty by king Cyngen (ap Cadell, 778-854). Beornþulf also decided the same year to rebuild the Abbey of St. Peter (later Gloucester Cathedral) in his capital city as a house for secular priests. It had been a decaying ruin for nearly a hundred years, since the death of its founder Osric in 729. Synods were held at Clofesho (an unknown location but thought to be in Mercia and near to London) in 824 and 825. Both were presided over by king Beornþulf, with the aging Archbishop Vulfred of Canterbury ruling and controlling. That of 824 decided the outcome of an inheritance suit, and that of 825 terminated a dispute between Archbishop Vulfred and Abbess Cwenðrytha. One charter of Beornþulf refers explicitly to his third regnal year, probably 825

Perhaps the best known event in the reign of Beornþulf was the battle of Ellendun. This was fought at Wroughton near Surrey (within the borders of Wessex) in 825, once Ecgberht of Wessex (802-839) felt able to challenge the Mercian supremacy. Beornþulf's defeat was catastrophic, with great slaughter, and Essex and Sussex were quick to pledge allegiance to the dynasty of Wessex (a dynasty, including Ælfred the Great, that incidentally would remain dominant until later Saxon kings ruled the whole of England).

After the defeat of Ellendun East Anglia rose against its Mercian overlords, and sought the protection of Wessex against Mercian reprisals. Beornþulf himself survived the battle but was killed by the East Angles (probably attempting to crush the rebellion) later the same year.

Only around twenty five coins of this extremely rare monarch are known to exist. (It is almost impossible to obtain an example).  Most are recorded, a splendid example was recently sold by Mike Vosper and my fragment is a detecting find. They are separated into the following types : Type I = N 394, Type II = N 397, and Type III = N 396. (N 397.5, known from a single coin, is a type II).  All were minted at an unknown location (maybe Ipswich ?) somewhere in East Anglia.

My coin, below, is a tiny fragment (in fact the smallest fragment I own) of Beornþulf Type II, N 397. It is part of a known larger chipped coin, owned by a museum in Baltimore, USA. Only about ten coins with the Cross-Crosslet reverse are known. North rates this type as Very Rare. In my opinion it is Extremely Rare. Moneyers for this type are Eacga (who had previously minted for Ceolwulf I) Eadnoth (who went on to mint for Ludica in the next reign) and Monna (Man, who struck my coin) These coiners sometimes employed Runic inscriptions on their dies.

We only know of a probable five Type II pennies minted by Man, (c.824). Mine is not a die match for any known coin. The dies are unrecorded, [the 'B' of Beornþulf is composed of a series of straight lines as opposed to a normal rounded 'B']. The privy marks are unique, and in this case are used to identify the reverse die - not the moneyer. The name Monna is struck on my example differently to any other. The unbarred Mercian 'Λ' is vertical. On others it is horizontal or inverted. The fragment was found at Great Bookham, Surrey in 1982.

Sources : Wikipedia website. Anglo-Saxons Timeline website. Everything2 website. World History Database website. Softdata, Gloucester Cathedral website. From kings of Powys website. Timeline of the Early British Kingdoms website. Catholic Encyclopedia website. Anglo-Saxon Resources website. EMC database website. SCBI database website. Britannia website. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Anne Savage. English Hammered Coinage Volume One JJ North. Anglo-Saxon Pennies Michael Dolley. Special thanks to P.A.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 28/05/2006.
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