Featured The sceattas of early Anglo-Saxon England

Yeah, What he said!!!

 

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@Nap Thank you for this thoughtful introduction to the earliest Anglo-Saxon coinage. Like the coins themselves, much of the history of the period has been lost to time. For my part I like a little mystery with my coins, so that does not put me off at all.

 

Thanks Aethelred.

Here are a few new ones I've picked up since the topic has been resurrected:


Secondary phase, series K
O: Bust right facing cross
R: Lion's head right



Secondary phase, series K
O: Bust right with bird facing up
R: Hound prancing eating berries off a vine



Secondary phase, series S
O: Winged female centaur
R: Whorl of four wolf heads with intertwined tongues

 

I should add, these coins are small, typically 11-12mm in diameter, and blowing up photographs frequently does not due them a great service from an overall appeal standpoint. Also my camera is an iphone and lighting is a desk lamp, both could be improved eventually.

 

Those are great @Nap I especially like the first one. Is series K thought to be from Kent?

Is there a place where each series and where/When it is thought to be from are listed? At present I only have Spink and North as a reference on these (and North seems almost useless).

 

The series K is indeed from Kent. Many of the early Anglo-Saxon coins were minted in Kent and probably Canterbury; coinage outside of eastern England (and York) was on a considerably smaller scale until much later.

Some of the Rigold letter series is associated with mint location- series H from Hamwic (Southampton), series L from London, series W from Wessex, etc. Other series are named for other features (S for Sphinx [which is really a centaur]), and some letters have no association. As far as I know every letter in the alphabet is used for a series except for I and P.

The lettering of the series was devised some 40+ years ago, and like the British museum numbering from 100 years ago it is somewhat deficient especially with many of the new types and findings of the metal detecting era. An alternate scheme has been promoted by Tony Abramson in his book “Sceatta List”. there’s a new edition out this year but the old edition is also pretty good and you could probably pick up a secondhand copy cheap. His classification scheme is good but has not yet been widely accepted though. The first edition contains good information on stycas as well, though I don’t quite agree with his classification on these.

Another good resource is Medieval European Coinage (MEC) 8: Britain and Ireland, but this is an expensive book.
For free, you could start with Rigold’s initial articles in the BNJ, describing his classification. Keep in mind the info is a little outdated.

 

Great info @Nap, Thank you.

I seem to recall reading somewhere that series R is attributed to Aelfwald of East Anglia. I find that fascinating!

 

I was just in England, and I am so disappointed that this opened up after I left, and will likely be done before I have a chance to get back

 

but...
https://www.bl.uk/shop/anglo-saxon-kingdoms-hardback/p-2433
https://www.bl.uk/shop/anglo-saxon-kingdoms-paperback/p-2434
...half a loaf is better than none!

 

I haven't had time to crack the books and do the research on this one but did take pictures.

 

Series C, probably from ca. 700-720, likely East Anglia (?Ipswich)

 

So this coin would probably have been minted during the reign of Aelfwald of East Anglia?

 

Attribution of sceats is a tricky thing. You can kind-of know where they came from and kind-of know who was king then, but you can't really attribute them properly as they are uninscribed.

For many years, scholars thought the early transitional thrymsas with the runic letters "PADA" were attributed to Peada of Mercia, who was one of the sons of Penda. Now, this is presumed to be incorrect, and Pada was probably the name of a moneyer.

Here is my example:

The runic letters ᛈᚨᛞᚨ are at the top of the reverse, the rest of the inscription is copying late Roman coins

Similarly, there is a coin in the name of Aethelred, which was thought to be the king Aethelred of Mercia (674-705), but is now perhaps considered a moneyer's name, and while the coin is likely English, a Frisian origin cannot be ruled-out. This riddle will almost certainly not be solved. But at least there is plausibility to this one's regal attribution since the time it was struck is contemporary to the regal issue of Aldfrith of Northumbria.
Here are my examples:


Reverse inscription with ᚨᚦᛁᛚᛁᚱᚨᛞ, one clockwise and one counterclockwise (or boustrophedon)

 

I was just in England too, and unfortunately missed it as well.

Well it's an excuse to go back!

 

Cool series C:
ºAº / runic AEPA. c. 680-710, IMHO...
Oxford.Vol. I, 117-125, Sceattas.p. 94 C110, MEC.1/685 var., Spink.779, Laf/L.248:

 

You have a great example of this coin. Thanks for sharing your research.

 

While I realize that this thread is nearly two years old, I find myself coming back to it just to admire the pretty sceatta's of Nab's collection. In fact, it inspired me to focus on them. As I've just rephotographed my (now 11) sceatta's, and bump this thread back to page one, I'll post them here instead of starting a new thread, in the hope that others will be inspired as well.

The series D, continental sceatta's with runic inscriptions. There are three main categories:

• type 8 (a standard on the reverse, runic inscriptions on the obverse),
• type 2c (resembling the series C type 2c: a bust on the obverse, often with runic inscriptions, and runic inscriptions on the reverse), and
• the very rare type 10 (a bust resembling the type 2c with runic inscriptions on the obverse, and a 'porcupine' bust with latin inscriptions on the reverse - in my understanding the only sceat with latin inscriptions)

Type 8:
ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (series D, type 8), minted: Frisia or Domburg; 695-715 AD
Obv: Central cross with garbled runic legend around
Rev: Standard with central annulet,
Weight: 0.63g; Ø:10mm. Catalogue: . Provenance: Ex Jan van Bergen; acq.: 11-2019

ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (Series D type 8), minted: Netherlands; 690-720
Obv: Dotted standard, annulet with pellet in center, around three V and one I, dot between. Outside standard, a pellet and largely off-center garbled legend
Rev: Runic inscription (A V H) around cross-pommee, pellets around
Weight: 1.18g; Ø:12mm. Catalogue: . Provenance: Possibly found in Northern France; acq.: 05-2020

Type 2c:

ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (series D, BMC type 2c), minted: Frisia; 690-715 AD
Obv: Degenerated diademed head, runic inscriptings before
Rev: Central cross-pommee with dots on each corner; cross above, annulet below.
Weight: 1.23g; Ø:11mm. Catalogue: . Provenance: Metal detecting find Oud-Zevenaar, near the assumed location of an 8th century church. ; acq.: 04-2020

ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (series D, type 2c, sub-variety 3c), minted: Possibly England; 695-715 AD
Obv: Abstract head
Rev: Central cross with four pellets around, below annulet, above cross patté, runic letters around.
Weight: 1.08g; Ø:13mm. Catalogue: . Provenance: Ex private collection (09-2019); acq.: 09-2019
Series D (Continental Runetype), Type 2c, sub-variety 3c (with head right (it often faces left in sub-variety 3c), reverse die-match to the major 3c die-chain). Based on find-material, these are quite possibly English imitations of the continental sceattas, which in turn are imitations of early English Sceattas.

Type 10

ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (series D, BMC type 10), minted: Likely the Netherlands; c.700-715 AD
Obv: Crowned bust to the right with pellets as hair. Sharp, portruding nose. Runic inscription aepa in front
Rev: Radiated 'porcupine' or 'moonface' bust, to the right. Runic inscription ticv in front.
Weight: 1.16g; Ø:12mm. Catalogue: Op den Velde die chain 312-325 (obverse); 318-319 (reverse). Abramson 9-10; BMC type 10;. Provenance: Metal detecting find Oud-Zevenaar, near the assumed location of an 8th century church. NUMIS nr. 1150617; acq.: 04-2020
The series D sceatas consists of three distinct styles: the BMC type 8, showing a standard on the obverse and a runic inscription on the reverse; the BMC type 2c (which is the most abundant) showing a bust, facing right on most coins, with a runic inscription in front, and the same runic inscription as type 8, and BMC type 10, showing the same bust as type 2c (die links have been found) and a 'porcupine' radiate bust on the reverse. This coin (BMC type 10) is closely connected to the mint of type 2C (as suggested by the die links), but much rarer - fewer than 30 specimens of this coin are known, possibly indicating a smaller, independent mint.
This coin is die linked to chain 312-325 (obverse die link), and 318-319 (reverse die link), minted in Kerk-Averza and Escharen. Other find locations of this type are IJzendoorn, Valkenburg and Ven-Zederheide. Locations in the United Kingdom include Bedford and Bawsey; two locations are unsure (one in Friesland, and one unknown).

 

Then the series E, which includes many, many varieties and subtypes. The main style however is the 'porcupine', which is obviously not a porcupine - in fact, nobody really knows what the spiky figure on the obverse (or is it the reverse?) is, and to avoid confusion, it was agreed to call it a porcupine as this it is certainly not a porcupine.

There are many varieties, either grouped per reverse or obverse. Here are some common and less common ones:

ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (series E ‘Ashton Rowant’ phase, stepped cross var. (type 53)), minted: Frisia; 690-715 AD
Obv: Degenerate 'porcupine' head to the right, with dot in annulet, (part of a) standard below, pellets around
Rev: Stepped cross with pellet-in-annulet at center and pellets around between arms of the cross
Weight: 0.81g; Ø:12mm. Catalogue: No die match in Metcalf & Op ten Velde (2010) (The Monetary Economy of the Netherlands, c. 690 - c. 760 and the Trade with England: A Study of the 'Porcupine' Sceattas of Series E). Provenance: Ex. J. van Bergen; acq.: 11-2019
Broken in half, glued. Relatively rare


ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (Series E, Primary ('Ashton Rowant') phase, plumed bird var. J (Type 6)), minted: Probably Dorestad, Frisia (the Netherlands); 695/700-710/5
Obv: Plumed bird’ right; cross pommée to right and below
Rev: Standard with central pellet-in-annulet, four bars, and two trefoils; crosses at sides, dots around
Weight: 0.68g; Ø:12mm. Catalogue: Metcalf & Op ten Velde (2010) die chain 8-10 (plate 1, The Monetary Economy of the Netherlands, c. 690 - c. 760 and the Trade with England: A Study of the 'Porcupine' Sceattas of Series E). Provenance: Ex. J. van Bergen collection; acq.: 11-2019 ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (series E, Primary ('Ashton Rowant') phase, plumed bird var. L (Type 6)), minted: Possibly Dorestad (The Netherlands); 695/700-710/5 AD
Obv: “Plumed bird” right; pellet-in-annulet below beak
Rev: Standard; pellet-in-annulet at center and in corners, separated by either double- or triple-pellet groups; lines in margin
Weight: 1g; Ø:12mm. Catalogue: No die match in Metcalf & Op ten Velde (2010) (The Monetary Economy of the Netherlands, c. 690 - c. 760 and the Trade with England: A Study of the 'Porcupine' Sceattas of Series E). Provenance: Found in province of Zeeland (the Netherlands) 2018. Ex private collection 11-2019; acq.: 11-2019 ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (Series E, variety G), minted: Netherlands; 690-720
Obv: Porcupine' figure to the right, pellets above but not connected to spikes, triangle at right end of arc, with three pellets between triangle and arc. Below, upper end of standard
Rev: Standard with square around consisting of dotted border, around pellets. Annulet in center, with pellet inside, around four horizontal lines with pellet at one end. Between, two pellets.
Weight: 1.02g; Ø:12mm. Catalogue: . Provenance: Possibly found near Slappeterp, Friesland; acq.: 05-2020

ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (series E, sub-variety D), minted: Possibly Dorestad (The Netherlands); 720-740 AD
Obv: Purcipine type, "V" near head, small cross at the left
Rev: Square, with central annulet. Two "T" at each side, / \ below, with two pellets in between.
Weight: 0.98g; Ø:11mm. Catalogue: No die match in Metcalf & Op ten Velde (2010) (The Monetary Economy of the Netherlands, c. 690 - c. 760 and the Trade with England: A Study of the 'Porcupine' Sceattas of Series E). Provenance: Ex private collection (10-2019); acq.: 10-2019
Series E (porcupine), secondary continental phase (Kloster-Barthe Phase, c. 720 - c. 740), sub-variety d (pronounced ‘Beak’, ToT / \ intact on reverse after British prototype). Quite possibly a die match to the sub-variety d die-chain! Based on distribution maps, this sub-variety d possibly originates from the ‘big river area’ here in the Netherlands. Dorestad has often been named, but there is little direct evidence for this claim
ANGLO-SAXON, Anonymous. Denomination: AR Sceatta (series E, sub-variety K), minted: The Netherlands to Eastern Germany; 720-740 AD
Obv: Porcupine type with four legs
Rev: Beaded square with cross above and to the left. Central annulet with dot inside. Four beaded lines around in 'swatsika pattern'.
Weight: 0.79g; Ø:1.3mm. Catalogue: Metcalf & Op ten Velde (2010) die chain 2534-2535 (plate 72, The Monetary Economy of the Netherlands, c. 690 - c. 760 and the Trade with England: A Study of the 'Porcupine' Sceattas of Series E). Provenance: Ex private collection (10-2019); acq.: 10-2019
Series E (porcupine), secondary continental phase (Kloster-Barthe Phase, c. 720 - c. 740), sub-variety k (mainly a ‘leftover’ group of ‘imitations’, double die-match to a specimen the Kloster Barthe hoard (2534)). These are hypothesised to have been struck in local mints, not attributable to a precise geographic location. One double die-match has been retrieved from an unknown location in the Netherlands, the other indeed from the Kloster Barthe hoard in Germany. So, its origin probably lies somewhere in these regions

Hope you enjoy these coins as much as I do. They receive way too little attention on cointalk