+ DAVE'S : RARE : COINS

VI. Merry Christmas !!

I would like to wish everyone who has visited my site a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

Thankyou all for your continued appreciation and support.

With Kindest Regards,

Dave.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 24/12/2007.
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V.IX Faking Ashmore fakes ........

    Trevor Ashmore fake of Eadþig 'Flower' Halfpenny. With 'doctored' flan.

This article will show the most common method employed in faking very rare Anglo-Saxon pennies. But hopefully my identification of the flaws in the coinage and the subsequent tricks used to age the coins will prevent collectors wasting money on these coins - unless to purchase them as replicas.

The coin shown above is a Trevor Ashmore reproduction. Ashmore, working in his garden shed, hand cut his own dies and struck his own unmarked copies of Anglo-Saxon and other coinage. Originally from Nottingham, he founded his own company, which eventually failed, selling these coins mainly to American collectors.

Most of Ashmore's coins are reasonably easy to identify. Catalogues have been released listing those that have been recognised, although some have fooled experts, and even been published in widely respected journals. Ashmore did not fake the more common coins, he specialised in rarities .....

The Ashmore fake above [from my collection] is a copy of an exceptionally rare round halfpenny of king Eadþig of England, struck from regional dies. Less than ten of these 'Flower' halfpennies exist as the issue was short-lived. Round halfpennies [as opposed to pennies that were cut in half to provide the denomination] from the Saxon era are very rare indeed, even the standard issues. This regional issue is a Great Rarity. So much so that we know exactly which coin it was copied from. This coin, in the British Museum, is shown below for comparison.

            Genuine Eadþig 'Flower' Halfpenny. SCBI 34 - BM 857.

Fakes such as these have usually have tell-tale signs that the coin is not genuine. For example Ashmore does not seem to have been able to cut a near-perfect freehand circle, such as those on genuine coins. His are generally more ovoid in shape and sometimes the ends do not join together [a feature very occasionally seen on the real thing]. Whilst his copying of period style coin legends is usually near accurate, his sizing is not, and his spacing is poor. Also on genuine coins the positioning of the letters follows the diameter of the inner circle exactly, Ashmore could not perfect this - and it is a giveaway. For example note the 'R' in REX, on Ashmores coin it tilts backwards slightly at its 9 o'clock position, on the genuine coin it is perfectly aligned. His lettering is also much thinner than usual, and does not flair into the wedges as it should. It is not executed with the confidence of the original die-sinkers.

The reverse of the coin is rather good. When circles were not involved, Ashmore was in his element. Although one or two warning signals flash up here too. The foliage of the 'flower' on the genuine coin is absolutely symetrical. Ashmore's die is not as perfect. The small semi-circle below the groundline joins the outer leaves of the plant on the real thing, Ashmore's is way out and a little small. The foliage should also flow in perfect arcs from the groundline. The moneyers name, EADþINE [EADWINE] should be evenly spaced beneath the groundline, Ashmore's moneyer legend slopes down and to the right. The major mistake he made here though is that he did not align the two rosettes of pellets. On the tenth century coin they are perfectly aligned.

Fraudsters are known to take Ashmore reproductions and doctor them to make them look old and worn. This is particularly effective if selling through pictoral media such as ebay, or a dealers website. The coin is taken and beaten around the edges with something blunt and heavy, this causes chips and wearing to the flan as if it has been damaged in the ground. Sometimes corrosive chemicals are used on the coin to age it artificially, and manufactured 'patina kits' are also employed for this purpose. Coins are repeatedly heated and cooled and 'rusted' through contact with iron. Some even bury the coins in awful conditions to try to replicate the look of a long buried genuine example. The Ashmore above has been heavily 'doctored.'  In pictures, especially slightly blurred ones, the coins can look indistinguishable from the real thing. And then, once purchased the real shock comes ...

Two things cannot be determined from a picture. One is weight, the other is flan thickness. The fake above is almost a millimetre thick, far too thick to be genuine, as these coins were of wafer-thin silver. At 2.0g it is also far too heavy. The genuine Eadþig above weighs 0.6g. It is extremely difficult to replicate correct flan thickness, and thus, as is normal, fakes are almost always heavier than genuine coins. I should also add that the flan diameter measurement is not accurate. It is slightly too big, and coinage of this era was, as a rule, evenly struck on the flan.

I purchased the Ashmore above specifically as a teaching tool. The more that can be done to make people aware of this kind of fraud the better.

If in doubt about the genuiness of a prospective purchase, please ask an expert for advice. Although by no means an expert, I have considerable experience and can be contacted here for any reason.

Images taken from the EMC/SCBI database. Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 11/12/2007.
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V.VIII Ecgberht and the elevation of the see of York.

Upon the resignation of bishop Vilfrid II of York, in AD732, a new bishop was chosen in his place. Eadberht of the royal line of Bernicia was renowned as a great scholar and administrator. A former pupil of Beada [672-735], he was ordained a deacon whilst on a visit to Rome, and later created bishop of York in 732 by his cousin king Ceolvulf of Northumbria [to whom Beada dedicated his Ecclesiastical History]. He held this office for three years until the see of York was formally elevated to the status of an archbishopric in 735. He became its first archbishop, recieving his pallium from Pope Gregory III [731-741] in Rome, and continued in this role until his death in 766. He was the first Northern archbishop, and the first to recieve the pallium, since St. Paulinus of York [died 633 at Rochester].

His learning was prodigious and the school and library he founded at York were famed across Europe and attracted scholars from the most noble families. Among his proteges were Alcuin, the biographer of Ælfred [the Great] of Wessex, whom he educated as a child. Several ecclesiastics graduated from York and were later created bishops and archbishops throughout Europe, including Liudger, first bishop of Munster. Ecgberht himself wrote prolifically on canon law and clerical matters, and some of his works survive, though with later additions. He corresponded with the Holy See, recieving letters from the bishops of Rome including Gregory III and Paul I [757-767], and also with St. Boniface, [Vynfrið of Wessex, c.672-754] the Apostle of the Germans, who asked Ecgberht to support his censure of king Æðelbald of Mercia. He is known to have been in contact with archbishop Cuðbert of Canterbury, and remained a lifelong friend and correspondant of the Venerable Beada, who visited him at York in 733 shortly before his death and who always wrote of Ecgberht in his letters with the deepest love and respect. 

When king Ceolvulf abdicated and entered a monastary in 737, Ecgberhts brother Eadberht became king of Northumbria. He ruled this kingdom for twenty one years and later scholars refer to the period when the brothers had control of both church and state as a time of unparalleled peace and stability. This is nowhere more evident than in the coinage issued jointly in their names.

Archbishop Ecgberht issued a joint AR sceatta coinage with three different kings of Northumbria during his incumbancy. After Ecgberhts death a short-lived and excessively rare issue was struck with king Æðelvald Moll [759-765], and following this another very rare coinage with king Alchred [765-774 - issue dated 765-766, the year of Ecgberhts death]. Both of these issues feature the kings name around a small cross on one face and the archbishops name around a small cross on the other. But perhaps his best known coinage, numismatically, is the issue struck in collaboration with his brother king Eadberht of Northumbria.

The Ecgberht/Eadberht coinage was struck in some numbers throughout the reign of king Eadberht [737-758], who also struck a sceatta coinage in his own name with a heraldic beast motif on the obverse. These early named silver sceats are very rare. Ecgberht was the first English archbishop to openly proclaim his name and title on the currency. He was also the only Anglo-Saxon bishop to employ a full-length figure of himself on any coinage. Although the Church had arguably had minting rights since its establishment in England in 597, if these rights were endorsed then only anonymous sceats were issued under the previous bishops. Later archbishops of York, to Eanbald I [issue 779-780], struck a joint coinage with the reigning kings of Northumbria, and from Eanbald II [796-835] to the incumbency of archbishop Wulfhere [849-900, issue to 867] issued coinage in their own names with the names of moneyers on the reverse.

The joint issue of the brothers features the kings name on one face around a small cross, sometimes in a pelleted circle. This is the regal die and was the responsibility of the royal moneyers at York. This face is often refered to as the reverse of the coin, but this is disputed. The ecclesiastical die, of the archbishops moneyer, features the standing figure of archbishop Ecgberht with arms outstreched on the left of the die, with his name and [sometimes his] abbreviated title around the right-hand side. The symbols the archbishop has on either side of him vary. He is pictured with the cross, the pastoral staff, and the crozier in various combinations, and the variant symbols can be on either side of him. He is often refered to as holding these objects, and that may be true of a few coins, but in the majority of cases his arms reach out beyond them, indeed the objects are often joined by a horizontal line at their bases, which does not pass beyond the base of each, and so is not a 'ground line'. In fact the combination of joined symbols and base line may represent a stylised building, probably a church, an early York Minster being the obvious conclusion. The design of the archiepiscopal mitre also varies on some coins, as do the vestments worn. Some coins may show the pallium.

The legends vary on this coinage as no names were standardised at this time, and were generally written phoenetically. The most commonly used variant seems to be +ECGBERHT, sometimes followed by A, R or AR. Thus his name is given in the Old English, whereas Eadberht's is most commonly given in a Latinized form with a runic 'S' ; +E◊TBEREHTVΓ REX. The variant renderings of these names freely add some letters and omit others.

The weights and silver content of these coins vary considerably, by up to one gram in some cases. It is usual for lighter coins to be regarded as later than those of good weight and silver. As to be expected most have been found in and around Yorkshire, but several, such as my own, a very light example found in Cambridgeshire, have been discovered further afield.

Sources : [books] An Ecclesiastical History of the English Church and People. Venerable Bede.  A Biographical Dictionary of Dark Age Britain, various authors. Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England etc... various authors. [websites] Prosopography of Anglo-Saxon England. Classical Numismatic Group. NNDB : The Venerable Bede. Classic Encyclopedia. Zenbulogy.com.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 10/12/2007.
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V.VII A new and unpublished penny of David I of Scotland.

                  Newly discovered David I penny.

A recent metal detecting find in plough soil in Yorkshire has revealed only the third Cross Moline [Type I] coin of king David I of Scotland [1124-1153] to be found in England. I am honoured to be the first to publish details. The coin may be described as follows :

Obverse. Crude crowned bust right holding sceptre, and breaking inner circle. +DAVID : RE : around.

Reverse. Cross Moline with fleurs in angles [as Stephen, 'Watford' Type I] +DER ... G : ON : EDEN :

When found the coin was covered with a deposit of iron. Months of careful initial cleaning by the finder, an experienced and successful detectorist, have uncovered a beautiful and extremely rare coin. The finder hopes to have the coin cleaned further, professionally, in order to reveal more of the portrait and further lettering.

All coinage of David I is very rare, there being four known types [N 909, N 910, N 911 & N 915]. This is a Type I [N 909], which closely resembles, and is in fact based upon, the initial type of king Stephen. Early examples of the type feature blundered legends in Stephen's name and later in David's name, but this coin is later still [c.1140 ?] as the coin is struck in David's own name and the legends are clear. David I was maternal uncle to and a strong supporter of the Empress Maud during the Civil War. Production of Scotlands first coinage began, with English moneyers, in 1136/7, following David's capture of the recently created English mint at Carlisle in 1136. It was made possible through the revenues of David's English Earldom and the proceeds of the silver mines below Neatshead near Alston in Cumberland, which fed the main mint at Carlisle, plus other Northern English & Scottish mints. Because there was no shortage of silver, most Scottish coinage issued during the Norman era was struck to the full internationally accepted 22 grain standard.

Martin Allen, in correspondence with the finder, confirms that the English finds of this type have all come from Yorkshire, which seems to indicate usage confined to Scotland and Northern England.

David I's coinage was struck at only three mint towns, Carlisle [CARD], Edinburgh and Roxburgh [ROCE]. These were closely related mints which shared common moneyers. North in his seminal work on English Hammered Coinage lists the legend EDEN on David's coins as an uncertain mint town. We now know for certain that the legend refers to the then recently established mint of Edinburgh. This is a very rare mint town, but especially so for the initial Scottish hammered of the Norman period. Only three moneyers are known to have struck there, EREBALD, DERLIG [called DERIND by North, & DEOR(L)ING by EMC] and FOLBALD. From the visible lettering on the coin, which to me reads DER ... ... G, the best bet for the moneyer seems to be DERLIG. Dr. Allen [and others, in correspondence] disagree, and thinks the legend could be a blundered rendering of EREBALD, but admits he is uncertain, as am I. Moneyers names often exist in many different forms on the same coinage as no standardised spelling existed at the time. Dies were mainly engraved at regional centres and sent out to provincial and other mints, so no two were identical. The dies used to strike this coin were very worn, hence the obscured lettering.

Other similar examples of N 909 with the same moneyer & mint town are :

EMC 1200.0965 [below (a)] from the same dies as the Beauvais Hoard example [Glendinning #161, below, (b)], but different dies to this coin, they are almost worn out. Mint signature is EDE.

[a]

[b]

SCBI 48 - Northern Museums : 1893 [below] also from different dies, [compare the shape of the letter 'N' on these examples]. There is another in the British Museum struck from the same dies. Both coins from the Prestwich Hoard. Mint signature is EODEN.

No coins are known from the same dies as this new David I.

Recorded on the EMC/SCBI database as EMC 2007.0276.

References : Coinage and Currency under Stephen. Mark Blackburn [For The Anarchy of King Stephen's Reign. Ed. Edmund King.] The 'Beauvais' Hoard. Michael Faintich. Coinage of the Anarchy. George Boon. EMC/SCBI database. Wikipedia. About.com.

Many thanks to Neil for allowing me to publish his remarkable find.

Please note that I do not own this coin [unfortunately]. Nor do I have access to it.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 04/11/2007.
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V.VI A Visit to Coinex 2007.

Sat. 29th Sept.

               Clive's Aethered II 'First Hand' type : Aethelwald at London.

This year I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the biggest coin fair in the U.K. Coinex, at Earls Court in London. A friend Clive from my ebay group had kindly sent me a ticket and we had arranged to meet at the venue. So after a rather interesting train journey [during which I had to transfer to the Picadilly Line, as the Waterloo line had been closed for the weekend, and I had not been informed of this when purchasing my tickets !!] I finally met Clive, and introduced myself to his parents who had come along for a day out. This was my first visit to a major coin exhibition.

So upon entry we boarded the lift and headed for the coin rooms, of which there were two, a smaller one and a much larger main showroom. Clives parents left us to look around, meeting us periodically during our wanderings, as we browsed the stalls and had interesting conversations regarding the coins on offer. From time to time, when something interesting took our eye we asked for the coin trays to be released so that we could view them up close and even handle the coins. I was amazed that the dealers would allow just anyone to handle merchandise worth several thousands of pounds !! I was a little disappointed in the lack of early Anglo-Saxon pennies [I did spot one or two ◊ffa's], dealers preferring high-end Late Saxon pennies and top-end Norman coinage, in particular coins of William I. Some very nice coins I handled and scrutinised were an Eadred HR1 penny in possibly the finest grade I have ever seen, almost as struck, an extremely rare Ælfred 'London Monogram' penny and a very fine William II Cross Patee & Fleury type. During our look around Clive explained much about later Medieval coinage, pointing out rarer variants and nice coins in higher grades.

Clive had spotted an Æðelred II that he was interested in, a Good Very Fine 'First Hand' type with a slightly chipped flan. After asking my opinion on the coin, a deal was struck and the coin was his. The result was a lovely coin at a very reasonable price [please see pic above]. Alas I could not afford to purchase anything of this nature for my own collection, but I did manage to net two contemporary foreign coins, a Karloman I and an Otto I for very little money. The stallholder on this particular stall had many interesting foreign coins and was himself very knowledgeable. Clive left me to it as I stopped and chatted to him for quite some time !!

Later we lunched at a nearby cafeteria and Clive and I showed each other examples of some coins from our cabinets that we had brought along. An embarrasing incident at this time almost resulted in my losing one of Clives very rare cut quarter pennies !! I had a chance also to chat more to Clive and his parents, very nice folk with his dad, who has a great sense of humour, probably more interested in numismatics than his mum, a very nice lady who tried hard to take an interest, but was probably about as interested as my wife would have been if I had brought her with me .... !!!

Aside from coins, several stalls also had superior grade antiquities for sale. Many very nice Saxon items caught my eye, like rare filigree pins and enormous saucer brooches, but none so much as the zoomorphic silver box or book mount that jumped at me as I walked past. I had to stop and pick it up. The workmanship was some of the finest I have ever seen on any Anglo-Saxon object. I would add that although only perhaps 4cm square, it was museum-grade and probably 9th century, but at almost a thousand pounds [and worth every penny] it was beyond my meagre budget.

Many famous faces from the coin world were in evidence at Coinex, I had a chat to John who edits Coin News magazine, Clive spoke to Mike Vosper about an extremely rare Henry I Class I cut half he had brought with him [an enigmatic coin, with half of the experts he has spoken to saying the coin reads VVLFRIC, and the other half that it has a variant of the Leicester mint signature. Vosper guessed Wulfric]. Several members of the BNS were present, some of whom I knew. In all there were many friendly and helpful stallholders and collectors, most of whom were quite willing to talk about the hobby of numismatics.

To round off a great day we searched through the bargain bins on a couple of stalls, Clive advising me on cheap beginner coinage for the starter collections of my two sons. I bagged a George III coin brooch and Clive some interesting modern coins for his own collection, and to sell on his website. I also nabbed a couple of free auction catalogues and other paperwork. Alas it was over too quickly and  I bid farewell to Clive's family at the train station.

A thoroughly enjoyable day out, which has prompted me to look into visiting other coin fairs, large and small, as and when I can.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 12/10/2007.
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V.V Weights and findspots added !!

One of the most frequent constructive criticisms I recieve about my website is the fact that whilst I record the coins of my cabinet with as much information as possible, I have not included the weight of each coin. Scholars of early Medieval coinage find the weight of specific coins most useful in their research, and I myself prefer to have this information wherever possible. So in answer to these queries I have procured a coin scale and painstakingly weighed each coin in my collection [not so easy when the condition of some of them is considered !!]. The separate peices of a fragmented coin are weighed together to give a combined weight. I have not included the individual weights for each peice. If this information is required, please let me know. The weights are added to the obverse scans in the photo albums, following the North number of each coin.

Findspots are another specific that I have not recorded with my coins until now. Again this information is extremely useful in researching coinage, and many experts prefer coins with a recorded find area to those without. Please note though that I do not have a findspot for all of my coins, and am reliant on information supplied when the coins are purchased. Provenance is included where applicable, but the majority of my coins are metal detector finds and have none as such. Some of my coins have very specific findspots that the seller wishes to remain confidential. I do not release this information without permission, but simply publish a generalised area. If required, please let me know and I may be able to help. Findspot information is given following the weight of each coin.

I am also updating the photos in the albums with the information now presented in a standardised format, which I hope will prove easier to read and understand. This is an ongoing process [with considerable research involved, particularly concerning minting periods for individual types, as at the moment many simply have the total regnal years for the reigning monarch in whose name the coin was struck] and I shall be adding more information as it becomes available. Please bear with me as the end result will justify the disruption !!

I shall be adding coin flan diameters in the future too.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 23/09/2007.
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V.IV The Problem of fake coinage.

              Cœnwulf Tribrach Penny from my collection. And the fake sold by anglosaxoncoins.net.

I have added a new page to my site recently to showcase the amount of fake Anglo-Saxon coinage on the market. Companies such as www.anglosaxoncoins.net are notorious for the copies they sell as genuine rare Anglo-Saxon coins. Ebay is becoming a haven for sellers deliberately listing these fakes as genuine. The problem is reaching epidemic proportions, with prospective buyers willing to pay the inflated asking prices in order to get their hands on very rare coins. What they are actually buying is reproduction coins produced from Trevor Ashmore's and other dies, and roughed-up cast coins etc... These can sometimes be difficult to tell apart from the real thing, especially if the collector has never seen or handled the genuine coinage. Although with a little practice, the help of certain books and museum collections, the collector can learn how to identify the real deal.

There is a continual debate in the coin world on whether or not legally made and sold reproductions, should indeed be made or sold, be they marked as such or not, or whether restrictions should placed upon them. It is not my intention to enter this debate here. The fact is that you can buy these coins openly and honestly, but there are unscrupulous people out there that often carefully file off the reproduction marks and wear away the edge of the coin to hide the cast line. The coin could then [in a bad light, or a blurry pic on ebay] pass as genuine. This is deliberate fraud. I see this happening constantly. Sellers hawking this rubbish on ebay usually have a private ID bidding list, so that those in the know cannot warn the bidders. My ebay forum group, Early Medieval Hammered Coinage [please see favourites link], and I are attempting to combat this problem.

Some pointers when buying early Medieval coins :

Cast coins. These are all fakes. Saxon and Norman coins were hammered and as such are very thin. Cast coins are thick and have a 'cast line' around the edge.

Size. Certain books will provide the correct flan size. "English coins in the British Museum : Anglo-Saxon" Volumes one and two are ideal for this kind of info. For the Saxon/Norman era the average was around 20mm.

Weight. If uncertain always ask the seller. Some books will give the correct weight. Fakes are almost invariably heavier than real coins.

Material. Pennies of this era were ALL made of silver [in varying quantities]. Testing kits are available. Silver blackens with age [especially when debased], often has verdigris and sometimes oxidizes, [and becomes very dark, brittle and chalk-like. It also bends and breaks easily with the characteristics of thin lead], in extreme conditions. It is a comparatively soft metal. # I would not advise cleaning these coins under any conditions. #

Stamped Coins. This is done by the manufacturer to mark it as a copy. Often carefully filed off in an attempt to pass the coin as genuine. Generally made of pewter, or plated, ...... or similar.

Myths. This involves coins and types that did not exist at the time ! I was once caught out in this manner and purchased a supposed cut half penny of Æðelstan I. Cut halves are exceptionally rare before the reform coinage of king Eadgar in AD973. My coin is a broken [genuine] penny of Æðelstan I, 'trimmed' to be sold as a cut half [this can be viewed in the East Anglian Kings photo album].

Aging and Roughing-up. This is done by sellers in an attempt to make the coins look older. There are several methods used, and you can even buy 'patina kits'. Roughing-up is when the fake is deliberately scratched, chipped and generally damaged to make it appear worn, as if it had been underground for hundreds of years. Also done to obscure repro marks and cast lines etc...

Some pointers when buying early Medieval coins on ebay.

No pics, or very blurred ones on the listing. Seller probably has something to hide, or isn't bothered if the coin sells. Ask for pics [genuine ones, not stock photos], or better pics, and certainly more info. Or avoid.

Bad Feedback. Dont simply trust the numbers to tell the story. Read the feedback, then decide whether or not to purchase.

Unwilling to Discuss. No answer to emails, too busy to talk etc.. something to hide ? Avoid. [Please note if the seller cannot discuss the coin through lack of knowledge - and makes this clear, then allowances must be made, similarly if they are away on holiday etc...].

Exaggeration. Coins described as Superb, Fantastic etc... when clearly they are nothing of the kind. Also includes overgrading. A notorious  practice on ebay. Several times I have seen coins from this era advertised as uncirculated [unlikely unless hoarded straight after minting] and even one described as a Fleur-de-Coin.

Trick Photography. This is frequently done when the seller offers a job lot of coins for sale at once. Some sellers will lay all the coins out evenly on a surface and photograph [and usually describe] the entire group....but most will simply photograph a small pile of coins [and offer a vague, or semi-vague, description]. The best few will be on top of course [these will usually be mentioned in the listing]. This is done to tempt the buyer into bidding on what is essentially a pile of scrap metal !! If selling poor quality coins, please sell them openly and honestly.

History Lesson. Far too much information on the monarch and historical period of the coin. Please do that amount of research on the coin itself and add that to the listing ! And keep actual history to a minimum.

Excessive Postage. Very annoying. Sellers trying to make extra money on top of the cost of the coin, by raising the cost of postage to ridiculous levels. I have seen this taken to ludicrous extremes at NINE POUNDS for standard postage. A hammered coin weighs next to nothing and will in fact ship on a first class stamp [although not recommended unless bought very cheaply]. Standard parcel post for this size and weight would be less than a pound. Recorded delivery is at around £1.25. Special delivery is £4.10 [your coin is insured for up to £500 with this option]. Add a pound at most for a padded envelope, bubble wrap and perhaps a capsule or similar. Enter into a conversation with the buyer and find out why their postage is so high. If you dont like the answer, or dont get one, dont bid.

May be genuine... This annoys me. Also listings with 'part of my late fathers collection', 'bought as part of a collection', 'estsate lot', 'bought from car boot sale' etc...If the seller cant be bothered to research it or have it authenticated, then dont buy it [unless you know something they dont] as the chances are that its a copy. I try to warn buyers [and sellers] if I can tell its a fake.

Shill bidding or 'shilling'. This can happen if the ID of the bidders is kept private on the sellers listing pages. It involves the seller [or another person or people in league with the seller] bidding on their own item to force the price higher for genuine buyers. I was actually asked by a seller to do this once. I did not even offer the courtesy of a reply. It is against ebay policy and many bidders [including myself] have strong feelings about the private ID system.

Note the bidders. Known collectors, experts and top coin dealers often buy and sell on ebay. They are generally easy to spot once their username is noted a few times. Experts will not buy rubbish. Watching who bids on a coin is sometimes a good indicator of its authenticity, and the reliability of the seller. A few quick examples : Mike Vosper trades as vivienne5592. Joe Linzalone is Wodan13. Andy Gillis is bi11ynom8s. Keith Chapman is anglosaxonandviking. Lance Chaplin uses ancient17.  Phil Elkins is elkinscoinsandantiquities.  Mark Blackburn is  MAB1001.

The notorious anglosaxoncoins.net trade on ebay as KingdomsPast. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

Researching early medieval coinage.

Dealers literature, and websites, are definately worth a look as these usually provide accurate information on the coins they sell, as do auction catalogues. Sites that showcase collections [professional and amateur] are another avenue to explore. Single coins, detector finds and the like, can be identified by local museums and/or the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Their website is user-friendly too.

Research may involve specialist books, the internet, associations, societies, schemes, museums, dealers, experts, and so on, but I would recommend the following books and website as standard :

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 31/08/2007.
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V.III Pronouncing Anglo-Saxon regal coin legends.

This post shows the names of the Anglo-Saxon kings and others who issued broad-flan pennies up until the Norman Conquest.  The names are listed by country/authority. Duplicate names for monarchs of separate countries have been omitted.

I] The first column [on the left] shows the names as they appear most commonly on the coinage.

II] The second column shows the names normalised, as we would find them in modern books.

III] The third column shows how to pronounce these names in the original manner.  Although there is no definitive guide.

Mercia.

◊ffa.                            ◊ffa.                                [as written]

Cynðryð.                       Cynethryth.                       KERN-ETH-RYTH.

Cœnvvlf.                       Coenwulf.                          CHENVULF.

Ceolvvlf [I&II].             Ceolwulf.                          CHAY-OL-VULF.

Beornþvlf.                      Beornwulf.                        B-AY-ON-VULF [O as in pot]

Lvdica.                           Ludica or Ludican.             [as written]

Vviglaf.                          Wiglaf.                             VIGLAF.

Beorhtvlf.                       Beortwulf.                        B-AY-O-RT-VULF [O as in pot]

Bvrgred.                         Burgred.                           [as written]

Kent.

Heaberht.                        Hebert.                           [first E as in pet. Second E as EA in bear]

Ecgberht.                         Egbert.                           EDGE-BERT [second E as EA in bear]

Eadberht [Praen, and others]    Edbert.                    AY-AD-BERT [E as EA in bear]

Cvðred.                            Cuthred.                          [as written]

Beldred.                            Baldred.                          BELDRED.

East Anglia.

[runic inscription]              Beonna.                            BAY-AH-ONNA.

Ahlberht.                           Albert.                           AL-BERT [E as EA in bear]

Æðelberht.                        Æthelbert.                      ETHEL-BERT [third E as EA in bear]

Eadvald.                             Edwald.                           AY-AH-DVOLD.

Eðelztan [I]                       Æthelstan.                       ETHEL-ZTAN

Æðelveard.                        Æthelward.                      ETHEL-VAY-AH-RD.

Eadmvnd.                             Edmund.                          AY-AH-DMUND.

Wessex.

Beorhtric.                           Beortric.                          BAY-O-TRIK [O as in pot]

Æðelvvlf.                            Ethelwulf.                        ETHELWOLF.

Æðelred [I&II]                   Ethelred.                         [as written]

Ælbred.                               Alfred.                            ELFRED.

Eadred.                                 [same]                            AY-AH-DRED.

Eadþig.                                 Eadwig.                           AY-A-DWIG.

Eadgar.                                 [same]                             AY-A-DGAR.

Hoþael [of Wales]                   Howel DDa.                             [O as in hole]

Northumbria.

Aldfriðvs.               Aldfrith.                         ALDFRITH [A sound is drawn out as 'path' spoken in an upper-class accent]

Alchred.                              Alcred.                           ALKRED [as above]

Alfvaldvs [I&II]                  Ælfwald.                        ELFVOLD.

Eardvvlf.                              Eardwulf.                       AY-AH-RDVULF.

Eanred.                                 [same]                            AY-AN-NRED.

Redvvlf.                                Redwulf.                        REDVULF.

Osberht.                               Osbert.                          [E as EA in bear]

Kings of All England.

Eadþeard [the Martyr]            Edward.                        [as modern name]

Cnut.                                       [same]                           KNOOT.

Harold [I]                               [same]                           [as modern name]

Harðecnut.                               Harthacnut.                   HARTHA-KNOOT.

Viking Coinages.

Oswald.                                  [same]                          OSWOLD.

Sitric.                                    Sihtric.                        SITRIK.

Gudef.                                    Guthfrith.                     [as written]

Siefred.                                  [same]                          SEE-FREED.

Raienalt.                                 Regnald.                        R-AY-NOLD [modern Ronald].

Anlaf [two reigns].                  Anlaf Guthfrithsson.           [as written]

Onlaf [two reigns].                  Olaf Sihtricsson.                [as written]

Regnald.                                  Regnald Guthfrithsson.       [as written]

Sihtric.                                   Sihtric Sihtricsson.            [as written]

Eric [two reigns].                      Eric Bloðox.                    ERIK BLOODAXE.

Ecclesiastical Coinages.

Canterbury.

Jaenberht.                             Janbert.                          YAN-BERT [E sound as EA in bear]

Æðelheard.                            Æthelheard.                     ETEL-HAY-AH-RD.

Vvlfred.                                  Wulfred.                         VULFRED.

Ceolnoð.                                   Ceolnoth.                         CH-AY-OLNOTH.

Plegmvnd.                                 Plegmund.                         [as written]

York.

Eanbald [I&II]                         [same]                            AY-AH-NBOLD.

Vigmvnd.                                   Wigmund.                       VIGMUND.

Vvlfhere.                                  Wulfhere.                       VULFHER [E sound as AI in hair]

Source : BBC.co.uk. h2g2. Anglo-Saxon [Old English].

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 27/08/2007.
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V.II Contemporary Imitations of early Anglo-Saxon pennies.

Contemporary Imitations of Anglo-Saxon pennies of the ninth century and before are excessively rare. Most have come to light in recent years with the assistance of metal detectors. Less than ten are known in total, from the reign of ◊ffa of Mercia [during whose reign the penny was introduced] to that of Æðelberht of Wessex. These vary much in style and some copy the legends of known official moneyers. There has been very little published on the subject as it remains on the whole little researched and understood.

The Spink Numismatic Circular for September 1990 has a somewhat dated article entitled 'Two More Ninth Century Imitations of Mercian Coins' by E Tomlinson Fort. This brought the total of then known Mercian irregular coins to six [some have since been proven regular issues], and  Tomlinson quotes liberally from Blunt, Lyon and Stewarts seminal study of the ninth century coinage of Southern England. But the interesting point made by Tomlinson in this article is that the authors do not even consider the possiblity that two uncertain coins, ERETCODMONET issues of Cœnwulf, may be contemporary imitations. Indeed they try to fit them into accepted mints, and known moneyer legends. Perhaps this is a case of 'cant see the wood for the trees' [no offence intended]. My point is that it is too easy for most researchers to accept crude portrait coins, or those with blundered or meaningless legends as 'East Anglian issues' but that they might not have been officially produced must also be taken into account and researched.

My own coin has been confirmed as a contemporary Imitation by the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. It is copied from an official coin of Cœnvulf of Mercia. N 352 Cross Moline reverse, by the moneyer OBA. The official issue was produced at Canterbury c.810-821. The genuine coins have a diademed bust right of good style, with the pronounced Roman-style nose common to Mercian portrait coins. The obverse legend reads †COENVVLF REX M around the bust, with the drapery breaking the inner circle between Cœnwulf and Rex. The reverse legend reads †◊BA †MON †ETA around a small Cross Moline. Five examples are recorded on the EMC database. Another can be found in the Timothy Cook Collection.

My coin is unlikely to be the product of Oba's Canterbury workshop. The bust is of a strange, crude style - almost barbaric. The drapery is shaped differently to all the known genuine coins, which have straight or gently curving lines. On my coin they are rounded [as on some later Mercian coinage]. The legend is badly blundered [but not meaningless] and reads †OEN[H or þ?] the N is reversed, the final obverse letter is undetermined but is perhaps þ for COENþVLF, although this form of his name is never used on any of his genuine coins. It is however used a couple of years later in the reign of Beornþvlf of Mercia. It is a distinct possibility that the forger used a current form of lettering for an old issue without realising his mistakes.

The forger does pay some attention to detail regarding styles used in the legend lettering. He obviously wished his creation to look as near genuine as possible. The style of lettering used by him is very close to that used on official coins, down to the diamond-shaped ◊ of ◊BA. At least one of his reverse crosses is in the correct position and his M of MONETA is rounded in the Mercian style, resembling an Omega symbol, as on the real thing.

The fabric of my coin is of course composed of base metal, having a very low silver content. It does not ring true when dropped on a surface. Although having said that a few later ninth-century official pennies [Burgred and Ælfred for example] have less than 20% silver.

  Rory Naismith states that my coin was recorded [weight and die-axis] by Derek Chick [indeed, Chick cleaned it as well] in his annotated copy of The Coinage of Southern England, 796-840. He also draws a comparison between the style of my coin and that of two contemporary imitations of Cuðred of Kent [one in BM, one in the Stewartby Collection]. These have unusually crude obverses, although the legends are intelligiable. One [Stewartby, illustrated above,] has a 'Chevron A' reverse and is in the name of the well known moneyer DVDA. The other has a Cross and Wedges reverse, in the name of the later moneyer SIGESTEF. He places all three coins late in Cœnvulf's reign or slightly after. I would place them a year or two later still, after Cœnvulf's brother Ceolvulf I had been overthrown in AD823. They were probably produced in the reign of Beornþvlf [823-825] or Lvdica [825-827]. This was the age of the usurper, the  termination of Mercian traditional kingship, and to a certain extent authority. Although I certainly agree with Rory's theory that my coin, along with the two 'Cuthreds' was unofficially produced somewhere in East Anglia. This is evident by comparing stylistic similarities between these and official East Anglian issues.

Sources : EMC/SCBI database website. Spink Numismatic Circular, September 1990. The Coinage of Southern England, 796-840. Blunt, Lyon, Stewart. English Hammered Coinage, Vol 2. J.J. North. Debasement of the Coinage in Southern England in the Age of King Aelfred. Metcalf, Northover. Special thanks to Rory Naismith and Mike Bonser.

Images of the coin from the Stewartby Collection recieved from the Fitzwilliam Museum Coin Department. With many thanks.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 09/08/2007.
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V.I Eric Bloodaxe 'Sword Type' Penny.

 Finally I have aquired one of my long sought after rare coins. This is a Sword Type penny of the Viking Eric Bloodaxe, twice ephemeral 10thc king of York. This is my most expensive coin purchased to date, and arguably my rarest [notwithstanding my Eadvald of East Anglia]. This coin is so rare that it is classed as a Great Rarity. This type is the rarest of the English Viking series of coins. It has added much value and prestige to my collection.

Eric Bloodaxe was the son of Harald Finehair of Norway. He apparently earned his name not in battle, as might be supposed, but by murdering his way to the Norse throne, killing each of his twenty or so brothers. Only one, Hakon escaped to become king of Norway with the support of Aethelstan of England. Eric was ousted by this brother after a short but harsh and brutal reign. Coming to England he was accepted as king in York, where he reigned first 947-948, before he was overthrown by Anlaf Guthfrithsson, and again 952-954, when he was thrown out by his own subjects and later ambushed and killed . 

There are around twenty examples of the Sword Type recorded. The vast majority are in museums. Most major private collections do not possess one. The book Coinage in Tenth Century England [hereafter referred to as "Coinage"] published in 1989 states that at that time there were sixteen known examples. One other can be found on the PAS database, another fragment exists and my own coin. Mark Blackburn states around twenty coins are known to him.

There are two distinct types of Eric Bloodaxe coins. The Circumscription Cross issue of his first reign, and the Sword Type thought to be from his second reign. These are said to be based on other "sword coins" of the 920's. These types, all Viking issues, are St. Peter [there are also types without the sword], St. Martin of Lincoln [mid 920's] and Sihtric I [c.921-927].

The obverse is the same basic design across the type. ERIC REX above and below a stylised Viking sword right, with triple pellets above and below the title and at the point of the sword. Some examples have different symbols before ERIC and REX. These include annulets, pellets, bars, crescents, wedges and angles. They generally match on the same coin. Some dies have no symbols. There are also occasionally marks after REX.

The reverse of the coins has a small cross pattee, sometimes having four pellets in the field of the inner circle, as on my coin. Incidentally "Coinage" states that this pattern was then unknown for the moneyer of my coin, but common to other moneyers. The moneyer for my example is RADVULF. His whole coins also show a row of three pellets near the inner circle on the reverse die.

The MONETA[rius] signature varies with each moneyer. RADVULF has MEOI or MONΓ. ACVULF has MON. LEOFIC has MONE. INGELGAR has either nothing at all after his name or letters and symbols A, CRI, I, M, MI, OE, Γ or a triple colon. Strangely, no coins are known for RADVULF before the Circumscription Cross type of Eadgar [which throws doubt on the two moneyers being the same man], although he did mint for Anlaf Cuaran and Sihtric II prior to Eric. His name could be any of the following variants RADVULF, RADVLF, RATHWULF etc... but RADVULF [Redwulf] seems to me more likely. ACVULF, a resourceful man, also minted for the English kings Eadred, Eadwig and Eadgar. The moneyer LEOFIC is only known to have minted for Eric [with this variant of his name], although there are many possibilities for his actual name, LEOFINC etc... in which case he almost certainly coined for one or more of the Saxon kings too. INGELGAR, a prolific moneyer, minted for Eadmund, Eadred, Anlaf Cuaran and Eric.

The coins themselves are minted on large flans, common to the era, and are of reasonable quality silver. The legends are not blundered and this suggests competant moneyers based within York. There is an obverse die link between coins of Ingelgar and Radvulf, and two reverse links of Ingelgar. This suggests limited output by few moneyers. By common agreement these coins were accepted both within and outside the Danelaw. Several have been found in hoards of contemporary Anglo-Saxon coins.

Sources : Coinage in Tenth Century England. Blunt, Stewart, Lyon. The Portable Antiquities Scheme database. The library of the BNS and RNS. Special thanks to Dr. Mark Blackburn and Steve Elden.

• Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 04/08/2007.
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