Haslingfield Anglo-Saxon coin discovered in field to be sold

From the BBC:

An Anglo-Saxon gold coin discovered in a field by a metal detectorist is expected to be sold for up to £10,000.

Mark Pallett, 55, from Brentwood, Essex, found the item, that dates from 650-670 AD, in Haslingfield, Cambridgeshire, on 3 January.

The father-of-three said at first he thought it was a button and then did not think it was real.

When he turned it over and saw a male bust with a helmet he started to shake.​

 

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Neat.. I would keep detecting that field!

 

It’s listed at DNW (and I considered placing a bid)

 

I’m confused as to why BBC called it a “gold shilling.” I thought the Ango-Saxons were minting imitations of the Roman-Byzantine Tremissis during this time period. So the shilling wouldn’t have existed as a denomination then. Of course, I don’t collect Anglo-Saxon or hammered coins, so correct me if I’m wrong

 

You are not confused. 'Confused' is perhaps a kind term for the coin knowledge of most members of the media. We should be grateful when they illustrate a find story with the correct coin photo rather than just pulling something from stock.

 

"Shilling" is correct, as is "solidus". Linguistically, shilling is the English equivalent of Latin solidus. North and SCBC use "solidus" which is perhaps the more commonly used term. Unlike the thrymas/tremisses, the Anglo-Saxon shillings/solidi always imitate Roman prototypes and are sometimes inscribed in Runes. They are very rare as a class.

The traditional £/s/d used for pre-decimal English coinage (pound/ shilling/ penny) actually stands for Latin Libra, solidus and denarius.

 

Pretty mind-blowing, not least since apart from this, the gold solidus /shilling remained money of account until gold was issued again (in new denominations) in the 14th century.

 

Interesting. According to the article, the Shilling/Solidus in question is 13 mm diameter and weighs 1.3 grams, which is similar in size to the Roman/Byzantine Tremissis. I assume debasement is the reason why the Anglo-Saxon shilling/Solidus shrunk to the size of a Roman tremissis?

I also find it puzzling that the Frankish deniers and English pennies are described as “descendants” of the Roman denarius when in reality their specifications more closely match the late Imperial siliqua.

 

The distinction between shilling and thrymsa apparently has more to do with tradition among collectors and prototype (Roman vs Merovingian) than metrology. North (I, p.53) notes: "The term 'thrymsa' is perhaps an English corruption of tremissis. The suggestion by P. Grierson that the coins were in fact shillings of twenty pence is now generally accepted". Surfing through auction listings just now, I see that "shilling or thrymsa" is sometimes used.

At a major show many years ago, I was admiring a rare gold thrymsa in one of the cases at CNG's table. If I recall correctly, it was priced at something like $15K. I would have considered $100 a 'major purchase' in those days. Still, Eric McFadden insisted on taking the coin out of the tray and putting it in my hand so that I could get a better look. Fun memory!

 

Very interesting RC - thanks!

 

I love how clear and legible the runes are in the legend. What a fantastic find!

 

Lovely coin, on my watch list but will probably be too expensive.

 

Me too If I still lived in Germany I would definately invest in a metal detector. Any European Country would be good/ they maybe another "Arras Hoard" waiting to be unearthed.
I would keep any good quality coin for my coll./ maybe send duplicates for auction.

 

Here are a few gold Anglo-Saxon shillings. Would love to get more but they are generally all extremely rare and expensive.


‘EAN’ Crondall type


‘Two Emperors’ post-Crondall type

‘PADA’ post-Crondall type

 

Those are awesome! I have nothing yet from Saxons in England. I am going for the second coin in DNW Auction. Probably go way to high.

 

@Nap, your two emperor type must be one of the nicest I've seen. Does it have a provenance (because of the toning)?

 

Sadly it does not. It came from a French auction, and it’s not the only one I’ve seen sold in France. Even though these are typically assumed to be an English type, and Kent in particular, I’ve always wondered whether some of the (imitative?) examples could be continental, or whether these were produced with international trade in mind.