This wonderfully toned siliqua of Valens came from an American collection (1970). The original ticket mentioned 'clipped to match the weight of a Anglo-Saxon sceatta', which was indeed quite often done. Given the mint-state condition, I suspect the coin was part of a hoard found in the Anglo-Saxon era, then clipped to match the weight of a sceatta, and soon lost therafter (again, given the lack of wear). Obviously, I can neither prove the theory that it is indeed 'clipped to match the weight of a sceatta', nor the sequellae of events. [..]VALEN[...]; bust of Valens to right [..]ROMA[...], Roma seated on throne to left. Unfortunately, the text beneath Roma (where the letters denoting the mint location should be), is clipped as well. I've looked online, and found Trier (TRPS), Aquileia (AQPS), and Rome (RP). This forum is frequented by members that know way more about this topic than I do. So, out of curiousity, is it possible to pinpoint the mint (i.e. by style, specific attributes, etc) in this case?
Unless I'm missing something (entirely possible, especially in the morning), it's my understanding that clipped siliquae are a peculiarly British phenomenon associated with the end of Roman rule (c. 410), some 270 years before the first sceattas appeared (c. 680).
I don't think you can ever be certain of a mint with these clipped siliquae. That being said, I think it's Trier, for 2 main reasons: 1. Trier was the main supplier of coinage to Britain in the second part of the 4th century and 2. Trier was minting the most of this type ca. 370. The siliquae were used in Britain even after 410 and there is certainly a probability that they were cut to the new standard once sceattas became the dominant means of monetary exchange.
While siliquae may have remained in use in Britain for a decade or two after 410, it is demonstrable by archaeological and hoard evidence that the rampant clipping dates from from the years surrounding the Roman exit (Rexit ). By the middle of the 5th century, coined money had fallen out of use entirely on the island. If the clipping of siliquae represents a new standard, it must surely have been a short-lived local British standard. That said, it's obviously not impossible for siliquae to have surfaced occasionally in the 7th century or later and been clipped to a then-current standard. At the same time, we have to recognize such circumstances as exceptional.
Actually, I don't think that these clipped siliquae circulated with sceats. I'm not aware of any hoard evidence that suggests that they did. Also, sceats were produced in great variety and with many different and elaborate dies for some 80 years from the late 7th century onwards. Why should people capable of producing these dies resort to clipping Roman coins that were already some 300 years old at the time? I think the Roman siliquae were clipped in the early 5th century, at a time when Rome lost control over Britain.
I agree with you, but for different reasons. Hoard evidence will not be very helpful. There are extremely few sceatta hoards in Britain, certainly no large ones of note. So negative evidence isn’t of great weight. Interestingly, a large hoard of thrymsas is known (nearly 100 coins from Crondall, 1828), and several large hoards of stycas are known (Hexham, Bolton Percy, York, etc.), but nothing for the sceattas. With regards to the variety, sceattas were produced at several locations, across different kingdoms, but there probably were not that many mint sites, and not all regions had a mint. Therefore, in places that had no mint, foreign coins might have remained in use alongside sceattas, even with the great variety of English coins. Keep in mind the heavy penetration of the “porcupine” series E sceat, produced in Frisia but found in huge numbers in Britain. However, I did say I agreed with you. I have a very hard time believing that silver currency remained around in the early 7th century. The monetary economy of the southern kingdoms of England moved in the late 500s to a gold coin economy. Much like in Merovingian France. How much this involved the common person is up for debate; the answer is probably ‘very little’ as a barter economy persisted; but for large transactions the gold thrymsa, or shilling, was the currency of southern England. Silver coins really did not become part of the currency until the late 670s and the introduction of the silver sceattas. It should be noted that the famous Sutton Hoo hoard, with its vast treasures, only contained gold coins (all Frankish.. the Merovingians were also only using gold coins in the early 600s.) So the idea that silver coin made long before the shift to gold would have persisted throughout a silver-less monetary period of over 100 years in both Britain and France seems very far-fetched. Clipped or not. Rather, siliquae were clipped in Britain nearly exclusively, and I would presume it related to the abrupt withdrawal of Roman forces around 400. The western Roman currency mostly became a gold-only coinage in the late period, after about 420, but because Rome left Britain before then, this shift did not happen until much later. Rather for a few years, decades probably, Roman coins in various metals continued to circulate in Britain. And clipping probably occurred then. Why are the clipped coins in decent shape? Can only speculate here, but presume that the economy had a cataclysmic implosion with the departure of Roman legions and arrival of the Germanic invaders. Suspect that all coin usage was quite limited. It may not be unreasonable to think that clipped siliqua were a prototype for the later gold and silver coinage to follow. Rather than siliqua being clipped to look like sceats, it’s possible that sceats were small to look like a clipped siliqua. But even this theory fails a bit, as Saxon coinage did not develop from the imagination of a people starting a new coinage, but rather as imitation of existing coins from Merovingian France.
But a few sceatta hoards have been unearthed, for example ... (99+) THREE RECENT SCEATTA HOARDS FROM NORFOLK in Norfolk Archaeology 2013 | Adrian Marsden - Academia.edu (99+) The Aldborough (Norfolk) hoard of sceattas, Yorkshire Numismatist 4 | Adrian Marsden - Academia.edu The Hougham Hoard of Sceattas c. 1780 on JSTOR ... and they don't include clipped Roman siliquae.
Thank you @Nap and @Tejas for your contributions. Hoards of sceatta's are scarcely found indeed. In the Netherlands, a few have been found though. None included siliquae: 1838 Kloster-Barthe hoard (n=756 according to: https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/1954/1954b.pdf) 1866 Hallum hoard (n=approx 200) 1868 Franeker hoard (n= approx. 400). Link (dutch): https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2001/2001b.pdf 1950's small hoard in Groningen (n=9, only porcupine), link: https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/1955/1955g.pdf 1950's small hoard Lutje Saaksum, Groningen (n=15, only sceatta's), link: https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/1955/1955g.pdf 1980 two small (dispersed) finds of sceatta's near Maurik and Rijswijk, near the Rhine, total aprox. 30 coins sceatta's. Multiple Roman finds were included. https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/1982/1982a.pdf 2011 Cothen (near Dorestad), 71 coins, of which 9 were Merovingean, and 62 sceatta';s (link: https://jaarboekvoormuntenpenningkunde.nl/jaarboek/2014/2014-101b.pdf) I'm aware of more hoards, but these are the one's stored on my PC. I think it would be interesting to compile an overview of all sceatta hoards. Might give it a try in the future.
Compared to the massive hoards of stycas, these are tiny, but you are correct, I did forget the recent finds from East Anglia. Thanks for the links. They are continental-heavy. Other than these finds, the only major hoard I recall was the Aston-Rowant. Given the wide distribution of sceattas, one might expect more finds, but so far no such luck. Burying large amounts of coins (and never coming back for them) is usually done for a particular reason, seemingly related to political strife. Perhaps the early 8th century was not a terrible time to be alive in Saxon England.
@Roerbakmix Sorry the delayed reply. I’ve been distracted the past few days. As a reading springboard, I will recommend George Boon (1988), ‘Counterfeit coins in Roman Britain’ in Coins and the Archaeologist, 2nd ed., London, 1988. In the course of describing the various waves of epidemic imitation in Roman Britain, Boon discusses the decline of coinage in late Roman Britain, including the clipped siliquae. Includes a good bibliography and extensive notes. It’s important to remember that the clipped siliquae are a peculiarly British phenomenon. They have been found in great numbers in Britain but are rare elsewhere. The four hoards below provide snapshots at important inflection points: 410 (the end of Roman Britain), 465 (the latest known sub-Roman hoard), 625 (continental coinage returns to Britain), 650 (the first English coins). The first is the Hoxne (Suffolk) Hoard, c. 410, containing 14,212 siliquae, some 80% of which are clipped. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoxne_Hoard The Patching (West Sussex) Hoard, c. 465, includes 23 Roman and pseudo-Imperial solidi, 27 Roman and pseudo-Imperial silver coins, 54 pieces of hacksilber and two gold rings. The latest coin is a pseudo-Imperial (Visigothic) solidus in the name of Severus III. Interestingly, only the siliquae from the time of the Roman exit are clipped; later siliquae in the hoard are not. I believe this is the latest evidence for coin use in sub-Roman Britain. https://www.treasurerealm.com/coinpapers/hoards/Patching.html The few coins found in context between the Patching hoard and the Crondall Hoard (below) have typically been modified into jewelry. Coins seem to have fallen out of use as a medium of exchange in Britain between about 460 and 625. Indeed, there is little evidence of an exchange economy for which coins might have proved useful. It is interesting to note that it was first the bronze to fall out of use, then the silver and ultimately the gold. When coinage returned, it was first gold, then silver and later (indeed much later, except for Northumbria) bronze. The Sutton Hoo (Suffolk) purse from the ship burial of a king, believed to be Raedwald of East Anglia (c. 599-624), contained 37 Merovingian gold coins, three gold coin blanks and two gold ingots. The significance of Sutton Hoo versus Crondall (below) is that the Sutton Hoo coins are entirely continental while the slightly later Crondall coins are mostly English. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/death-and-memory/anglo-saxon-ship-burial-sutton-hoo The Crondall (Hampshire) Hoard, dates to c. 650. Of the 98 gold thrymsas (shillings) in the hoard, 73 were minted in England by Anglo-Saxon kings and/or bishops, marking the return of minting to Britain. The hoard was found in 1828. https://britisharchaeology.ashmus.ox.ac.uk/coins/crondall-hoard.html
As it turns out a well-documented British hoard of late Roman siliquae, the 2020 Vale of Pewsey Hoard. is going to auction this month. I won't be bidding but I did download the pdf version of the catalog as a reference. As expected, the hoard ends with Honorius. I counted about 30 lots noted as "clipped". Interesting stuff. https://www.noonans.co.uk/auctions/calendar/643/
The Pewsey Hoard is just wonderful. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-61331388 I was surprised to see the number of siliquae from Trier, Germany (including many of usurper Eugenius) among the hoard.
