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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IV.VIII A vist to the Fitzwilliam Museum Coin Department.
Dr. Mark Blackburn and the unique Quentovic coin of Charlemagne.
13. 06. 07.
Some months ago whilst talking to Dr. Mark Blackburn in the library of the British and Royal Numismatic Societies, I received an open invitation to visit the Coin and Medal department of the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, where he is Keeper of Coins and Medals. Last Wednesday I was able to take Mark up on his very kind offer.
Mark had arranged to meet me at the museum and show me around their collection personally. I must add at this point that I was most appreciative of this, as Mark is normally very busy. So I asked for him at the front desk, as instructed, and was shown to the department by Dr. Adrian Popescu, a pleasant man who is Senior Assistant Keeper and an expert on Roman coinage. Once inside the department I was greeted by Dr. Blackburn, and introduced to other members of the staff :
Rory Naismith, a Research Student and BNS council member. He is an expert on early Anglo-Saxon coinage, who I had met before.
Dr Martin Allen, Assistant Keeper and expert on Short Cross and other Medieval coinages, who had registered some of my coinage on the Early Medieval database at the Fitzwilliam, and who I had previously met briefly once before.
Dr Elena Screen, Research Associate and a very nice lady, who is Secretary of the BNS, and was very helpful later on showing me the department's books and explaining, among other things, the available study resources. [These include a huge volume of material which had formerly belonged to the highly respected and influential Medieval numismatist Professor Philip Grierson, who sadly passed away in 2006]. I had also met her before.
I then met Ted Buttrey, an American gent and Former Keeper of the museum's Coins and Medals, who in the nicest possible way reminded me of a U.S. comedian I once saw and cant remember the name of. He now looks after the forty thousand or so auction catalogues available to study at the Museum.
Back in the department I recognised four very old and worn pages being studied by Rory [from one or more 18th century numismatic volumes], that I had seen on ebay a few weeks previously. I had bid on them and lost out to Simon Keynes, Professor of Anglo-Saxon studies at Cambridge University !! Mark then offered to show me some of the reserve collection of coins. We started with a large tray full of pennies of Offa and contemporary kings. His vast knowledge of this [and other] areas of coinage was very much in evidence as we sat and discussed the many different types of design and theorised about mints, minting, conquests, runic coins, moneyers, pronounciation, written sources and a host of other topics. Many valuable contributions were also added by Rory, working opposite us, and Elena, working at the far end of the table. It was an interesting experience to compare [in my head] the coins of my own collection with the coins in front of me, especially the rarer varieties, which in some instances the museum has more complete and better quality examples of. A tray of Viking coinage followed and it was obvious that these coins were a love of Mark's as he expertly explained about the famous, and meticulously labelled, hoard coins, his theories on dating and the various cross designs on these coins [especially those of the Seifred/Cnut group of York] and much about the period in which the coins were produced. All the time he patiently answered my many questions and offered his opinion on points of interest whenever I asked him. Once or twice he had to clarify or give an alternate explanation for, some of my beliefs or ideas. Unfortunately Mark could only spare me the morning, but we got through about five large trays of coins, which included handling some great rarities that I would not perhaps have been able to do otherwise. These included coins of Æðelberht of East Anglia, Ceolvulf II of Mercia, Ecgberht II of Kent, Cynðryth [Offa's wife] and several of the ecclesiastical and Viking series of unusual and uncommon coins. We ended the session with Mark looking at half a dozen of my own coins that I had brought along with me to register on the EMC. He found my Ælfwald II most interesting and this led to a short discussion on Northumbrian sceattas [a subject on which I am not particularly knowledgeable, but find most interesting]. Another tray of coins, part of the best privately assembled collection of this kind of coinage ever, was produced and searched until a coin similar to mine was found. There are perhaps only ten coins of this king that we know of.
I must thank Mark again for the time he spent with me, and his patience. It was an absolute pleasure to spend the morning in his company. His also bought us lunch in a pleasant little nearby pub, where we enjoyed further discussion, including, among other things, the museum's Æðelred II coin from the excessively rare mint town, and my home town, of Melton Mowbray, which sadly I did not get to see in the end. In short Mark Blackburn is an absolute gentleman.
Back from lunch Dr. Blackburn handed me over to Rory Naismith, with whom I have discussed early Anglo-Saxon coinage briefly before, both by email and in person. Rory has quite an upper class accent [no offence intended] that takes some getting used to, but he is the nicest chap, and an acknowledged expert on early Anglo-saxon coinage. So inevitably more trays of coinage were brought out, 8th, 9th and 10th century Anglo-Saxon. Cœnvulf, Ceolvulf, Beohtric, Æðelvulf and his sons, Ælfred, Edward the Elder [the department has some very nice regional and design variants of this monarch] and much much more, including halfpennies of the era, which I had never handled before. I felt somewhat more at ease with Rory [referring here only to Mark's reputation and standing, as I was a bit in awe of him], he is an easy person to talk to, and his knowledge seemingly encyclopedic when quoting from obscure books and catalogues. He was very helpful with suggestions to further my research, and most accomodating with coins that I asked to view and handle. Again it was a pleasure to chat with Rory, to discuss different coin types and theories. But especially Offa's pennies. He seems to have a remarkable memory for moneyers names and their associated coin types !! When it was getting late we took my coins through to Dr Allen, so that he could record them. Whilst he was doing this Rory was kind enough to show me some rare coins of Henry I and king Stephen, including many exceptional quality coins from the Conte collection [including SIX Henry I round half pennies !! and several superb coins of the Empress Matilda] that the museum now owns, and York Group and Baronial issues of Stephen that were minted during the Anarchy. I then left the department for half an hour to go to the Early Medieval gallery and view some of the finest rarities that the museum owns. A new variety ◊ffa, Wolf and Twins type runic penny especially caught my eye here. Following this I collected my coins, shook hands with and thanked all of the staff for their kindness and assistance during my visit, and left to catch my train.
I must at this point add a special thanks to Dr Screen for showing me several trays of Early Frankish pennies and Merovingian sceattas [among other coins] during the afternoon. My current research will benefit greatly from viewing in person the coins of Pippin I and Charlemagne. Although perhaps she shouldnt have told me how much the unique Quentovic portrait coin of Charlemagne was worth whilst I was holding it !! Her knowledge of coins of this period, and their publication, was of great help to me.
I had a most enjoyable visit to the Coin and Medal Department of the Fitzwilliam Museum, thanks to the kindness and generosity of the staff. The collection of coins there is one of the three greatest in Britain. The others being the Ashmolian Museum's in Oxford, and of course that of the British Museum. Praise is due to the Fitzwilliam coin department, and indeed the staff, for allowing their coins to be the most accessible for anyone wishing to study them.
Thanks are due to the following for a great day : Dr. Mark Blackburn. Rory Naismith MA. Dr. Elena Screen.
Thanks also to : Dr. Martin Allen. Dr. Adrian Popescu. Professor Ted Buttrey, and anyone else I met but cant remember the names of... and last but certainly not least, The British Numismatic Society.
Any mistakes in this post are my own. If I am made aware of any, I will of course correct them.
- Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 15/06/2007.
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IV.IV Offa and the coinage of the Kentish kings.
A Research Paper.
In AD 764 king ◊ffa of Mercia became Overlord of Kent, having deposed the provincial king Sigered of West Kent, and the reigning monarch king Eanmund of Kent. Later the same year ◊ffa was at Canterbury with archbishop Bregowine and king Heaberht of Kent, a local noble he had raised to kingship. Whilst there he made a re-grant of an estate to Eardvulf, bishop of Rochester, previously granted and confirmed by the lately deposed Kentish monarchs.
More importantly whilst at Canterbury ◊ffa granted king Heaberht the right to issue the new broad-flan silver pennies in his own name. These had been minted under ◊ffa in London since the recent coinage reforms of AD 760, or earlier, which replaced the smaller, thicker sceat coinage with the broader, thinner continental-style denarius.
The Canterbury moneyer Eoba was the first to be awarded the right to coin the pennies of king Heaberht, and by extension those of king ◊ffa also. Eoba initially employed the same reverse motif on the coins of both kings, the design of four pelleted annulets joined to form a cross, with annulet centre containg a pellet or cross of/and pellets. The positive/negative image contained the moneyers name in the angles of the cross. This motif probably represented the wounds of Christ, and was used extensively on the pre-reform coinage.
Heaberht was a dependant king. He issued charters that were confirmed by ◊ffa and had little authority of his own to make major descisions. His adoption of the new coinage and the rights of the moneyers to produce it would certainly have been proclaimed by royal charter. Attached to this would have been the polished Latin confirmation of king ◊ffa and the Mercian dignitaries. Unfortunately no English charters referring to the coinage have survived from ◊ffa's era. The single extant coin of king Heaberht of Kent was astutely purchased in Rome by Christopher Blunt many years ago, and is now housed in the British museum.
In AD 765 king Heaberht died. Later the same year the provincial king Egcberht II was promoted by ◊ffa to the rule of Kent. He was afforded the same rights as Heaberht regarding the minting of pennies in his own name. His earliest coins were also produced at Canterbury by Eoba. The reverse motif is identical to those of his predecessor and Overlord. The obverses of all of Egcberht's coins, and that of Heaberht, employ the same monogram of Rex within a circle, having the name of the monarch around.
The moneyer Eoba enjoyed the patronage of king ◊ffa. His career was long and prosperous, coining many different designs for the Mercian king. He also coined for the Kentish kings and exclusively for ◊ffa's wife Cynðryth. To round off a distinguished working life approaching forty years duration he was employed by ◊ffa's successor Cœnwulf to coin the Tribrach Moline type at Canterbury. Eoba's name does not appear on any Group II coinage of Cœnwulf after AD 805, and he coins only the early three-line Tribrach Moline type, and not the slightly later double Tribrach type. These types were coined c. 796-805, and if we surmise that both types were coined for an equal period during that time, then we can place Eoba's death between c. 796 and c. 800. Probably nearer to 796 as few coins of the type are known in his name.
Another Canterbury moneyer with a highly distinguished career under ◊ffa was Babba. His coinage for ◊ffa was both prolific and varied. He also coined for Egcberht II and like his contempory Eoba, ended with Cœnvulf's three-line Tribrach Moline type, revealing the length of his working life to be similar to that of Eoba, at around 35-40 years. His early coins bear the designs of crosses in various forms, with the moneyers name in the angles. Those he coined for Offa bear striking similarities to the coins he struck for Egcberht II. It is probable that Babba also issued coinage for Heaberht of Kent, as his coins of the mid 760's are stylistically related to those of Eoba, betraying a close working relationship which may have begun under the earlier Kentish king.
The only other known moneyer linking the coinage of ◊ffa to that of the Kentish kings during his own lifetime is a man called Udd. His designs are again varied, if limited, under ◊ffa, with a single type minted for Egcberht II, the Floral Scroll type with the moneyers name across the field. Although this type was issued for a considerable length of time. A close scrutiny of the Floral Scroll issue reveals that the cross and scrollwork is actually a stylised Mercian omega symbol, with crossbar and pellets. The omega symbol is common to Mercian coinage of the period, and is present on at least one type of penny of each of the dependant and client kings issuing their coinage under Mercian authority. The closest parallel with the crossed omega is perhaps that on the coins of bishop Eadberht of London, with king ◊ffa, where it appears unmistakably, if stylistically different. Some authorities have identified the moneyer Udd with the London moneyer Dud, but following a comparison of styles I must agree with Ian Stewart in pronouncing that the coins are too dissimilar to be the work of the same man. Udd and Dud are separate moneyers working in different mints, indeed in different countries. Dud also works in a later period during the reign of ◊ffa.
A small number of other moneyers are thought to have coined for ◊ffa in the 760's. It is not impossible that one or more of these may have also worked for the Kentish kings.
I am of the steadfast opinion that one day a coin of king Heaberht of Kent bearing the Mercian omega symbol will be discovered.
When ◊ffa died in AD 796 he controlled the London mint in Mercia directly, the Canterbury mint in Kent directly, the East Anglian mint directly and the Wessex mint as Overlord. The only mint in England that he did not effectively control was the York mint in Northumbria, although his daughter was married to king Æthelred I. His own coinage was minted at various times at each of the first three mints mentioned. We do not know if other mints existed at this time but ◊ffa would certainly have controlled any mints within his territories.
The original die motif of Eoba, perhaps representing the wounds of Christ. Shown here on a coin of Offa of Mercia [EMC/SCBI database].
The stylised Mercian crossed omega symbol can be seen to good effect on this coin of Egcberht II of Kent [EMC/SCBI database].
Sources : Wikipedia website. Anglo-Saxon Charters website. Timeline of Anglo-Saxon England website. Christopher Blunt : Post war years and his contribution to Anglo-Saxon numismatics. Marion Archibald. EMC/SCBI database website. Books : Anglo-Saxon England. F.M. Stenton. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. Anne Savage Ed. Iconography of early Anglo-Saxon Coinage. Anna Gannon. Catalogue Of English Coins in the British Museum : Anglo-Saxon, Volume One. Charles Keary. English Hammered Coinage, Volume One. J.J. North.
Please note coins shown are not from my cabinet [unfortunately !!].
- Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 03/05/2007.
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III.III A bit of fun...........Did you know ?
The phrase "to pay through the nose" [refering to exhorbitant pricing] comes from the Viking practice of slitting the noses of anyone who would not or could not afford to pay their tribute !!
By the reign of king Eadgar [959-975] the penny was so overvalued that 65lb of money = 50lb of silver, bullion weight. The penny was far too light but was still circulating as legal tender.
There are 16 entries in the Domesday Book refering to moneyers.
In the 10th/11th century there were an estimated 5 million pennies circulating in England. Aethelred II [978-1016] payed over 40 million pennies in Danegeld. THIS IS EQUIVALENT TO AROUND ONE HUNDRED MILLION POUNDS TODAY. WITH PERHAPS THE PURCHASING POWER OF CLOSE TO ONE BILLION POUNDS STERLING.
The Norman mint of Dunwich is now under the North Sea.
There have been more Anglo-Saxon pennies found in Scandinavia than England. This is due to coin hoards of Danegeld.
Archbishop St. Dunstan once refused to celebrate mass until three dishonest moneyers had been deprived of their right hands.
Until 1180 it was expressly forbidden for Winchester moneyers to work in the same building. This was thought to prevent dishonesty.
In 1124 king Henry I judged his 150 moneyers, mutilating 94 of them for debasing the coinage. They each lost their right hand and one testicle.
In late Saxon times the penalty for coining "outside the walls" [ie. not in a lawful town or city] was death.
In 973 king Eadgar reformed the coinage and introduced a royal portrait as standard on the obverse of coins.
King Aethelstan [924-939] was the first monarch to mint coins with a crowned portrait. Until this reign kings were diademed or bare-headed on English coins.
William the Conqueror was so impressed with the standard of the English coinage [by far the best in Europe] that he allowed it to remain in place. The same family of late Saxon royal jewellers produced the coin dies of William I also.
King Cnut was the first Danish monarch to mint coins. He did so in England first, then exported English moneyers to Denmark to establish a mint there.
The most expensive Anglo-Saxon coin ever sold is the Coenwulf gold Mancus, discovered in 2001. It was bought by the British Museum in 2005 for £357, 832. www.scvhistory.com/scvhistory/signal/coins/worden-coinage0106a.htm
The only Anglo-Saxon queen permitted to mint coins in her own name was Cynethryth, wife of king Offa of Mercia [757-796].
The broad flan, thin penny [as opposed to the sceat] was probably introduced by the transitory king of Kent, Heaberht [c.774].
Anglo-Saxon coins were produced onto squares of silver...then trimmed round.
A pair of coin dies in the late Saxon/Norman period consisted of one obverse die and two reverse dies, as these broke easier.
An Anglo-Saxon gold Mancus was worth thirty silver pennies. The silver penny represented one days pay for a skilled craftsman. It was a huge sum of money to the ordinary peasant.
Under the laws of Cnut witnesses had to be present for any transaction involving more than four pennies.
In the tenth century a horse could be valued at up to [the enormous sum of] 120 pennies. You could buy an ox for a mancus, a cow at twenty pence, a pig at ten pence, a sheep at a shilling [here being four pennies] and a goat for two pence.
There were more mints operational in England after the Norman conquest [over seventy] than there are active in the whole world today. Over one hundred countries entrust the modern Royal Mint to coin their money.
Domesday Book names twenty eight mint towns.
The largest hoard of pennies of Norman England was found at Beauworth, Hampshire in 1833. The hoard contained at lease eight thousand coins. Sixty five mints are represented. Prior to the discovery of this hoard the PAXS type of William I was his rarest type. It is now his most common by far.
Spink's Coins Of England and the U.K. is one of the most frequently stolen library books in the country.
- Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 28/10/2006.
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III. Moneyers, mints, abuse and the Law.
From the very introduction of the penny in the mid eighth century, the kings official known as the moneyer was always responsible for its production according to the law. He alone was answerable if the weight was incorrect or the silver debased.....and his name was struck on the reverse of each coin, sometimes with the mint of issue, so that it could be traced back to him. Privvy marks were also added on most coins so that individual batches of coins could be identified with some certainty.
Moneyers in Anglo-Saxon and Norman times were at the very top of their social class, they were burgessess representing their town or city and held the royal warrant of the king himself. Often trained jewellers, they had an intricate knowledge of the workings and special skills of the mint and could therefore afford to remain administrators and hire blacksmiths to actually make the coins on their behalf. Their names are often found as witnesses on royal charters. They were successful experienced exchangers, with high standards....and very prosperous.
The mint was [and still is] the place that the coins were made. They were generally [in later times by law] within busy towns, cities and ports. It had to be "within the walls" to be sanctioned. Those without the walls were illegal mints beyond the law. This practice was punishable by death. Each mint had access to its own supply of raw silver for the pennies, and was based around a smithy. The dies used in the hammering process were usually made at regional centres like London, York and Canterbury. Each reverse die was engraved with the moneyers name and often the name of the mint, along with the design [the class or type] chosen for the latest issue of coinage. The dies were then sent out to the provincial mints for the coining process. Types were changed periodically [every two or three years on average in later times] and this created a profit for the king, as the populace had to exchange its old coin for the new type at the mint of issue. In the 10th/11th century there were an estimated five million pennies in circulation in England.
Abuses of the coinage were always rife, but hit epidemic proportions around the reign of Henry I. Despite the harshest laws coins were clipped, shaved and shaken in bags [to produce silver dust]. Some of the worst abuses centered on the moneyers themselves. Underweight coins were produced and debased silver was commonly substituted, with the excess skimmed off the top and into the moneyers pocket. This was in fact treason of a kind. The common punishment for this offence was amputation of the right hand. Henry I [1100-1135], in responce to the public outcry concerning the state of his coinage [people were bending and breaking the pennies to see if they were genuine or plated forgeries], called an assize of moneyers at Christmas 1124 in Winchester. All 150 moneyers were called to account. All but three honest men were found guilty. 94 were mutilated according to law, each losing their right hand and one testicle. The rest paid huge fines to escape this punishment, although many were banished. The abuses of course did not stop. In an attempt to curb the excesses Henry introduced the first [short-lived] issue of round halfpence and farthings [literally forthings, named for the practice of halving and quartering coins at the mint to provide small change] They did not catch on and it was not until the reign of Henry III [1216-1272] that this was attempted again. These coins [about a dozen or so are known] are excessively rare today.
Monarchs have always been closely associated with their coinage, and have issued strict laws governing every area of its production and useage. The loss of the moneyers right hand [it would then be nailed above the money-smithy] for infringement was common to most Saxon and Norman kings. We have evidence of it in writing [from as early as the time of the Visigoths] in the law codes of Aethelstan, Eadgar and Aethelred II [later in reign increased to death]. St. Dunstan in the reign of king Eadgar once refused to celebrate Mass until three guilty moneyers had been dealt with according to law and lost their hands. Most kings accepted payment from the guilty to avoid the terrible punishments. We know that Aethelred II accepted WER [a payment for how much a mans life was worth according to his status] from guilty criminals, including foreigners who introduced chipped or false money into the country. Henry I accepted these payments but later passed a law stating that a man could not redeem himself with money but should lose his eyes and members. Henry, concerned more than most monarchs for the national coinage, also ordered [bizarrely], in about 1108 that all new coins from the mints of issue should have an official edge snick. This was to counter those who would only accept perfect coins and not those [even though official] that had been defaced in some way. This order was made law and by law everyone had to accept all genuine coins. Earlier, in 1101, Henry I gave the archbishop of York jurastiction over his own moneyers [of the York moneyers, most would work for the king and one or two for the archbishops profit, this in common with other ecclesiastical mints] with the power to enforce the statutes against false coiners.
Sources : Norman coins of Britain. Ken Elks website. British History Online. York as Centre of Administration and The Tower Mint websites. Fitzwilliam Museum. Coins and Medals. Normans website. Economists View. History of Thought website. Geocities. Farthegn moneyers website. Grunal Moneta. Coinage in Tenth Century England. Blunt, Stewart, Lyon. Spink. Coins of England.
- Posted by dragonbloodaxe on 17/10/2006.
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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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