I found this intriguing Cnut short cross cut half earlier this week when metal detecting. I contacted Dr Martin Allen and had it recorded in the Early Medieval Corpus. Its EMC reference is 2026.0282. Dr Allen has suggested that my coin might be by Godhere at London, but not certain. I believe that the obverse of my coin is the same as EMC 1014.2567 which is recorded as type N 790-4. However, I am unable to match its reverse. The visible letters on the reverse of mine appear to read ER(A/E conjoined) followed by ON LU. Assuming that the ON LU indicates that the coin was minted in London, it means that the moneyers name ended with ERA/E conjoined. My understanding is that A/E conjoined is a character known as Ash. I have been unable to find another coin of this type which has the Ash character as the last letter in the moneyer's name. All of the coins I have seen by Godhere show GODERE as the moneyers name. I don't know if the use of Ash was common on coins and I wonder if perhaps my coin is by a previously unknown London moneyer whose name ended with the Ash character. Grateful for any ideas or feedback
Wonderful! What a thrill it must be to dig coins and artifacts from that era. In my week as a tourist, detecting in Essex, some folks (including me) did dig a little bit of hammered silver, but nothing that early, as I recall.
That piece is in remarkable condition, especially since it’s a metal detecting find. It’s too bad someone needed a half penny before it was lost. Back in those days, the British were only issuing pennies. If you needed a half penny, you cut the coin in half. I’ve heard that there are even farthings, which is the coin cut into quarters, but I’ve never seen one.
I’ve seen photos of the cut farthings, but can’t recall whether not I’ve actually seen or owned one. Once upon a time I bought a cheap lot of cut hammered silver pennies like this- only not Cnut, of course. They were Long Cross pennies.
Here is my one example of Cnut penny. I bought this Henry III penny because it was cut. The value really drops on these when you get half a coin. I paid $20. You would expect to pay $100 or more for full one.
Hi John, many thanks for your comment and interest in my find. Here are photos of Ethelred 2nd cut farthings I found earlier this year on the same field as the Cnut cut half.
Lovely to hear from you again and thanks for your interest in my Cnut find. I received afurther update from Dr Allen this evening telling me that there are no other known Cnut short cross coins with the same reverse legend as mine. So it's unique. I'm absolutely thrilled to bits.
Hi John, that's a lovely pointed helmet Cnut you have. I found a fragment of one of those on the same field that I found the Cnut short cross. Here are photos of my pointed helmet type. Unfortunately the edge has all broken away. Here is another Ethelred 2nd cut farthing I found earlier this year. It's a long cross type.
Cnut was one I never had when I was doing a one-per-monarch British collection from 1066 on up. Of course since Cnut was earlier than 1066, he wouldn't have been in my lineup anyway. But I certainly do find that earlier stuff interesting, even if I don't know a ton about it. In fact, these three are the only pre-1066 British coins I can recall owning (not counting Roman Britain). I no longer own any of these. Really need to get myself another Anglo-Saxon someday. Interesting Anglo-Saxon sceat with an ouroboros on both sides: Mint State Aethelred II (lordy, how I miss this one!) Edward the Confessor:
Lovely coins Lordmarcovan. I have found 2 cut quarters of Ethelred 2nd so hoping for a full example at some point. My oldest saxon coin is this sceat type R1 that I found in a village called Norton in Shropshire.
What other kinds of artifacts turn up incidentally on these 11th century sites? Metal arrowheads? Strap ends and buckles? Pilgrim badges?
